International


'Greening the Desert': What Drives Militants' Environmentalism?

Mar 5, 2019 | Austin Bodetti, New Arab

Though al-Qaeda would appear to have little in common with the likes of the Earth Liberation Army and the Earth Liberation Front, it apparently shares…


Iraq: CPECC Agrees to Build Natural Gas Liquids Plant in Iraq

Mar 5, 2019 | Michael Marray, Asset

China Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corporation (CPECC) and Basra Gas Company (BGC) have signed a contract to build a natural gas liquids (NGL) plant in…


South Sudan: UN Accuses Oil Firms of Fuelling Armed Conflict in South Sudan

Mar 5, 2019 | Kevin J. Kelley, East African

Transnational oil-production companies controlled by Asian interests have been complicit in South Sudan government military offensives that involved killings of civilians. "There has been a…


Myanmar: Naga Women in Myanmar Dream of Inheriting Land

Mar 5, 2019 | Morung Express

In November 2014, the Conference of Naga Nationals adopted a resolution that committed the indigenous Naga people in Myanmar to the Convention on the Elimination…


Myanmar: Myanmar ups Efforts to Save Marine, Wildlife

Mar 4, 2019 | Myanmar Times

“Life below water: for people and planet” was the theme of World Wildlife Day 2019, which was celebrated on Sunday to raise awareness about the world’s…


Climate Change: The Urgency of Tackling Climate-Related Security Risk in Africa

Mar 4, 2019 | KAD Africana

The African Union Peace and Security Council has been commended for dedicating its 828th session to climate change. During an open session on the theme:…


DRC: DRC President, Felix Tshisekedi, Ambiguous on Application of New Mining Code

Mar 4, 2019 | Miningmx

Felix Tshisekedi, the newly elected president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), gave mixed messages on how he would implement a recently promulgated mining…


Afghanistan: Heavy Rains, Floods Kill 20 Afghans

Mar 3, 2019 | DTN Progressive Farmer

A UN humanitarian agency says at least 20 people died as heavy rains and flooding over the past few days swept away their homes and…


Guatemala: Women Land Defenders Face 'Extreme Criminalisation', Added Risks

Mar 2, 2019 | Anna-Cat Brigida

El Estor, Guatemala - Since her teen years, Maria Magdalena Cuc Choc, now 39, has defended the natural resources of El Estor, a predominantly Mayan…


Iraq: Iraq State Company Denies Shiite Militia Smuggling Mosul Oil

Mar 2, 2019 | Rudaw

Iraq’s North Oil Company (NOC) denied on Sunday that Shiite militia groups were smuggling oil from Nineveh to Syria and Iran, saying that the company…


Myanmar: Understand Customary System before Implementing Laws

Mar 1, 2019 | Morung Express

In 2014, the residents of Somra, a Naga village in Myanmar, found a new signboard posted on the side of the road inside the community…


Myanmar: Myanmar Land Ownership Law Could Displace Millions of Farmers

Mar 1, 2019 | Peter Yeung and Carlotta Dotto, Deutsche Welle

Under a land reformation act, millions of farmers across Myanmar could be forced from land they have tilled for generations. Many are unaware of the…


Myanmar: Land Legacies, Segregation Could Deter Rakhine Investment Push

Feb 28, 2019 | Thompson Chau, Myanmar Times

The State Counsellor called for investments “implemented with responsibility” as a crucial force in “putting Rakhine’s development trajectory on track” at a Japan-sponsored investment forum…


Somalia: Set of Milestones to Meet Somalia’s Obligations under Environmental Conventions Agreed at a High-Level Meeting in Mogadishu

Feb 28, 2019 | UNDP

A set of milestones to meet three Rio Conventions on climate change, biodiversity and desertification were agreed at a high-level environment meeting this month, which was…


Liberia: US$372.67M in Loans, Concession Agreements under House Review

Feb 27, 2019 | Leroy M. Sonpon, III, Observer

The House of Representatives is reviewing US$372.67 million Concession and Loan Agreements submitted by President George Weah, as well as an Incentive Agreement with the…


Colombia: Colombia to Examine Selling Coffee at Its Own Price, Ignoring New York Market

Feb 27, 2019 | Reuters

Colombia, the world’s top producer of washed arabica, will look into selling its harvest at a price which covers production costs, without being tied to…


Myanmar: Recognize Our Customary Tenure and Rights: Nagas to Myanmar Govt

Feb 27, 2019 | Morung Express

Indigenous Naga communities in Myanmar have called upon the Government of Myanmar to recognize “the customary tenure system and respect their rights to own, use…


Myanmar: Mandalay to Debate Effort to Resolve Land-Ownership Issues

Feb 27, 2019 | Phyo Wai Kyaw, Myanmar Times

The Mandalay Region hluttaw (parliament) will debate a proposal to give title deeds to people who have lived for a long time on land that does…


South Sudan: Conflict to Blame for Extreme Hunger in South Sudan

Feb 27, 2019 | Norwegian Refugee Council

Around 6.4 million people are currently at risk of hunger according to a recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report into the escalating food…


India/Pakistan: Are India and Pakistan on the Verge of a Water War?

Feb 25, 2019 | Keith Johnson, Foreign Policy

With tensions rising between India and Pakistan in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack earlier this month that killed more than 40 Indian police…


Myanmar: Lethal Landslips and Drug Addiction: Myanmar's Toxic Jade Trade

Feb 25, 2019 | Peter Yeung and Zaw Moe Htet, Guardian

A controversial new gemstone law fails to address the hazards of an industry in which scores of workers die each year. Testimonies heard by the…


Myanmar: Myanmar’s Milling Industry Devastated by New Logging Policies

Feb 25, 2019 | Genevieve Belmaker, Good Men Project

Myanmar’s Timber Merchants Association is crying foul over what they say are the devastating impacts from a one-year logging ban and new, restrictive government policies.…


Myanmar: After Decades of Conflict, Land Deadline Looms for Myanmar Villagers

Feb 25, 2019 | Rina Chandran, Reuters

After nearly seven decades of conflict, the Karen National Union (KNU), the oldest ethnic armed group, signed a ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar government in…


Afghanistan: Seeds of Hope: Why Afghan Farmers No Longer Give a Fig for Poppies

Feb 24, 2019 | Sayed Salahuddin, Arab News

For decades, Afghanistan’s opium harvests earned the country worldwide notoriety. Now it is winning a global reputation with a very different export — fresh and…


Afghanistan: Research Reveals Severe Lack of Water Along Harirod River

Feb 22, 2019 | Gulabuddin Ghubar, TOLOnews

A research by Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies shows that water level has dropped by 50 percent in Harirod River water zones, affecting many areas…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Dried Fig Exports Reach $47M

Feb 22, 2019 | Rohullah Arman, TOLOnews

Figures by Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) show that Afghanistan has exported figs valued almost $47 million in the last 10 months. The…


Liberia: Sexual Violence & Threats Documented at Liberia Agricultural Company

Feb 22, 2019 | FrontPage Africa

Swiss-based human rights group, Bread for all (Bfa) and her Liberian partners, Green Advocates International (GAI), Alliance for Rural Democracy (ARD) and Natural Resource Women…


Afghanistan: Water Shortage Warning in Western Afghanistan

Feb 22, 2019 | Prensa Latina

The Afghanistan Institute for Strategic Studies warned Friday of water shortages in the west of the country after a 50 per cent drop in the…


Colombia: Colombia's Ex-Rebels Turn Tourist Guides, but Peace Remains Fragile

Feb 21, 2019 | Anastasia Moloney, Thomson Reuters Foundation

As a former rebel fighter, Ximena Cruz used to hide and survive in Colombia’s dense forests, but now in peacetime she hopes tourists will visit…


Climate Change: Prepare Now for Accelerating Climate Threats, Military Officials Warn

Feb 21, 2019 | Laurie Goering, Thomson Reuters Foundation

Militaries must prepare now to deal with more frequent disasters, new conflicts and other risks as accelerating climate change brings threats that could draw in…