News


Middle East: Future Wars in Mideast Probably on Water: Iranian Diplomat

Sep 16, 2017 | Iran Front Page

Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi says the issue of water, water resources, coping with water scarcity, as well as…


Iraq/Kurdistan: OPEC's Second-Biggest Producer Could Possibly Split in Two — And Start an Oil War

Sep 15, 2017 | Sam Meredith, CNBC

An oil-rich province in the north of Iraq plans to vote in a referendum on Kurdish independence later this month, prompting fears of regional conflict…


Food Security: World Hunger Worsens as War, Climate Shocks Hit Food Access

Sep 15, 2017 | Agnieszka De Sousa, Bloomberg

The number of people suffering from hunger last year rose at the fastest pace since at least the beginning of this century as conflicts and…


Destabilizing Egypt; Ethiopia’s Nile River Dam

Sep 14, 2017 | Thomas C. Mountain

Ethiopia’s new “ Grand Renaissance Dam”, scheduled to be completed next year, will take close to half (40%) of the Nile River’s water every year…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurds to Vote on Independence Despite Region's Fears

Sep 14, 2017 | Associated Press

Iraq's Kurds vote this month on whether or not they support independence for their enclave in the country's north, a step toward their long-held dream…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Western Powers Press Iraq Kurd Leaders to Shelve 'Very Risky' Independence Vote

Sep 14, 2017 | Raya Jalabi and Ulf Laessing, Reuters

The United States and Western allies pressed Iraqi Kurdish leaders to ditch a “very risky” independence vote on Thursday, presenting an alternative plan in an…


Scarred Lands Film Channel Launched

Sep 13, 2017

The Scarred Lands Film Team is pleased to present the debut of the Scarred Lands Film Channel, the channel showcases 18 short clips (average length 1:00) addressing…


Tomorrow May Be Too Late: Military Leaders Testify on National Security Challenges of Climate Change

Sep 13, 2017 | Amanda King

As the Senate returns from recess, passing the annual National Defense Authorization Act will be one of its top priorities—and this year it could include…


Is the Military Prepared for Climate Crisis?

Sep 13, 2017 | Sharmini Peries

If you live in the U.S., it is not news that we have been hit by two devastating hurricanes in the last two weeks. First,…


Iraq: Tribal Clashes, Political Void Threaten Oil Installations in Iraq's South

Sep 13, 2017 | Aref Mohammed and Ahmed Rasheed, Reuters

Worsening clashes among tribes and a political void is threatening security at oil installations in Iraq’s main southern oil producing region, officials and security sources…


Urbanisation-Led Sand Shortages Fuelling Violent Conflict and Environmental Disasters

Sep 13, 2017 | Cameron Jewell, The Fifth State

Sand and gravel are now the world’s most extracted materials – surpassing fossil fuels – but overexploitation and shortages are fuelling violent conflict and leading…


Bangladesh: Rohingya Refugees Crossing into Bangladesh Face Another Threat: Land Mines

Sep 13, 2017 | Annie Gowen, Washington Post

More than 300,000 members of Burma’s Rohingya ethnic minority have poured into Bangladesh in recent days, after a brutal military crackdown that the U.N. human…


South Sudan: Corruption Plagues South Sudan and Threatens the Growth of Its Oil Industry

Sep 13, 2017 | Paul Ilado, Star

Many major international oil companies that had entered into EPSAs with the pre-independence government in Khartoum have found it difficult ,if not impossible, to negotiate…


Colombia: Colombia's Ex-FARC Guerrillas Are Training as Coffee Growers and Baristas in Cauca

Sep 13, 2017 | Sorrel Moseley-Williams, Independent

“I want Colombia to be different,” says Jhon Benavides, an aspiring barista and, from the age of 14 until last year, a guerrilla in the…


Afghanistan/Iran: Iran, Afghanistan to Launch Joint Project to Restore Hamun Lake

Sep 13, 2017 | Iran Front Page

Head of the Wetlands Office of the Iranian Department of Environment, Arezoo Ashrafizadeh, said Iran and Afghanistan are working together on a joint strategic plan…


South Sudan: War-Ravaged South Sudan May Scrap Expensive Oil Subsidies

Sep 12, 2017 | Denis Dumo, Reuters

War-ravaged South Sudan is considering scrapping state subsidies on oil because it hasn’t been able to pay civil servants for four months and diplomatic staff…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdish Independence Vote Draws Ire in Baghdad

Sep 12, 2017 | Chase Winter, Deutsche Welle

Iraq's parliament on Tuesday voted to reject a Kurdish independence referendum planned later this month, raising already simmering tensions between Baghdad and Erbil that could…


Afghanistan: More Effort Needed to Minimize Impact of Climate Change

Sep 12, 2017 | Nabeela Ashrafi, TOLOnews

Drought and soil erosion as a result of climate change could further destabilize Afghanistan, environmental experts warned on Tuesday.  This comes as scientists report that…


A New Film, Silas, Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Highlights the Struggle to Fight Liberian Land Grabs

Sep 11, 2017 | Jonathan Gant

In 2012, while working for my anti-corruption NGO Global Witness, I sat down with a tribal chief in an isolated region of Liberia called Dugbeh.…


Costa Rica: Project Manager, USAID/OFDA Regional Disaster Assistance Program

Sep 10, 2017 | RTI International

RTI is an independent, nonprofit institute that provides research, development, and technical services to government and commercial clients worldwide. Our mission is to improve the…


DRC: Consultant - Environment and Ecosystems Assessment

Sep 10, 2017 | Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is a leading global organization powered by the belief that a better world is possible. In disaster, in hardship, in more than 40…


Syria: Livelihoods Programme Manager

Sep 10, 2017 | Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and suffering in the world’s poorest countries. Concern works in partnership with the very…


Iraq/Syria: Programme Coordinator - WASH

Sep 10, 2017 | Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to tackling poverty and suffering in the world’s poorest countries. Concern works in partnership with the very…


Kenya: Disaster Risk Reduction Policy & Governance Expert - Marsabit County

Sep 10, 2017 | Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Germany

VSF Germany is an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), providing humanitarian aid and development assistance to pastoralists and vulnerable communities in areas where livestock is of…


Whither Peacebuilding Initiatives? The Escalation of Herder-Farmer Conflicts in Nigeria

Sep 10, 2017 | Akachi Odoemene

There is a growing trend towards episodic, low-intensity conflicts across Nigeria, particularly in its north-central and southern zones. These conflicts often involve nomadic Fulani herdsmen…


Climate Variability, Water, and Security in El Salvador

Sep 10, 2017 | Herman Rosa, Chelsea Spangler

Water-related challenges in El Salvador have acquired far greater significance over the past decade as they have intersected with other social problems including migration, criminal…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Revenues Real Motive for Kurdistan Independence Vote

Sep 10, 2017 | Press TV

Sa’ad al-Muttalibi believes the leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, has been using the referendum to further blackmail the political system in the country…


Afghanistan: Grape Farmers Expect Bumper Crop This Year

Sep 9, 2017 | Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews

According to the ministry, this is an increase of more than 15 percent against last year. MAIL spokesman Lotfullah Rashid said Afghan farmers will earn…


Iraq: Iraq's Killing Fields: The Lethal Legacy of Landmines – in Pictures [Photos]

Sep 8, 2017 | Sean Sutton, Guardian

After decades of conflict, Iraq has been left littered with unexploded booby-traps. The Mines Advisory Group has spent 25 years in the country working to…


How to Free Children Like Samira from Somalia’s Cycle of Drought, Conflict & Hunger

Sep 7, 2017 | Kevin Watkins

Humanitarian action in Somalia has saved lives. Six months ago, a full-blown famine was in prospect as the worst drought in living memory tightened its…