International


Afghanistan: Taliban Poppy Ban Is Economic Hit to Farmers

Dec 6, 2024 | Shabnam von Hein, Deutsche Welle

The ban on growing opium poppy has had devastating consequences for Afghanistan's rural population. The Taliban have yet to offer alternatives, and calls for international…


Afghanistan: 9 Arrested in Afghanistan’s Paktia Province for Illegal Logging

Dec 6, 2024 | Fidel Rahmati, Khaama Press

Following the ban on deforestation in the country, authorities in Paktia province have reported the arrest of 9 individuals in connection with illegal logging in…


Colombia: With Blasts and Grit, Colombia Fights Gold Mines Run by Crime Gangs

Dec 6, 2024 | Agence France-Presse

A thin detonating cord snakes its way into an illegal gold mine drilled high up on a mountain near the Colombian city of Cali, exploding…


Climate Change: How Climate Change, Conflicts, Global South's Rise Challenged UN’s Relevance In 2024

Dec 5, 2024 | Shankhyaneel Sarkar, News18.com

From climate change to conflicts, the UN is seeing its relevance decline as those in need of help from the global body say it is…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Parliament Deadlocked over KRG Oil Compensation in Budget Debate

Dec 5, 2024 | Shafaq News

The Iraqi parliament has once again been thrown into turmoil over the general budget law, with a key point of contention being Article 12, which…


Myanmar: Yacht Maker Sunseeker Fined in Landmark Myanmar ‘Blood Timber’ Case

Dec 4, 2024 | Kristine Sabillo, Mongabay

Yacht builder Sunseeker International has become the first company fined by a U.K. court for using illegally imported timber from military-controlled Myanmar on some of…


Afghanistan: After 40 Years, Water Being Stored at Pashdan Dam in Herat

Dec 1, 2024 | Naseer Ahmad Salehi, TOLOnews

Local officials in Herat said that the water storage process at the Pashdan Dam has begun.According to them, more than 95% of the dam's wall…


Sudan/South Sudan/Abyei: Abyei’s Status Stalemate Fuels Anxiety, Says Local Official

Nov 29, 2024 | Radio Tamazuj

Authorities in the Abyei Administrative Area have raised concerns over the continued delay in determining the final status of the disputed region, warning that the…


Colombia: In Colombia, a Simple Fencing Fix Offers a Win-Win for Wildlife and Ranchers

Nov 28, 2024 | Marlowe Starling, Mongabay

In Colombia, a team of researchers teamed up with cattle ranchers in the department of Meta to find a solution to one central question: How…


Iraq: Enabling Iraq’s Energy Independence

Nov 28, 2024 | Petroleum Economist

Transforming Iraq’s natural gas sector is the key to the country’s energy self-sufficiency, allowing it to chart a course towards becoming a supply hub for…


Conflict Minerals: How Conflict Minerals Legislation Is Reshaping Supply Chains

Nov 28, 2024 | Tom Chapman, Supply Chain Digital

Supply chain management has undergone a profound transformation since the introduction of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010, with Section…


Myanmar: How Climate Change Feeds Our Wars

Nov 28, 2024 | Michele Barnes and Luisa Bedoya Taborda, IMPAKTER

A twin crisis faces the people of Myanmar, but while the war could end tomorrow, climate change will still shape the futures of millions.


DRC: Africa's New £78bn Megaproject That Could Transform Huge but Incredibly Poor Country

Nov 27, 2024 | Emily Wright

A growing population equals more needs to be met by governments. Therefore, the proposed hydroelectric dam at Inga Falls on the Congo River in the…


Afghanistan: Opium Production Remains 93 percent below Pre-Drug Ban Levels, Says UNODC

Nov 27, 2024 | UN Office on Drugs and Crime

Opium production in Afghanistan remains low for the second consecutive year, with production at 433 tons in 2024, confirmed new estimates from the UN Office…


Liberia: FDA Rehires Ex-Manager Disgraced for Alleged Corruption

Nov 27, 2024 | Emmanuel Sherman, The DayLight

The Forestry Development Authority (FDA) has rehired a former manager who was disgraced on multiple occasions for alleged corruption and involved with companies punished for…


Colombia: Guardians of Guaviare: Southern Colombia’s Land Fight

Nov 27, 2024 | Lital Khaikin, Fair Planet

The Jiw (pronounced “Hue”) are a small Indigenous community in southern Colombia, also known as Guiabero. The 3000 members of this community live along the…


Myanmar: Climate Change Is the Final Straw for Myanmar’s Farmers

Nov 27, 2024 | Luke Hunt, Union of Catholic Asian News

Across Myanmar, the talk among embattled farmers ranges from conflict and floods to planting and climate change. The conversations are also about conscription and whether…


Liberia: Calls for EU not to End Timber Treaty with Liberia

Nov 26, 2024 | Esau J. Farr, The DayLight

Calls are mounting for the European Union (EU) to reconsider its decision to terminate a timber trade agreement with Liberia. The issue is high on…


Sudan: Targeted Attacks, Lack of Maintenance Could Lead to Dam on the White Nile in Sudan Bursting

Nov 26, 2024 | Smart Water Magazine

The Jebel Aulia Dam, near Sudan’s capital Khartoum, is at risk of collapsing as a result of attacks carried out in violent clashes between the…


Climate Change: What Happens When Climate Change and Conflict Collide?

Nov 26, 2024 | International Rescue Committee

Climate change is a devastating force on its own, driving floods, droughts and raising temperatures worldwide. For countries already destabilized by conflict, it deepens humanitarian needs, making…


Liberia: Disappointed in Logging, Communities Look to Conservation

Nov 25, 2024 | James Harding Giahyue, The DayLight

It has been some 15 years since logging was reintroduced in community forests following the end of over a decade of Liberia’s bloody civil wars.…


Ukraine/Russia: Wagner Earned over $2.5bn from Illegal Gold Mining to Fund War, Report Reveals

Nov 25, 2024 | Ecofin Agency

Gold mining is a key part of the Russian mercenary group’s business model. Even after coming under Kremlin control, it continues to offer security, training,…


Afghanistan: Assisting Communities Grappling with the Impact of Climate Change

Nov 25, 2024 | International Committee of the Red Cross

Decades of conflict and violence, underinvestment in critical infrastructure and economic challenges have weakened the country’s capacity to tackle the growing threats posed by climate…


Afghanistan: How Data Analysis, Community Engagement, and GIS Delivered a Reliable Water Source to an Afghan Community

Nov 25, 2024 | Alice Brindley and Bella Brittan, DAI

In early 2024, the Afghanistan Value Chains Program (AVCP), funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), launched an initiative in northern Afghanistan aimed…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan PM Blasts Baghdad over $20 bln Lost Oil Revenue

Nov 24, 2024 | Hadley Gamble, Al Arabiya News

Kurdistan’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has laid bare the staggering financial toll on the semi-autonomous region of Iraq, as oil exports remain suspended. Barzani reports…


Afghanistan: Afghan Women Harvest Saffron; Breath of Fresh Air in Afghanistan [Video]

Nov 23, 2024 | WION

A breath of fresh air for Afghan women whose rights have been trampled by archaic Taliban laws. Women in the Herat province are harvesting the…


Ethiopia: Understanding Climate Security Needs in Ethiopia

Nov 22, 2024 | Ibukun Taiwo, CGIAR

Over the last few years, Ethiopia has grappled with extreme drought, flooding, political instability, and conflict. Engagement on the intersection of the effects of climate…


Afghanistan: FAO, IOM, and UNDP Launch EU-Funded Afghanistan Community Resilience Programme

Nov 21, 2024 | UNDP

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have jointly…


Afghanistan: Booming Saffron Harvest Creates More Jobs for Afghans

Nov 21, 2024 | Xinhua.

Saffron cultivation, a promising alternative to Afghanistan's infamous poppy farming, has been steadily expanding in the war-torn country over the past two decades. More farmers…


Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Woos Miners to Clean Energy with $11 Billion Plan

Nov 21, 2024 | Bloomberg

Sierra Leone wants mining companies to connect to the grid and help reassure renewable-energy investors there’s enough demand in the West African nation to justify…