International


Iraq: Drought-Stricken Iraq Pleads for More Water from Upstream Neighbours

Sep 30, 2018 | Campbell MacDiarmid, The National

Amid a worsening water crisis at home, Iraq’s foreign minister used his time at the UN podium on Saturday to call on upstream neighbours to…


South Sudan: South Sudan Eyes Fishery Sector as Alternative to Oil

Sep 29, 2018 | Xinhua

South Sudan plans to develop its fishery industry in an effort to boost the revenue base of the oil-dependent country. The country's council of ministers…


Iraq: Oil-Rich but Powerless: Who Can Solve Iraq's Electricity Crisis?

Sep 29, 2018 | Al Jazeera

Since the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) last year there have been widespread protests about a…


Afghanistan: Former Mining Owner ‘Defrauds’ Govt out of Almost $16 Million

Sep 28, 2018 | TOLOnews

The US Department of Justice announced this week that the former owner of Marble Mining Company in Afghanistan was convicted for defrauding the US government and defaulting on a $15.8 million loan. The…


Colombia: Land Defenders Increasingly Murdered with Impunity

Sep 28, 2018 | Democracy Now!

In Colombia, human rights groups are warning of an epidemic of murders targeting environmentalists and leaders of social movements. New statistics compiled by a Colombian…


South Sudan: South Sudan’s ‘Relentless Conflict’ Leaves almost 60 Percent Suffering Desperate Food Crisis

Sep 28, 2018 | UN

The warning follows the release of a report on Friday, indicating that it is only large-scale humanitarian assistance being provided in many areas of the…


Iraq: Conflict and Drought Ravage Iraq's Prized Date Palms

Sep 28, 2018 | Sarah Benhaida, Phys.org

Sweet Iraqi dates adorn tables in homes across the country, but the fruit tree and national symbol has come under threat from conflict and crippling…


Iraq: Iraqi Officials Trained to Assess Oil-Contaminated Sites from ISIL Conflicts

Sep 28, 2018 | Priyanka Shrestha, Energy Live News

A total of 26 national experts from Iraq have been trained to assess and clean-up oil-contaminated sites from the conflict in the country. UN Environment…


Afghanistan: From Heroin to Roses: How Afghan Farmers Are Reducing Poppy Farming One Rose at a Time. [Video]

Sep 28, 2018 | Al Jazeera

Video: Roses replace opium poppies in Afghanistan


Climate Change: Trawling for Peace in a Warming Planet

Sep 27, 2018 | UN Environment

Annually, more than 80 million metric tons of seafood is harvested from the oceans, providing nearly 3 billion people with more than 20 per cent of…


South Sudan: South Sudan Study Measures Cost of Conflict on Overall Mortality

Sep 27, 2018 | Africa Times

Five years of war in South Sudan has likely led to nearly 400,000 excess deaths, about half of them directly because of the violence, according…


South Sudan: Who Will Gain from South Sudan's Expanded Oil Production?

Sep 27, 2018 | Benita van Eyssen, Deutsche Welle

Juba is keen to see the black gold pumping as South Sudan emerges out of a civil war that caused close on 400,000 deaths. DW…


Myanmar: Poachers Are Killing Myanmar’s Elephants in Increasing Numbers

Sep 27, 2018 | Stephen Starr

While the plight facing elephants across Africa has attracted significant international condemnation, and rightly so, less reported is the surging demand for elephant skin in…


South Sudan: Who Will Gain from South Sudan's Expanded Oil Production?

Sep 27, 2018 | Benita van Eyssen, Deutsche Welle

Juba is keen to see the black gold pumping as South Sudan emerges out of a civil war that caused close on 400,000 deaths. DW…


Myanmar: The Jade Scramble: Life at the Bottom of the Mines

Sep 26, 2018 | Libby Hogan, Democratic Voice of Burma

The fruits of the jade trade are mostly enjoyed by Burmese and Chinese businessmen, the military elite and ethnic armed groups. Few profits return to…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan Hails New, Improved Hydrometerological Service

Sep 26, 2018 | World Meteorological Organization

A WMO-led project to establish a functioning hydrometeorological service in Afghanistan to improve early warnings and provide accessible and accurate weather forecasts to increase resilience…


Climate Change: Rising Seas, Shrinking Lakes, Extreme Weather Events Show How Large Threat of Climate Change Looms, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Group of Friends

Sep 26, 2018 | UN

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the Group of Friends on Climate and Security, in New York today:


Iraq: Once Iraq's Venice, Basra's Waters Have Now Turned Deadly

Sep 26, 2018 | Mohammed Kadhim Atti, Reuters

Once dubbed the “Venice of the Middle East” for its canals, Iraq’s crumbling port city of Basra is slowly dying of thirst.

Once dubbed the 'Venice…


Conflict Minerals: Ethical Metals: Cobalt Traders Adopt Blockchain to Gain 'Automated Trust' as Demand from EVs Sector Grows

Sep 26, 2018 | Siobhan Hall, Diana Kinch, and Xinyue Zhang, S&P Global Platts

Demand for clean, responsibly-sourced metal for use in electric vehicle batteries and smartphones has spawned a new market for technology companies: offering blockchain services to…


Climate Change: Climate-Related Conflict Discussed at Auckland Workshop

Sep 25, 2018 | Radio New Zealand

Climate-related conflict and security issues in the Pacific will be examined by experts from around the world in Auckland this week. Co-hosted by Otago University's…


Afghanistan: Low Quality Foreign Saffron Passed off as Afghan Product

Sep 25, 2018 | Zabihullah Jahanmal, TOLOnews

The ACCI raised concerns this week about the smuggling of saffron into the country which is then sold on as an Afghan product. Nasir Ahmad…


Myanmar: Mismanagement of Land Deals Has Cost Yangon Billions, Audit Finds

Sep 24, 2018 | Nan Lwin, Irrawaddy

The Yangon Region Auditor General’s Office has found that the government’s mismanagement of land leases cost it billions of kyats during the 2016-17 fiscal year,…


Afghanistan: The Afghanistan Goldrush

Sep 23, 2018 | Marco Giannangeli, Express

At least two firms have been given “preferred bidder” status for a range of gold and copper concessions in the war-torn country, said to contain…


Cambodia: After CPP Election Win, Promises to Solve Cambodia’s Land Grabs Fade Again

Sep 21, 2018 | Sun Narin, Voice of America Cambodia

More than a month after the elections - which the CPP won amid widespread international condemnation over the lack of a free and fair vote…


Liberia: Liberia Passes Landmark Law to Secure Ancestral Land Rights

Sep 21, 2018 | CGTN Africa

Liberia has passed a landmark law that will help communities fight foreign land grabs by giving them ownership of ancestral territory, officials and activists said…


US Spends $81 Billion a Year to Protect Global Oil Supplies, Report Estimates

Sep 21, 2018 | Tom DiChristopher, CNBC

The United States military spends about $81 billion a year to protect oil supplies around the world and keep fossil fuels flowing into American gas…


Food Security: Recognising the Debilitating Nature Conflict Has on Food Security

Sep 21, 2018 | Busani Bafana, Inter Press Service

Hunger has been on the rise for three years in a row, the U.N. found in a new report published this September. The global body says…


Liberia: Land Reforms in Liberia Allow Foreigners to Own Property

Sep 21, 2018 | Africa News

Liberia’s President George Weah, who took office in January, has signed a land reform law that gives local communities greater rights over “customary land” and…


Liberia: AfDB to Provide Technical Assistance to Liberia's Wood Industry

Sep 21, 2018 | Devdiscourse

The African Development Bank's Fund for African Private Sector Assistance (FAPA), has approved a grant of US $1 million to Liberia, to provide technical assistance…


South Sudan: Why the Oil Pollution in South Sudan Isn’t Getting Enough Media Coverage, According to the Victims

Sep 21, 2018 | Francis Michael, ViaNews

Oil pollution now affects millions of people in South Sudan. Many villages have been completely destroyed by it. This has been going on for at…