International


Myanmar: Junta Plans Major Hike in Annual Licensing Fees for Gem Traders

Sep 20, 2023 | Aung Naing, Myanmar Now

The junta is reportedly considering raising its annual licensing fees for gem retailers by sixfold in early 2024. The shift would apply to several types…


Liberia: Weary of Logging Contracts, Locals Doubtful of Carbon Deal

Sep 19, 2023 | Emmanuel Sherman, Observer

Forest communities across the country have shown reluctance over Liberia’s negotiation with UAE-based Blue Carbon fearing it would fail them like logging contracts. Blue Carbon, owned by…


Breaking the Silos: A New U.S. Strategy Linking Gender Equality & Climate Action

Sep 18, 2023 | Aubrey R. Paris, US State Department

Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment strengthens our ability to combat climate change, helping us to reduce emissions and build resilience.


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Increases Financial Support for Kurdish Autonomous Region

Sep 18, 2023 | Al Jazeera

Iraq’s federal government is giving the administration of the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region more money to allow it to pay salaries. Sunday’s decision was announced…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds Optimistic but No Quick Resolution in Baghdad Oil Dispute

Sep 16, 2023 | Selcan Hacaoglu, Bloomberg

Delegates from Iraqi Kurdistan expressed optimism after talks with Baghdad last week over resuming oil exports from the semi-autonomous region, but a top Kurdish official…


Afghanistan: The Wild, Green Shrub in Afghanistan That Is Dividing Drug Experts

Sep 16, 2023 | Lucy Cormack, Sydney Morning Herald

A wild, green shrub that has grown for centuries in the central mountains of Afghanistan is dividing international drug experts probing the embattled nation’s ballooning…


Egypt/Ethiopia/Sudan: Why Ethiopia’s $5 Billion Dam Has Riled Its Neighbors

Sep 15, 2023 | Fasika Tadesse and Michael Cohen, Bloomberg

Ethiopia has been at loggerheads with downstream neighbors Egypt and Sudan for years over a $5 billion mega-dam it’s built on the Nile River’s biggest…


Turkey: Turkey Appeals against Arbitration Ruling on Iraq and Kurdistan Oil Exports

Sep 15, 2023 | Ragip Soylu, Middle East Eye

Turkey has filed an application to the International Chamber of Commerce against Iraq to overturn an arbitration ruling which struck Ankara with a net $1.4bn…


Afghanistan: Value of Signed Contracts in Mining Sector Reaches Nearly $7 Billion

Sep 15, 2023 | Bibi Amina Hakimi, TOLOnews

The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) said that the value of contracts signed in the mining sector in the past two years has reached…


Afghanistan: In a First, Panjsher’s Emerald Sold at Home

Sep 15, 2023 | Emal Rahimi, Pajhwok

For the first time a 1,244 karat emerald stone discovered in central Panjsher province has been sold in the country.


Turkey: Turkiye Seeks to Overturn ICC Ruling on Iraq Pipeline Exports: Official

Sep 15, 2023 | The Cradle

Turkiye has appealed to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) against Iraq to overturn the arbitration demanding that Ankara pay damages over its illegal oil…


Myanmar: Myanmar's Forests Fall Victim to Conflict

Sep 14, 2023 | Rebecca L. Root, Nikkei

From Kalaw town's bamboo forest to the Hsipaw Reserved Forest in Shan State and the freshwater swamps that flank the Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's forests rank…


Sudan: Gold Production in Sudan Dwindles to Two Tons Due to Ongoing Conflict

Sep 14, 2023 | Sudan Tribune

A Sudanese public company has disclosed a significant decline in gold production during the five-month-long conflict, plummeting to a mere 2 tons, in stark contrast…


DRC: Mining Metals Vital for EVs Is ‘Wrecking Lives’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Report Finds

Sep 14, 2023 | Euronews Green

The report from Amnesty International and the DRC-based Initiative for Good Governance and Human Rights details how the search for the minerals has forcibly uprooted…


Liberia: RICCE Wants Gender Mainstreamed In Oil Palm Development Fund Bill

Sep 12, 2023 | GNNLiberia

The Rural Integrated Center for Community Empowerment (RICCE) wants gender mainstreamed into the Oil Palm Development Fund Bill currently being scrutinized by civil society organizations,…


Conflict Minerals: Tin Producer Minsur Launches Digital Tracing System for Conflict-Free Metals

Sep 12, 2023 | The Deep Dive

One of the world’s leading tin producers is embarking on a transformative journey towards enhanced transparency and ethical sourcing in the mining industry. Minsur SA,…


Colombia: Colombia Was Deadliest Country for Environmentalists in 2022, Advocacy Group Says

Sep 12, 2023 | Oliver Griffin, Reuters

Colombia was the deadliest country for environmentalists in 2022, with at least 60 environmental and land rights defenders killed there, British advocacy group Global Witness…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad, Erbil Relations on Edge as Both Sides Disagree over Oil Revenue

Sep 12, 2023 | Wladimir van Wilgenburg, S&P Global Platts

Relations between Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan region continue to fester, with Erbil's embattled oil industry -- already reeling from the refusal of neighboring…


Libya: ‘Disastrous beyond Comprehension’: 10,000 Missing after Libya Floods

Sep 12, 2023 | Patrick Wintour, Guardian

The situation in Derna, the Libyan port city where two dams burst over the weekend, has been described as “disastrous beyond comprehension”, as the Red…


Ukraine/Russia: Ukraine Reclaims Black Sea Oil and Gas Platforms from Russia, Kyiv Says

Sep 12, 2023 | Veronika Melkozerova, EnergyWire

Ukrainian military forces said Monday they managed to regain control over four strategically important oil and gas drilling platforms located in the Black Sea near…


Empowering Change: Highlights from the High-Level Regional Workshop on Gender Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction in Eastern Africa by UNESCO

Sep 11, 2023 | UNESCO

Delegates from a diverse range of stakeholders in 10 Eastern African countries converged in Nairobi from August 22nd to 24th, 2023 for the High-Level Regional…


Empowering Change: Highlights from the High-Level Regional Workshop on Gender Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction in Eastern Africa by UNESCO

Sep 11, 2023 | UNESCO

Delegates from a diverse range of stakeholders in 10 Eastern African countries converged in Nairobi from August 22nd to 24th, 2023 for the High-Level Regional…


Kenya: Women Climate Activists Dismiss Nairobi Declaration as 'False Solutions'

Sep 11, 2023 | Moraa Obiria, Agatha Gichana, and Kamau Maichuhie, Nation

The activists said the declaration left out the 'core agents who drive adaptation and mitigation solutions'.


Dominican Republic/Haiti: Dominican Republic to Seal Dajabon Border with Haiti in Canal Dispute

Sep 11, 2023 | Reuters

The Dominican Republic will seal its border with Haiti in its northern Dajabon province if a conflict over access to water from a shared river…


Climate Change: NATO Updates Environmental Security Plans

Sep 11, 2023 | Taelor Daugherty, Security

Climate change and increasingly severe natural disasters have led to a number of security concerns. Building damage puts data and employees at risk, and detailed…


Colombia: “This Is a Peaceful Agrarian Reform, We Will Buy the Lands”: Minister of Agriculture

Sep 11, 2023 | Nation World

In the dialogue of the Weekend Newscast of Caracol Radio, the Minister of Agriculture Jhenifer Mojica spoke about the regulatory orders that will be presented…


Israel/Palestine: Palestinian Water Woes Highlight Dashed Hopes of Oslo Accords

Sep 10, 2023 | Agence France-Presse

The Israeli-Palestinian dispute centres on land but also on the water resources that sustain life in the sun-parched land between the Mediterranean Sea and the…


Egypt/Ethiopia/Sudan: Filling of Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile Complete, Ethiopia Says

Sep 10, 2023 | Agence France-Presse

Ethiopia has announced that it has filled its Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile, which has been the source of a long-running water…


India: New Delhi Declaration Accepts Disproportionate Impact of Climate Change on Women

Sep 9, 2023 | The Hindu

‘We commit to close gender gaps, promote full, equal, effective women’s participation in the economy as decision-makers,’ the G-20 declaration said.


G20 Summit 2023: Accelerate Climate Action With Gender Equality At Its Core

Sep 9, 2023 | BQ Prime

In the G20 Declaration, the countries underscored the fundamental importance of gender equality and acknowledged its multiplier effect in realizing the 2030 Agenda.