International


Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan: Kyrgyzstan Fortifies Border as Negotiations with Tajikistan Drag on

Nov 26, 2021 | Ayzirek Imanaliyeva, Eurasianet

For the first time since deadly border clashes last spring, Kyrgyzstan is allowing a limited number of Tajiks to enter the country. They will pass…


Somalia: Shocks, Agricultural Livelihoods and Food Security

Nov 25, 2021 | Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN

The main shocks reported by interviewed households included dry spells, high food prices, sickness or death of household members, loss of income, pests and diseases…


South Sudan- Economic Recession Spurs Gender Violence in South Sudan

Nov 24, 2021

On eve of Global Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, activists demand tougher laws to curb gender violence in South Sudan.


DRC: DRC Set to Become Africa’s Largest Producer of Mining Components for Battery

Nov 24, 2021 | Amina Accram, SABC News

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is strengthening its position to be Africa’s largest producer of mining components needed for Battery Operated Electric Cars. President…


Afghanistan: Chinese Miners in Talks to Access Vast Afghan Lithium Reserves

Nov 24, 2021 | Eltaf Najafizada, Bloomberg

Chinese firms are showing interest in exploiting Afghanistan’s vast untapped mineral resources as Beijing seeks a role in reconstructing the nation’s war-ravaged economy.  Afghanistan is…


Afghanistan: Taliban Announces Deal to Grow Cannabis In Afghanistan amid Questions over Company’s Involvement

Nov 24, 2021 | Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan announced on Tuesday that it had contracted a company called Cpharm to grow and manufacture cannabis products—but an Australian firm…


South Sudan: South Sudan at High Risk of Hunger, Disease Due to Extreme Flooding

Nov 24, 2021 | East African

South Sudan is staring at a catastrophic humanitarian crisis as extreme floods hit the country for the third consecutive year. Humanitarian agencies are warning that…


Liberia: House Begins Scrutiny of Arcelormittal Mineral Development Agreement

Nov 24, 2021 | Gerald C. Koinyeneh, FrontPage Africa

The Plenary of the House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on Investment, Judiciary, Lands, Mines & Energy; and Ways, Means & Finance to review…


Solomon Islands: Securing Land Rights for Sustainable Peace

Nov 23, 2021 | UNDP

The UN Development Programme in Solomon Islands has supported the Government’s Customary Land Recording programme conducted by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey in…


Liberia: Liberia Loggers Felling Trees Outside Concession as Government Stands by

Nov 23, 2021 | James Giahyue, Mongabay

Civil society groups say logging companies are exploiting weak monitoring and enforcement of Liberia’s forestry laws. A new briefing highlights the illegal harvest of as…


Liberia: Sixty-Nine Percent of Ministry of Mines and Energy Field Inspectors Are Volunteer GAC Audit Finds

Nov 22, 2021 | FrontPage Africa

A performance audit conducted by the General Audit Commission (GAC) on the Generation of Revenue from Artisanal Mining Activities in Liberia show that there has…


Myanmar: Burmese Rubies: Costly and Controversial

Nov 22, 2021 | Nazanin Lankarani, New York Times

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has long been a producer of some of the world’s priciest gemstones: pigeon’s blood rubies. Known by their deep, natural…


Liberia: Man Killed in Nimba for Snail Hunting

Nov 22, 2021 | Ishmael F. Menkor, Observer

The death of a 42-year-old man has been reported in Nimba County as a result of an argument that ensued over snail hunting. Solomon Gaye…


Israel/Jordan: Israel, Jordan Sign Climate Cooperation Agreement in Dubai

Nov 22, 2021 | Lahav Harkov, Jerusalem Post

Israel and Jordan signed an agreement to work together to meet the challenges of climate change, mediated by the United Arab Emirates and the US,…


Afghanistan- Working with the Taliban for Women’s Rights: It’s Like Speaking to Fish about Land!

Nov 21, 2021 | Gavi Klein

The fight does not lie in convincing them of progressive ideals; the fight is to get the best outcome for those directly impacted by Taliban…


Afghanistan: In Hard Times, Afghan Farmers Are Turning to Opium for Security

Nov 21, 2021 | Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Taimoor Shah, New York Times

The decision to destroy his entire orchard is one Abdul Hamid and many other Afghan farmers in the district are making to earn an income…


DRC: Tshisekedi Orders Mining Licences Audit

Nov 21, 2021 | Al Jazeera

Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has demanded a ban on issuing and trading mining permits until the country’s mining…


Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Farmers, Herders Desperate for Seed, Food and Cash

Nov 20, 2021 | Saudi Gazette

“Catastrophic and famine-like conditions” hang over Afghanistan’s farmers and herders, whose needs continue to worsen with the onset of winter, UN humanitarians said on Friday.…


DRC: A Power Struggle over Cobalt Rattles the Clean Energy Revolution

Nov 20, 2021 | Dionne Searcey, Michael Forsythe, and Eric Lipton, New York Times

Just up a red dirt road, across an expanse of tall, dew-soaked weeds, bulldozers are hollowing out a yawning new canyon that is central to…


Saudi Arabia: Yemen's Houthis 'Attack Saudi Cities, Oil Facilities'

Nov 20, 2021 | New Arab

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Saturday it had fired 14 drones at several Saudi Arabian cities, including at Saudi Aramco facilities in Jeddah. The…


China/Tibet: China Could Be Preparing for 'Water War' in Asia after Completing Serial Dams in Tibet

Nov 19, 2021 | Indo-Asian News Service

While concerns over the impact of climate change are rising, the problem has got aggravated due to the multiple dams that China is building to…


Conflict Minerals: Problem with “Conflict Minerals” Extraction

Nov 19, 2021 | Christoph Vogel and Josaphat Musamba, Taarifa

In the early 2000s, activists began to campaign against the extraction of “conflict minerals”—a catchall term for gold and the “three Ts” (tin, tantalum, and…


Bhutan/China: Chinese Landgrab on Bhutanese Territory, 4 Villages Built on 1 Year

Nov 18, 2021 | Vishnu Som, NDTV

New satellite images tweeted out by a leading satellite imagery expert on Chinese military development, shows purported construction of Chinese villages in Bhutanese territory over…


Iraq: Residents Say Longstanding Oil Industry Practice Is Killing Them [Video]

Nov 18, 2021 | Jomana Karadsheh, CNN

Oil is a major driver for the world's climate crisis but in Iraq's province of Basra, residents and officials say it's causing a local environmental…


Women’s Land Rights Are Necessary to Build Climate-Resilient Futures

Nov 17, 2021 | Juliet Schulman-Hall

COP 26, the UN Conference on Climate, ended last Friday, after world leaders made several collective pledges to the climate crisis on issues like deforestation,…


Afghanistan: In Afghanistan, Climate Change Drives an Uptick in Child Marriage

Nov 17, 2021 | Ruchi Kumar, Undark

Child marriage is not a new phenomenon in South Asia, and despite attempts to legislate against it, the practice remains common across Afghanistan. Reports suggest…


Afghanistan: Poppy Plantations in Afghanistan Flourishing amid Western Sanctions and Economic Collapse [Video]

Nov 14, 2021 | Carol Mang, South China Morning Post

After its return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban promised to crack down on poppy plantations and the drug trade. But Western…


South China Sea: South China Sea Safeguards ‘Not Strong Enough’ to Stop International Tensions Escalating

Nov 14, 2021 | Laura Zhou, South China Morning Post

Existing safeguards in the South China Sea are not enough to prevent tensions spiralling out of control, regional observers have warned as they called for…


Cyprus: In Divided Cyprus, UN Sees Environment as Unifier

Nov 12, 2021 | Agence France-Presse

A broken plastic chair, a printer box, old tires and other discarded waste are loaded into the back of United Nations pickup trucks in the…


South Sudan: ApTech Installs 106 Automatic Drinking Water Dispensers

Nov 12, 2021 | Benoit-Ivan Wansi

The solar energy company ApTech is completing the installation of 106 Lorentz SmartTAP water dispensers in four locations in Southern Sudan. An initiative that will…