International

Syria: Pentagon Promises to Give Syrian Oil Revenue to Kurds

Nov 8, 2019 | Sydney Morning Herald

The Pentagon has said revenue from oilfields protected by US forces in northeastern Syria will go to its Kurdish allies. During a news conference announcing…

Sudan/South Sudan/Abyei: Organized Crime becomes Global Challenge Faced by UN Peacekeepers

Nov 8, 2019 | UN

Organized crime, breakdowns in law and order, and attacks by extremists are examples of the challenges faced by UN peacekeepers, the Security Council was told…

Liberia: Uncontrolled Logging Poses Risk to Rain Forest

Nov 8, 2019 | Marcus Malayea, Observer

Kokoyah Statutory District Superintendent Conde Yallah says the uncontrolled extraction of logs from the rainforest is depriving locals of their direct economic benefits.

China/Myanmar: Myanmar, China Sign MoU on Cooperation in Water Resource Management

Nov 7, 2019 | Eleven

Myanmar and China signed a memorandum of understanding on water resource management in the water resource sectors of both countries, according to the Ministry of…

Global Trailblazer in Environmental Peacebuilding to Deliver Coca-Cola World Fund Lecture

Nov 6, 2019 | Yale MacMillan Center

Gidon Bromberg, the co-founder and Israeli co-director of EcoPeace Middle East, a unique organization that brings together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis to promote environmental sustainability and advance peace efforts in…

Conflict Minerals: Volvo to Trace Battery Cobalt Supply Chain Using Blockchain

Nov 6, 2019 | Coinfomania, Ibiam Wayas

Gothenburg-based car manufacturing company, Volvo, has revealed plans to use blockchain technology in tracking the global supply chain of the Cobalt used in its electric…

China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Mulls Legal Action over South China Sea Dispute

Nov 6, 2019 | James Pearson and Khanh Vu, Reuters

Vietnam could explore legal action among various options in its territorial dispute with powerful neighbor China in the South China Sea, a senior government official…

Iraq: Protests Force First Oil Field Shut-in

Nov 6, 2019 | Iraq Oil Report

Iraq's massive protest movement is having its first direct effects on the country's oil output, as production is now curtailed at the Qayarah field. Two officials in…

Exploitation of the Environment in Conflict-Affected Areas on the Increase

Nov 6, 2019 | Cheryl Kahla, South African

The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict came into effect on 5 November 2001, when the United…

Democratic Republic of the Congo: How The Mining Business is Helping Women in Congo Escape Isolation

Nov 5, 2019 | Eleonora Vio, TRT World

Congolese women entered the mining sector in the late 90s and ever since they have been fighting discrimination, superstition and outdated customs, while they successfully…

Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Diamond Mine: Legal Action over Land Grab

Nov 5, 2019 | Ahmed Idris, Al Jazeera

A community in Sierra Leone has taken a diamond mining company to court. Residents of Koidu say the government failed to protect them when it handed…

Egypt/Ethiopia/Sudan: Nile Basin Water Wars: The Never-Ending Struggle between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan

Nov 5, 2019 | Emily Palios, Geopolitical Monitor

Known for being the longest river on the African continent, the Nile River has served as a key source of water for all the countries…

Wildlife: Armed Conflicts Affect Environment and Wildlife: Experts

Nov 5, 2019 | James Tasamba, Anadolu Agency

As the world observes International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict, on Wednesday, experts believe that it was…

China/Vietnam/South Chain Sea: Vietnam Punishes Volkswagen for Car with Disputed China Map

Nov 5, 2019 | Bloomberg

Vietnam will fine a Volkswagen local distributor and an importer for showcasing a car with a navigation app reflecting Chinese territorial claims rejected by Hanoi.

Myanmar: Miners Protest in Myanmar's Valley of Rubies'

Nov 3, 2019 | New Straits Times

Small concession holders in the world renowned "valley of rubies" in Mogok, Mandalay recently protested against unfair allocation of mines by the Myanmar government. Some…

Colombia: Colombia's Growing Sustainable Farming Movement

Nov 3, 2019 | Andrew J. Wight, Public Radio International

In the developed world, concerns around pesticides, herbicides, and industrial fertilizers are often framed around their impact on the environment, but for Carlos Osorio and…

Myanmar: Myanmar Pushing for Higher Standard to Boost Fisheries Export

Nov 2, 2019 | New Straits Times

In a bid to be more competitive internationally, the country's fisheries industry is finalising guidelines to meet Good Aquaculture Practices (GAqP) standard requirements by next…

Iraq: How a Collective of Iraqi Women Is Bringing the Country Closer to Peace

Nov 1, 2019 | WLPF International

A delegation representing the Iraqi Women’s Network attended the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) session on the 20th…

Liberia: Court Rules in Nimba County Forest Saga

Nov 1, 2019 | Edward Genoway Jr., FrontPage Africa

The Circuit court in Sanniquellie, Nimba County has handed down its verdict in favor of Liberia Tree and Trading Company (LTTC) and its Chief Executive…

Afghanistan: Afghan Farmers in Kandahar Revamp Cotton Fields to Replace Opium Poppy

Nov 1, 2019 | Xinhua

In Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province where many farmers still highly depend on poppy opium to earn a living, some farmers revive hundreds of acres of…

Myanmar: Mandalay Gem Market to Go Online

Nov 1, 2019 | Khin Su Wai, Myanmar Times

A Myanmar and Chinese company are working together to bring the Mandalay gem market into the internet age, a company executive said.

Afghanistan: Afghanistan Increases Use of Renewable Energy Sources

Oct 31, 2019 | Wadsam

Afghanistan has ample hydropower resources. In recent years, the Afghan government has focused on mobilizing power from those hydropower plants that were under construction or…

Myanmar: Landmine Casualties Soar in First Nine Months

Oct 31, 2019 | Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times

Forty-two people were killed by landmine explosions across the country in the first nine months of this year, a senior social welfare official said on…

Myanmar: Small Miners Protest over Gem Blocks

Oct 31, 2019 | Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar Times

Residents of Mogok township in Mandalay Region are protesting what they say is the unfair allocation of mining concessions, with small miners being assigned to unproductive…

South Sudan: Floods Threaten to Derail South Sudan’s Recovery

Oct 31, 2019 | Obi Anyadike, New Humanitarian

Severe flooding in South Sudan has affected close to a million people, threatening to reverse some of the humanitarian gains made during a year-long ceasefire…

Syria: Trump Wants US Companies to Tap Syria’s Oil, Despite Experts Warning That Could Be a War Crime

Oct 31, 2019 | Negar Mortazavi, Independent

Having provoked bipartisan and international condemnation for abruptly announcing a withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria, effectively greenlighting the subsequent Turkish incursion into largely Kurdish-held…

Colombia: Controversy in Colombia for a Decree That Allows Shark Hunting to Market Their Fins

Oct 31, 2019 | Martime Herald

The Ministry of Agriculture issued a resolution that fixes the amounts guaranteed for the fishing of these animals, which aroused the outrage of environmental sectors…

Argentina/United Kingdom: Meet the Zimbabweans Who Remove Mines on the Malvinas

Oct 30, 2019 | Buenos Aires Times

Back in 1999 a company called Bactec, which was one of several to later merge into SafeLane Global, was contracted to clear two million mines…

Rwanda: Rwanda Protests Mineral Traceability Scheme

Oct 30, 2019 | Julius Bizimungu, New Times

Rwanda has said that the ITSCI programme, an international scheme designed to regulate minerals mined from the Central African region, is expensive, unnecessary and prohibitive…

Egypt/Ethiopia/Sudan: United States to Host Nov. 6 Meeting over Nile Dam Dispute

Oct 30, 2019 | Africanews

The United States is set to host Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia on November 6, with a view of resolving a dispute over the latter’s hydropower…