International


Myanmar: Farmers Decry 'Landgrabbing' in Mindanao

Nov 16, 2016 | Angelo Caballero, ABS-CBN News

Over 600 farmers staged a protest in front of Lapanday Foods Corporation office in Barangay Pampanga to voice out their struggles over land rights Wednesday.…


Syria: Poor Rains, Supply Issues Exacerbating Food Security Woes in War-Torn Syria, UN Warns

Nov 16, 2016 | News Tribe

Reeling under the effects of a seemingly unending conflict, Syrian farmers may have “no other option” but to abandon food production, with grave consequences on…


Afghanistan:Climate Change Fuels Insurgency in Afghanistan

Nov 15, 2016 | Agence France-Presse

The mountainous land-locked country was classed in 2012 as among the most vulnerable to climate change, a worldwide problem that is the subject of a…


Sudan/South Sudan: Security Council Extends Mandate of Interim Security Force for Abyei, Recognizing Situation as Serious Threat to International Peace

Nov 15, 2016 | United Nations

Recognizing that the situation along the Sudan-South Sudan border remained a serious threat to international peace and security, the Security Council decided this afternoon to…


Conflict Minerals: New Initiative Aims to Advance Responsible Sourcing of Raw Materials in Technology Supply Chains

Nov 15, 2016 | Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition

The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) today announced the launch of the Responsible Raw Materials Initiative (RRMI) to address…


Liberia: Wasted Wealth: Liberia and the Negative Impact of Logging

Nov 15, 2016 | Globe Afrique

Industrial or commercial logging poses the gravest threat to the Liberian rainforest; the largest remaining forest blocks in the Upper Guinea Forest region. Although other…


Myanmar: Sweden Sets Legal Precedent with Prosecution of Myanmar Teak Trader

Nov 15, 2016 | Mike Gaworecki, Mongabay

A Swedish court upheld a ruling today that finds an importer of teak from Myanmar to be in violation of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR)…


Satellite Images Map Deforestation

Nov 14, 2016 | Caitlin Bird, Boston University

Satellite images of forests in New England—and across the world—are allowing experts to observe how they are changing over time, and in doing so, to…


Myanmar: Crops, Homes, Roads Destroyed in Tatkon Flooding after Dam Overflows

Nov 14, 2016 | Pyae Thet Phyo, Myanmar Times

Thousands of acres of farmland in Nay Pyi Taw’s Tatkon township were destroyed after water flooded over the Nan Won dam on November 11, according…


Liberia: Ellen Approves Land and Authority Act

Nov 14, 2016 | Daily Observer

At long last, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has approved and signed into law, the much talked about Liberia Land Authority Act, which was submitted by…


Kuwait: Photos of the Gulf War Fires that Turned Kuwait's Oil Fields into Hell

Nov 13, 2016 | Sebastião Salgado, VICE

Oil was both the beginning and the end of the story of the Iraqi invasion. Baghdad insisted that it had an historical claim to the…


Rwanda: Government Approves Nearly 50 Mining, Exploration Licenses

Nov 12, 2016 | KT Press

Rwanda on Friday licensed up to 50 mining companies – as independent international studies show the country has more mineral wealth than previously known. A…


Unfriendly Fire: Why Environmental Protection Must Be a Priority in Armed Conflict

Nov 11, 2016 | UNOCHA

Contamination of natural resources is devastating communities, leaving behind toxic ruins and detrimental environmental and humanitarian consequences, which can last for generations. But while these…


Liberia: Tension Brewing in Western Liberia, as Bomi and Gbarpolu Counties Tussle over Sawmill

Nov 11, 2016 | Eldred Wlemongar Thomas, Global News Network

Reports from Western Liberia say citizens of Bomi and Gbarpolu counties are engulfed in renewed crisis over ownership of Sawmill and Yomo town, a disputed…


Afgahnistan: Afghanistan’s Water-Sharing Puzzle

Nov 11, 2016 | Zabihullah Mudabber, Diplomat

Pakistan and Iran have always had historical claims over the water resources of Afghanistan. These claims have always been rejected by Afghanistan. The chaotic politics…


Conflict Minerals: EU Conflict Minerals Regulation: EU about to Weaken the Upcoming Regulation, Say NGOs

Nov 10, 2016 | European Network for Central Africa

The European Network for Central Africa (EurAc) calls on representatives of European Union (EU) Member States and of the European Parliament participating in the trilogue to…


Myanmar: Myanmar to Re-Assess 21-Year Old Forest Policy

Nov 9, 2016 | Xinhua

Myanmar will re-assess the country's forest policy which was drafted in 1995 in order to adapt to the current situation, local authorities said Wednesday. The…


Myanmar: KNU Signs Forestry Memorandum with WWF

Nov 9, 2016 | Saw Yan Naing, Irrawaddy

Burma’s oldest ethnic armed group, the Karen National Union (KNU), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the World Wide Fund for Nature Myanmar (WWF)…


Myanmar: Cautionary Tails: Learning from Neighbours to Counter Species Loss in Myanmar

Nov 8, 2016 | Kyi Kyi Sway, Myanmar Times

Myanmar is presented with a unique window of opportunity to combat species loss and habitat destruction, says a new report from the World Wildlife Federation.…


Liberia: Palm Oil Tipped to Oust Iron Ore as Liberia’s Leading Export

Nov 8, 2016 | Global News Network

Palm oil is forecast to replace iron ore as Liberia’s leading export and employ more than 100,000 people in an economy that was ravaged by…


Sierra Leone: EU Issues Warning about Fake Sierra Leone Kimberley Certificates

Nov 8, 2016 | Israeli Diamond Industry

The European Union has broadcasted a warning about the production of fake Kimberley Process diamond certificates from Sierra Leone and Central African Republic (CAR), after…


Afghanistan: Farmers See Pay Off in Adopting Modern Methods in Herat Province

Nov 8, 2016 | World Bank

Nangabad village lies in Enjil district, 25 kilometers from Herat city, the provincial capital. Agriculture is the village’s primary source of income and livelihood, and…


Afghanistan: Illegal Mining, Weak Government Help Taliban Expand in Afghan North

Nov 6, 2016 | Jawad Kakar, Reuters

Afghan Taliban militants have strengthened their grip on lucrative illegal mining operations in the north of the country, as security forces focus most of their…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Document Obtained by NRT Reveals KRG Corruption over Oil Sector

Nov 6, 2016 | NRT

NRT is revealing a secret document, which was obtained from a foreign source, for the first time. The document includes new and secret information as…


Iraq: ISIL's Scorched Earth Policy is Wrecking Iraq's Environment and Creating a Public Health Nightmare

Nov 6, 2016 | Alternet

Civilians in Northern Iraq are suffering suffocation and respiratory illnesses due to what appears to be a scorched-earth policy employed by retreating ISIL militants following…


Conflict Minerals: Conflict Diamonds May Not Be on the Radar, but They're Still a Worry for Some

Nov 6, 2016 | Natalia Wojcik, CNBC

More than a decade ago, the illicit diamond trade was among the most urgent of humanitarian causes, with governments and celebrities rallying around efforts to…


Myanmar: Logging Exposé Leads to Threats against Fishermen

Nov 4, 2016 | Nang Mya Nadi, Democratic Voice of Burma

Fishermen in Tenasserim Division’s Dawei District have been receiving death threats from a gang of illegal loggers who have accused them of exposing their activities.…


Myanmar: Kayin Farmers Criminalised for Fighting Land Grabs: HRW Report

Nov 4, 2016 | Su Phyo Win and Myat Nyein Aye, Myanmar Times

Kayin State villagers are losing their land and are routinely persecuted through threats, arson and arbitrary arrest if they attempt to fight the unlawful seizures,…


Top UN Official: Environmental Protection in War More Urgent Than Ever

Nov 3, 2016 | UNEP

In a year dominated by the tragedy of war, there is no more urgent time to address the need to protect the environment in armed…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Mosul Battle Triggers Environmental Damage

Nov 3, 2016 | Environment News Service

Civilians in Northern Iraq are suffering suffocation and respiratory illnesses due to what appears to be a scorched-earth policy employed by retreating ISIL militants following…