International


Liberia: Ex-NOCAL Official Indicted

Jul 1, 2016 | Winston W. Parley, The New Dawn

An ex-official of the now bankrupt National Oil Company of Liberia or NOCAL, Mr. Isreal Ankinsanya has been indicted for alleged money laundering, after allegedly…


South Sudan: South Sudan President Directs Oil Minister to Speed up Work on Oil Refineries

Jul 1, 2016 | Platts

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has directed oil minister Dak Duop Bichiok to speed up work on oil refineries that were damaged or faced completion…


Colombia: Almost Half of Colombia’s Protected Ecosystems in Danger of Extinction

Jul 1, 2016 | Adriaan Alsema, Colombia Reports

Almost half of Colombia’s protected ecosystems is in danger of extinction and have been put on a so-called “Ecosystem Red List.” The list was presented…


Thailand: Mosha, Thai Elephant Wounded by Land Mine, Gets New Prosthetic Limb

Jul 1, 2016 | RIchard C. Paddock, New York Times

Mosha was 7 months old when she stepped on a land mine near Thailand’s border with Myanmar and lost a front leg. That was a…


Vietnam/South China Sea: Anti-China Riots in Vietanam Killed at Least 16 Chinese, Injured Hundreds

Jul 1, 2016 | Samuel Biag, Ang Malaya Net

In an anti-China protests leading to riots in Vietnam, more than 20 were reportedly dead sixteen of which were described as Chinese nationals and five…


South Sudan: South Sudan to Amend Mining Act

Jul 1, 2016 | Sudan Tribune

South Sudan government has announced plans to amend the Mining Act to reduce area given to companies and relax preliminary requirements for exploration. The proposal,…


Myanmar: Activists Demand Peace in Shan State before Hydropower Projects Move Ahead

Jun 30, 2016 | Khin Wyne Phyu Phyu, Myanmar Times

As the content and outcome of discussions between State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the Thai government on Myanmar dam projects during her…


Myanmar: Hydropower and the Cost of Life

Jun 30, 2016 | Connor Macdonald, Al Jazeera

More than 8,000 people from 23 villages were forcibly displaced by the Thein Sein government during the construction of the Upper Paunglaung Dam, which began…


Liberia: Open Letter from Goldman Prize Laureates

Jun 30, 2016 | Goldman Environmental Prize winners

A host of Goldman Environmental Prize winners sent a letter to Liberia's Forest Development Authority (FDA) expressing their concerns at the FDA's plan to legalize…


Myanmar: Seizure of Large Quantities of Illegal Timber Continues

Jun 29, 2016 | Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy

With a crackdown announced on the illegal timber trade—and a proposed nationwide logging ban by the end of the fiscal year in March 2017—seizures of…


Colombia: Illegal Mining, Logging and Coca Cultivation Are Ravaging Colombia’s National Parks

Jun 29, 2016 | James Bargent, Earth Island Journal

Colombia’s national parks were created as both a showcase for the country’s spectacular biodiversity and as a protected refuge for its delicate ecosystems. But in…


India: Murders, Violence on Rise as Parched Central India Battles for Water

Jun 29, 2016 | Shuriah Niazi, Thomson Reuters Foundation

As northern and central India continue to suffer thorough severe drought and oppressive heat, police in Bundelkhand and several other regions are reporting a rise…


Conflict Minerals: Agreement in Principle Announced for EU Regime on Conflict Minerals

Jun 27, 2016 | National Law Review

In a so-called “trilogue” meeting on June 16, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, and the European Commission reached a “political” agreement on the…


Liberia:: Land Dispute Leaves Five Injured in Lofa

Jun 27, 2016 | Global News Network

Five persons have been seriously injured in a group fight as a result of a land dispute in Zorzor District, Lofa County. The incident occurred…


Uganda: Cleric Predicts “Bloody War” over Africa's Raw Resources & Scramble over Land

Jun 27, 2016 | John Muto-Ono p'Lajur, Black Star News

The Executive Director of Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN), Reverend Father Aniedi Okure, OP, has predicted that there will be bloody World War over…


Pakistan: Land Grabbing One of the Reasons Behind Terrorism: CM Sindh

Jun 26, 2016 | Geo TV

Chief Minister Sindh Shah was addressing a Sindh Assembly session in which he said that land grabbing is also a reason behind target killing incidents.…


Myanmar: Government Ends Dam Construction

Jun 26, 2016 | Elevan Myanmar

The government has suspended the construction of dams and mainly focused on the maintenance and the effective use of the existing ones, the state-owned newspapers quoted Dr Tun Win, deputy minister for livestock, agriculture and irrigation.


Colombia: As FARC Signs Cease-Fire, Will Colombia's Cocaine Trade Decrease?

Jun 25, 2016 | David Iaconangelo, Christian Science Monitor

FARC's leader, Timoleón Jiménez, finally signed a cease-fire pact with Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, seen as a final step before sealing a permanent peace and…


Myanmar: Mandalay Farmers Dispute Land in Protected Forest Area

Jun 24, 2016 | Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar Times

A group of 29 farmers whose land at the foot of Shwe Thar Lyaung Mountain in Mandalay Region was confiscated by the government in 2008…


Sri Lanka: Illegal Fishing, Land Grabbing by Outsiders Add to Tamil Fishermen's Woes

Jun 24, 2016 | P.K.Balachandran, The New Indian Express

Seven years after the end of the war the fishermen of Kokkilai in the Tamil-majority Mullaitivu district of North-East Sri Lanka are yet to enjoy…


Liberia: Pres. Sirleaf Threatened with Impeachment Again

Jun 24, 2016 | Leroy M. Sonpon III, Liberian Observer

A member of the House of Representatives, J. Gabriel Nyenkan, has threatened to impeach President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, "for criminal facilitation and her role in…


Myanmar: French Technical Assistance to Help Myanmar Provide Electricity from River Currents

Jun 24, 2016 | MIzzima

France is to provide technical assistance with sourcing an electricity supply from river currents for distribution to rural regions of Myanmar, state media reported on…


Myanmar: NLD Hand Back 232 Acres Confiscated Farmlands – Rightful Owners Not Happy

Jun 23, 2016 | Nan Wai Phyo Zar, Karen News

Villagers in Karen State are less than ecstatic that more than 232 acres of farmland, confiscated by the Burma Army and other government officials will…


Liberia: EPA Consults on Oil and Gas Exploration in Margibi

Jun 23, 2016 | New Dawn

The Environmental Protection Agency or EPA has conducted Stakeholders’ Consultation in Marshall City, Margibi County on Block LB-13 for offshore Oil and Gas exploration between…


Water Wars: 1 Dead, 24 Injured in Guna and Ashok Nagar

Jun 23, 2016 | Desh Deepl, Times of India

A water-related row — ownership of a tube-well took an ugly turn when a man clubbed to death his elder brother in Guna district. The…


Israel/Palestine: Israel Blames Palestinians for Water Shortages in West Bank

Jun 23, 2016 | RT

Israeli authorities blame Palestinians’ unwillingness to upgrade aging infrastructure as the primary reason for increased water shortages in the West Bank. Palestinians accuse their neighbors…


The Top-Secret Cold War Plan to Keep Soviet Hands off Middle Eastern Oil

Jun 23, 2016 | Steve Everly, Politico

On a cool summer day in London in 1951, an American CIA officer told three British oil executives about a top-secret U.S. government plan. The…


Afghanistan: Afghan Women Take on Farming

Jun 23, 2016 | Arzo Mohammadai, Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Agriculture, a central pillar of Afghanistan’s economy, has traditionally been dominated by men. Women are sometimes recruited to work the fields or tend livestock, but…


Myanmar: The Opium Bulbs of Myanmar: Drug Crop or Lifeline for Poor Farmers?

Jun 22, 2016 | Paul Vrieze, Guardian

The trade in opium and its derivative heroin is controlled by many rebel groups and pro-government militias who use it to fund a long-running civil…


Myanmar: Myitsone Developer Releases Excerpts of Contract Agreement

Jun 22, 2016 | Ye Mon, Myanmar Times

Amid continued lobbying from China to restart the controversial Myitsone dam, the development company behind the project released excerpts of the contract agreement over the…