International


Cambodia: Wetlands Threatened by Coastal Land Grabs

Jul 19, 2016 | Phak Seangly, Phnom Penh Post

The Council of Ministers has urged the Ministry of Land Management to crack down on coastal land grabbing in response to a report that found…


This Drone Can Detect and Detonate Land Mines

Jul 19, 2016 | James Vincent, The Verge

MKD's designers claim that this method is up to 20 times faster than traditional de-mining techniques, and up to 200 times cheaper. The team, led…


Colombia: Coca's Comeback Forces Colombia to Rethink Drug War

Jul 18, 2016 | Joshua Goodman, Associated Press

After six straight years of declining or steady production, the amount of land under coca cultivation in Colombia began rising in 2014 and jumped 42…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Detains Anti-China Activists over South China Sea Dispute

Jul 17, 2016 | Deutsche Welle

Vietnam has detained dozens of activists at a rally protesting China's refusal to abide by an international tribunal's ruling. Vietnam and China have been locked…


Iraq: Iraq's Marshes, Once Drained by Saddam, Named World Heritage Site

Jul 17, 2016 | Reuters

A wetland in southeast Iraq, thought to be the biblical Garden of Eden and almost completely drained during Saddam Hussein's rule, has become a UNESCO…


Colombia: Oil Rich Colombia Stays Healthy, Averting disaster from Venezuela, Brazil

Jul 17, 2016 | Dawn Kissi, CNBC

Colombia is more than just the sum of its coffee and crude oil exports. The Andean nation has not been completely immune to the slump…


Myanmar: Myanmar's Jade Slump Points to a Pivot away from China

Jul 15, 2016 | Motokazu Matsui, Nikkei

The once-warm ties between Myanmar and China appear to be cooling under Myanmar's new government-led by State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi.…


Colombia: Heavy Toll for Green and Indigenous Activists among Colombian Killings

Jul 15, 2016 | Camilo Mejia Giraldo, Mongabay

Colombia is on the cusp of ending five decades of internal conflict between the state and leftist guerrillas, and violence between the two sides has…


Myanmar: Traders Call on Govt to Support Jade Market

Jul 15, 2016 | Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy

Jade traders in Mandalay have collected signatures to accompany a proposal requesting government support for a better jade market, they told The Irrawaddy on Friday.…


Myanmar: Gems and Food Products Added to National Export Strategy

Jul 14, 2016 | Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times

The Ministry of Commerce has added gems and value-added food products to its National Export Strategy in the hope of creating thousands of new jobs.…


Nigeria: Are the Niger Delta Militants Now Targeting Oil Facilities in the South West?

Jul 14, 2016 | Adetula David, Ventures

On Tuesday night, suspected militants blew up a gas pipeline in the Ogijo area of Ogun state. Since the inauguration of President Buhari’s administration last…


Liberia: Liberia Must Pass Land Rights Bill or Risk Jeopardising Peace, Campaigners Warn

Jul 14, 2016 | Ruth Maclean, Guardian

Liberia could be plunged back into conflict if a historic land rights bill is not passed by August, civil society groups have warned. The country’s…


South Sudan: South Sudan Oil Hopes Thwarted Once Again by Civil War

Jul 14, 2016 | Julianne Geiger, Oilprice.com

A month after announcing oil production would resume, Sudan's peace agreement is cracking. Five days of heavy fighting have forced tens of thousands of people,…


Liberia: Failure to Pass Land Law Could Plunge Liberia Back into Conflict: Activists

Jul 14, 2016 | Reuters

Liberia's failure to pass a long-awaited law recognizing the rights of rural communities to their ancestral lands could plunge the West African nation back into…


Conflict Minerals: Bill Passed in House Would Defund Conflict Minerals Rule

Jul 13, 2016 | Kelly Franklin, Chemical Watch

The US House of Representatives has passed an appropriations bill, containing an amendment that would defund enforcement of the nation’s conflict minerals reporting rule. Amendment…


Myanmar: Myanmar Cracks Down on Dams

Jul 13, 2016 | Prashanth Parameswaran, The Diplomat

No new irrigation dams will be built in Myanmar under the current government and spending on existing facilities will be halved given their questionable benefits…


China/South China Sea: China May Establish Air Defense Zone after Losing Court Ruling

Jul 13, 2016 | Katie Hunt and Steven Jiang, CNN

China said Wednesday it has the right to set up an air defense zone in the hotly disputed South China Sea, a day after a…


Colombia: As Colombia Peace Talks Advance, War Widows, Ex-Fighters Clear Landmines One at a Time

Jul 12, 2016 | Anastasia Moloney, Thomson Reuters Foundation

In the surrounding rolling countryside guns have fallen silent and the bombing raids have stopped following a bilateral ceasefire signed in June between the government…


China/South China Sea: Tribunal Rejects Beijing’s Claims in South China Sea

Jul 12, 2016 | Jane Perlez, New York Times

An international tribunal in The Hague delivered a sweeping rebuke on Tuesday of China’s behavior in the South China Sea, including its construction of artificial…


DRC: DRC Declares First New National Park in 40 Years

Jul 12, 2016 | Morgan Erickson-Davis, Mongabay

Late last week, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government announced the creation of the country’s first new national park in more than four decades. Spanning…


Myanmar: Vice President Issues Farmers Temporary Land Ownership Documents

Jul 12, 2016 | Kyaw Ko Ko, Myanmar Times

The so-called Form 3 certificates were issued at a ceremony on July 9 in Madaya township, Mandalay Region, to allow 32 former owners to take…


South Sudan: South Sudan Oil Revenue Drops amid Renewed Conflict

Jul 12, 2016 | Oil Review Africa

South Sudan oil revenues have dropped by 75 per cent in June to US$60 million a month and the International Monetary Fund has warned of…


DRC: Gorillas Are Being Killed and Eaten by Miners in the Congo

Jul 12, 2016 | James Temperton, Wired

An endangered gorilla subspecies is being pushed towards extinction as mineral miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hunt it for bushmeat. Concerns have…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China Sank Fishing Boat in the Disputed Region: Vietnam

Jul 12, 2016 | The Hindu

Vietnam has accused the Chinese coastguard of sinking a fishing boat near a disputed island chain, authorities said on Tuesday. Two Vietnamese boats were chased…


China/South China Sea: The Tribunal Renders its Award

Jul 12, 2016 | Permanent Court of Arbitration

A unanimous Award has been issued today by the Tribunal constituted under Annex VII to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea…


Afghanistan: An Unlikely Fight to Protect Nature in War-Torn Afghanistan

Jul 12, 2016 | Jenny Peng and Tamsin Walker, Deutsche Welle

War doesn't only destroy human lives, but also land and ecologies - and therefore livelihoods. Afghanistan is a case in point. Enter a woman with…


Myanmar: Re-launched Committee to Manage Water Resources

Jul 11, 2016 | Aye Sapay Phyu, Myanmar Times

U Htun Lwin Oo, director general of the Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems, said the National Water Resources Committee abolished by…


Myanmar: Palm Oil Drive under Review in Tanintharyi

Jul 11, 2016 | Aye Nyein Win, Myanmar Times

A failing scheme to expand oil palm plantations in Myanmar’s southern Tanintharyi Region is under review, as the government hopes to concentrate on increasing yield…


Liberia: Liberia’s Forest in Danger- International Conservationists Alarm

Jul 11, 2016 | Front Page Africa

Several international conservationist have alarmed over a proposed plan by the Forestry development Authority (FDA) to develop a regulation to allow for forest destruction or…


Sierra Leone: Agriculture is the Future of the Artisanal Diamond Miner – Chairman Kono Diamond Dealers

Jul 11, 2016 | Awoko

Agriculture is the hope of the artisanal miners as diamonds are dwindling. It is now time to discuss with the people about diversification and on…