International
Myanmar: Myanmar Turns to Timber Exports to Save Forests
Jul 4, 2016
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Chan Mya Htwe, Myanmar Times
Long a timber-producing and exporting country, Myanmar will start importing wood to protect its forests while allowing local timber companies to continue operating, the government…
Africa: Food Income Does Not Link Climate Change and Armed Conflict
Jul 4, 2016
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Environmental Research Web
Fluctuations in income from food production in sub-Saharan Africa over the last half-century have had only a small, non-significant effect on the risk of conflict.…
Myanmar: Flood Destroys Three Unfinished Dams in Kalay
Jul 4, 2016
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Eleven Myanmar
Three dams under construction in Kalay, Sagaing Divsion, were destroyed yesterday morning when the Nayrisara River rose to about 30ft, witnesses said. Reports said motorbikes,…
Myanmar: Jade Sales Drop Significantly at Govt Emporium
Jul 4, 2016
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Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy
Sales of raw jade at the government-run biannual Gems Emporium in Naypyidaw have been markedly lower than in previous years. Organizers have pointed to slowing…
Afghanistan: Illegal Mining for Chinese Market Fuels Taliban in Afghanistan
Jul 4, 2016
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Stephen Carter, ChinaDialogue
For 6,500 years Afghanistan has been famous for the brilliant blue lapis lazuli, coveted by everybody from the Egyptian pharaohs to the common jewellers of…
Liberia: Justice, FDA Sign MOU to Strengthen Forestry Compliance
Jul 3, 2016
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Alaskai Moore Johnson, Daily Observer
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to ensure cooperation in their partnership to enhance forestry compliance and enforcement has been signed by the Ministry of Justice…
Myanmar: Government Committee to Settle All Land Grab Cases in Six Months
Jul 1, 2016
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Htet Naing Zaw, The Irrawaddy
The Central Committee on Confiscated Farmlands and Other Lands will settle all land grabbing cases in Burma within “six months,” said Naypyidaw Council Chairman Myo…
Liberia: Ex-NOCAL Official Indicted
Jul 1, 2016
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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…