Rebecca Pozzi Taubert
Contributor
The government of Indonesia has declared a new moratorium on the expansion of the palm oil and mining industries in the Leuser ecosystem. This area, located on the island of Sumatra, is the last place on Earth where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild. As well as being a biodiversity hotspot,
The newly elected president of Myanmar, U Htin Kyaw, has released more than 200 political prisoners. The order comes weeks after the new government’s appointment and days after it took office on the 4th of April. In early April Aung San Suu Kyi, who effectively steers the government, had announced that Myanmar’s new leadership considered freeing political prisoners a priority,
Seychelles is finalising a multi-million dollar debt swap in exchange for its commitment to saving the ocean. The deal was initiated by environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy and the government of the western Indian Ocean nation in 2012. “This is the first example of a debt swap focused on marine conservation and ecosystem-based adaptation to climate
Leonardo DiCaprio is unstoppable, and so is his commitment to protecting the environment, even if it may cost him being banned from Indonesia. The country’s government was angered by a series of photographs the Oscar-winning actor posted on social media. These were taken during his visit to Gunung Leuser National Park in the province of
Myanmar has sworn in its new president. As of the 30th of March U Htin Kyaw, an old friend and longstanding political ally of Aung San Suu Kyi, is the first civilian president the country has had in more than fifty years. On the same day the Lady, leader of Myanmar’s democratic movement and Chairman
Syrian regime forces have regained control of the city of Palmyra, ten months after its capture by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). The Islamist militants were driven out of the ancient site on the 27th of March following three weeks of intensive military operations backed by Russian air strikes and Lebanese militias. During its
The new president of Myanmar is Htin Kyaw, Aung San Suu Kyi’s closest aide. His nomination was announced by the Lady’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party on the 10th of March, and his appointment confirmed by the parliament on Tuesday the 15th of March. The Myanmar presidential election The NLD, which gained absolute majority in
The sunny and tourist-filled beaches of southern Ivory Coast turned into a setting of atrocity and death on the 13th of March. Militants dressed in black and wearing balaclavas opened fire on beachgoers, killing 18 people before being stopped and killed by security forces. Among the victims were 3 members of the special forces and 15
British TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham recently unveiled a series of wildlife photographs aimed at raising environmental awareness amongst the young. The shots, which are being exhibited in London, were taken in England and Scotland and portray the impact of litter on local wildlife. They were specially commissioned by supermarket chain Lidl UK as part of a
The first ever Global Corruption Report: Sport was presented by Transparency International, the Berlin-based NGO that monitors corruption worldwide, on the 23rd of February. Containing articles from sixty experts, the document aims to restore people’s faith in sport in light of the corruption scandals that have afflicted it in the past few years. The values
