The Observatory has been informed by reliable sources, including the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), about the suspended sentences and subsequent release of Messrs. Sim Somnang, Tri Sovikea, and San Mala, members of the organisation Mother Nature, a local environmental group known for its efforts to stop illegal sand dredging and the construction of a hydropower dam in Koh Kong Province.

Source: Fusion

Author: Eva Hershaw

BRASILIA, Brazil—Two years ago, after he received his first death threat from a neighboring farmer, Reinile Alves do Santos told his 13-year old that he was no longer allowed to play soccer in the streets of Claro, a quilombola community in the state of Tocantins, Brazil. He moved him to a different school, and prohibited him from going out alone.

“It is one thing for me to be threatened,” Santos said. “But I don’t want this man anywhere near my wife or son—I don’t want them to be visible to him.”

Source: South China Morning Post

Author: Raissa Robles

Activists claim current laws governing mining and the rights of indigenous people contain gaping loopholes that firms exploit.

When 18-year-old Michelle Campos last saw her father, Dionel, they had little time to chat. He was busy with an uncle’s wake and ­Michelle was caught up celebrating her school foundation day.

By: Shadrack Kavilu

Date: 30 june 2016

Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation

The shores of Lake Naivasha in Kenya's Rift Valley are dotted with bustling shanty towns but it has not always been like this.

The local economy has grown dramatically since the late 1980s when the first commercial flower farms were established in the area, around 90 km (55 miles) north west of Nairobi.

By: Shuriah Niazi

Date: 30 June 2016

Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation

As northern and central India continue to suffer thorough severe drought and oppressive heat, police in the drought-hit Indian region of Bundelkhand and several other regions are reporting a rise in violent - and often deadly - clashes over water.

By: Jennifer Rigby

Date: 28 June 2016 

Source: europe.newsweek

Date: 27 June 2016 

Source: iied

IIED is inviting proposals for original research that will contribute to understanding local markets in the context of urban humanitarian crisis and response. Closing date: 21 July, 2016