Stories from 31 March 2017
For Many Venezuelans, ‘Self-Inflicted Coup’ Spells the End of Their Country's Democracy
"The #156 sentence of the Supreme Court of Justice sentence is not a coup, it’s a formal declaration of a coup that’s been in progress for four years."
A Canadian Company Is Set to Construct Brazil's Largest Open-Pit Gold Mine—in the Heart of the Amazon
The Volta Grande Gold Project will extract 600 tons of gold over the course of 12 years. But activists and indigenous groups oppose the plan.
The CIA's Online Museum Offers a Glimpse of US Military Intervention in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is a region where U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War led to the expansion of the CIA’s paramilitary operations in Laos and Cambodia.
Back in the USSR?: Critics Say Draft Legislation Puts State Above Rights in Kazakhstan
"Can we designate people that leave their rubbish bags lying around outside their apartment doors enemies of state interests and remove their citizenships?"
The Day Latin America Declared Itself Feminist
Activists from Uruguay, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, and Venezuela explain why the International Women's Strike was so important to their region.
Homeless Filipino Families Occupy 6,000 Vacant Public Housing Units
"Look at those houses, they are idle. The grasses have grown tall, the houses are being invaded by soil. Why don't they let the homeless live there?"
Emirati Hardline Nationalists Target Human Rights Defenders on Twitter
It is no longer unusual for governments to maintain a robust online presence. They understand well the power of the internet in forming public opinion and manipulating political discourse.
Russian Web Censor Cracks Down Ahead of Next Anti-Corruption Protests
In the wake of the largest opposition protests since 2011-12, Russia's prosecutor general is cracking down on the organizers of demonstrations planned for April 2.
Sudden Death of Aqua-Blue-Eyed Model Shocks Maldives
Raudha Athif, the 20-year-old aqua-blue-eyed Maldivian model, was found hanging inside her dormitory room in north Bangladesh on Wednesday. On social media, Maldivians are mourning the loss of this woman.