International
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Villagers Sue Mining Company in London High Court
Nov 29, 2015
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Lisa O'Carroll, The Guardian
An iron ore firm once listed in London is being sued in a multimillion pound lawsuit over evictions and alleged violent treatment of workers and…
Timor-Leste: Maritime Arrangements and Timor-Leste’s Oil Ploy
Nov 28, 2015
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Hamish McDonald, Saturday Paper
Who owns the petroleum resources of Tasi Mane is now the subject of diplomatic and legal machismo in a dispute between Timor-Leste and its much…
South Sudan: What Steps are Needed to Create 28 States in South Sudan?
Nov 28, 2015
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Radio Tamazuj
The proposal by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir to create 28 new states in place of the 10 existing states requires practical as well as…
Timor-Leste: Top Lawyer Says Australia Has Criminal Case to Answer over East Timor Spying Scandal
Nov 27, 2015
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Steve Cannane, Sashka Koloff, and Brigid Andersen, ABC News
One of Australia's most senior lawyers believes there is a criminal case to answer over an Australian spying operation in East Timor and that senior…
Myanmar: Controversial Mining Bill Submitted to Parliament for a Third Time
Nov 27, 2015
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Htoo Thant, Myanmar Times
The long-awaited Mining Law amendment bill, which will update legislation from 1994, was suspended earlier this year following fierce disagreements between the upper and lower…
Myanmar: Environmentalists Hope for Stronger Safeguards under NLD
Nov 27, 2015
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Nyein Nyein, The Irrawaddy
In the wake of recent disasters that have shone a light on the human toll wrought by a lack of environmental and development-related safeguards, local…
South Sudan/Sudan/Abyei: UN: Child, Peacekeeper Killed in Attack in Disputed Border Town between South Sudan and Sudan
Nov 27, 2015
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Associated Press
The U.N. says a 4-year-old girl and an Ethiopian peacekeeper were killed and three others wounded in an attack on Thursday in the contested Abyei…
Liberia: NOCAL Claims Community Projects That Do Not Exist
Nov 27, 2015
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Tetee Gebro, FrontPageAfrica
The news that the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) had delivered two much-needed latrines and a water well hand pump to his community came…
China/Vietnam/Taiwan/Brunei/South China Sea: A New Confidence-Building Process for the South China Sea?
Nov 26, 2015
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Bill Hayton, Diplomat
A half-day meeting in Vietnam on Wednesday could mark the beginning of a new confidence-building process in the South China Sea. The meeting, held in…
Myanmar: Myanmar's Suu Kyi Blames Lack of Safety Regulations for Deadly Landslide
Nov 26, 2015
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Aung Hla Tun and Hnin Yadana Zaw, Reuters
A disregard for the rule of law in the jade mining industry in Myanmar had made accidents such as the landslide that killed more than…
Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: Raqqa's Rockefellers: How Islamic State Oil Flows to Israel
Nov 26, 2015
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Al-Araby al-Jadeed
Oil produced from fields under the control of the Islamic State group is at the heart of a new investigation by al-Araby al-Jadeed. The black…
Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: The Water Wars Waged by Islamic State
Nov 25, 2015
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Ambika Vishwanath, Forbes
The Islamic State’s use of natural resources to achieve its strategic goals has been much discussed. Oil, one of the group’s biggest sources of funding,…
Cambodia: Land Grabs Often Driven by Investors Seeking Land, Global Witness Says
Nov 25, 2015
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Phorn Bopha, Voice of America
Researchers at the environmental watchdog Global Witness say Cambodia’s ongoing land crisis is part of a larger global trend, one driven by economics and resource…
Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: US Syria Sanctions Target World Chess Chief, IS Oil Buyer
Nov 25, 2015
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Agence France-Presse
The United States slapped sanctions Wednesday on backers of the Syrian regime including a middleman accused of buying oil from the Islamic State group and…
Conflict Minerals: China Draft Conflict Minerals Guidance Expected Next Month
Nov 24, 2015
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Chemical Watch
China's guidelines for responsible mineral supply chains are expected to be announced, during a workshop on the issue, to be held by the OECD and…
Liberia: How Sime Darby & Oil Palm Production Will Help Liberia's Economy
Nov 24, 2015
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Toweh Alphonso, New Republic
From the sixties up to few years back, only two key commodities were known once Liberia name was mentioned. But today, the story is changing.…
Afghanistan: Food Prices Rise Sharply after Fighting Disrupts Afghan Harvest
Nov 24, 2015
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Bilal Sarwary, IRIN
Food prices are shooting up in Afghanistan as the harvest has been halted in the country’s breadbasket in the northern province of Kunduz, where farmers…
Timor-Leste: Timor-Leste Urged to Diversify Economy
Nov 24, 2015
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Eric Frykberg, Radio New Zealand
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) information shows the country is in danger of running out of money due to the decline…
Islamic State: Is Turkey Buying Oil from ISIS? After Downed Plane, Putin Slams Islamic State's Black Market Fuel Sales
Nov 24, 2015
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Elizabeth Whitman, International Business Times
The fact that Turkey shot down a Russian plane is not the only reason Russian President Vladimir Putin is furious. Since the jet fighter was…
Syria/Islamic State: ISIS in Syria: US Air Strikes Destroy 283 Oil Tankers Used for Smuggling to Fund Terror Group
Nov 24, 2015
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Lizzie Dearden, Independent
US fighter jets and gunships have destroyed 283 Isis oil tankers in Syria as part of efforts to cripple the terror group’s income streams. American…
Sierra Leone: Diamond Mining Company Octea Facing Claims It Owes Money to Sierra Leone Town and New York Jeweller Tiffany
Nov 24, 2015
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David Connett, Independent
Tiffany has announced it has deferred payment of $50m (£33m) of loans it made to Octea to develop the mine while Koidu town council now…
Cuba/United States: U.S.-Cuba Joint Statement on Environmental Cooperation
Nov 24, 2015
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US Department of State
Representatives of the United States and Cuba signed a joint statement on environmental cooperation today at the Department of State in Washington, D.C. The statement…
Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan/Fergana Valley: Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan’s Unresolved Border
Nov 23, 2015
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Catherine Putz, Diplomat
Despite repeated incidents over the last year, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan remain unable to settle their Fergana valley border. A meeting last week between the two…
Prince Charles: Climate Change Driving Conflict, Terrorism
Nov 23, 2015
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Ed King, Climate Home
Britain’s heir to the throne Prince Charles will head to next week’s Paris climate change summit with a strong warning for all participants: global warming…
Japan/China/South China Sea: Japan Renews South China Sea Alert, Pushes Aussies on Submarines
Nov 22, 2015
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Michael Heath, Bloomberg
Japan’s foreign and defense ministers reiterated concerns about China’s strengthening position in the South China Sea in meetings with their Australian counterparts and pressed the…
Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: Hitting ISIS Where It Hurts by Striking Oil Trucks
Nov 19, 2015
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Jackie Northam, NPR
The debate over how to combat the self-declared Islamic State is increasing in the wake of the Paris attacks. There are calls for more airstrikes…
Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: Obama and Putin Agree on Bombing Islamic State's Oil Pipeline
Nov 19, 2015
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Grant Smith, Ilya Arkhipov, and Henry Meyer, Bloomberg
When Vladimir Putin met with Barack Obama in Turkey on Sunday to discuss the terrorist attacks in Paris, he brought along some photos. The satellite…
Peace Mediation: Natural Resources and Conflict: A Path to Mediation
Nov 19, 2015
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Interpeace
Conflicts can have many causes. Whether political, social or economic, the roots can run deep and often intertwine. However, one root cause is often overlooked:…
South Sudan: South Sudan Struggling to Resettle Refugees Due to Low Oil Prices: President
Nov 18, 2015
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Reuters
South Sudan President Salva Kiir said on Wednesday his country will struggle to resettle thousands of refugees and those displaced internally during nearly two years…
European Union: EU Conflict Minerals Discussions to Begin Next Year
Nov 18, 2015
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Chemical Watch
Negotiations between the EU institutions, on the European Parliament's proposed changes to the conflict minerals Regulation, are expected to ...