International


China/United States/South China Sea: Obama Calls on China to Stop Land Reclamation in South China Sea

Nov 18, 2015 | Coco Alcuaz, International Business Times

U.S. President Barack Obama said China should stop expansionist activities in the South China Sea a day after he announced the U.S. was giving the…


Water Wars: 'Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace' to Propose Solutions to Conflicts

Nov 18, 2015 | Dinesh Narayanan, Economic Times

Fifteen countries, the United Nations and an Indian think-tank have come together to create a Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace that aims…


Colombia: Blood Gold: From Conflict Zones in Colombia to Jewelry Stores in the US

Nov 18, 2015 | James Bargent and Michael Norby, Al Jazeera

In the department of Cauca in southern Colombia, newly constructed huts and fresh tracks made by heavy machinery indicate an old, abandoned mine is seeing…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Exclusive: How Kurdistan Bypassed Baghdad and Sold Oil on Global Markets

Nov 17, 2015 | Dmitry Zhdannikov, Reuters

Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan has for the first time detailed its secretive oil exports operations and said it plans to sell more, whether Baghdad…


Timor-Leste: East Timor Appealing for Australian Public's Support in Border Dispute, Minister Says

Nov 17, 2015 | ABC News

East Timor is seeking Australian public support to try to persuade Canberra to settle a longstanding maritime border dispute over lucrative oil and gas reserves,…


Syria/Islamic State: ISIS Selling Oil to Syria

Nov 17, 2015 | Venture Capital Post

ISIS has begun selling Iraqi crude oil to Syria, against which the Islamic militant group has been fighting to take over the country. In turn,…


Bangladesh: Thousands March against Land-Grabbing in Bangladesh

Nov 17, 2015 | Liton Das, Catholic News Asia

Thousands of indigenous people took part in a two-day march in northern Bangladesh to press the government to establish an independent commission to end the…


China/Philippines/United States/South China Sea: Obama Says US to Give Philippines Two More Ships Amid South China Sea Dispute

Nov 17, 2015 | Coco Alcuaz, International Business Times

President Barack Obama said Tuesday the U.S. would give the Philippines two more ships that will aid the Southeast Asian nation in defending its claims in…


Iraq/Syria/Islamic State: Fact Check: Trump on Bombing ISIS Oil Fields

Nov 17, 2015 | Eugene Kiely, FactCheck.org

Donald Trump says the U.S. is “just starting … as of two days ago” to heed his advice to “attack the oil” fields controlled by the Islamic…


In Shadow of Beirut and Paris Terror Attacks, UN Security Council Discusses Root Causes of Conflict

Nov 17, 2015 | United Nations

The United Nations Security Council held an already scheduled debate on conflict prevention today amid added urgency fuelled by last week’s terrorist attacks in Beirut…


Iraq: Low Oil Revenues Could Stymie Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Measures

Nov 16, 2015 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

Iraqi revenues are under strain from conflict and low oil prices, creating a shortage of cash needed to back counter-terrorism efforts, Moody's Analytics said. Supported…


DRC: Ridding the Supply Chain of Conflict Minerals

Nov 16, 2015 | Jonathan Webb, Forbes

Companies and consumers alike are more aware of the goods they buy. Increasingly, they are looking to the supply chain to understand whether some of those purchasing…


South Sudan: Coffee, the First Fruit of South Sudan

Nov 16, 2015 | Marcos Carrieri, Brazil-Arab News Agency

In its fourth year in existence, South Sudan is bearing one of its first fruit: a typical coffee, of the Robusta variety, grown since the…


Iraq: Iraq Replaces Nine Grain Board Officials in Reform Push

Nov 16, 2015 | Reuters

Iraq's acting trade minister replaced nine officials at the country's powerful grain board in an bid to push through anti-corruption reforms ordered by Prime Minister…


Syria/Islamic State: U.S. Warplanes Strike ISIS Oil Trucks in Syria

Nov 16, 2015 | Michael R. Gordon, New York Times

ntensifying pressure on the Islamic State, United States warplanes for the first time attacked hundreds of trucks on Monday that the extremist group has been…


Climate Security: Bernie Sanders Explains Connection between Climate Change and Paris Attacks

Nov 15, 2015 | John Wagner, Washington Post

During Saturday night’s Democratic debate here, Bernie Sanders stuck to his assessment that climate change is the biggest national security threat facing the United States.…


China/Philippines/South China Sea: South China Sea Ruling 'Null and Void', Says Ministry

Nov 15, 2015 | Kristen Ingram, Recorder Press

An arbitration court in the Netherlands ruled yesterday that it has jurisdiction to hear a few territorial claims the Philippines has filed against China over…


Climate Change: Climate Change Intensifies Conflicts, John Kerry Says

Nov 15, 2015 | Al Jazeera

Negative effects of climate change such as extreme drought are linked to deadly violence in countries such as Syria and Nigeria, and those still denying…


Iraq/Islamic State: With ISIS Making Millions, U.S. Boosts Its Attacks on Oil Fields

Nov 13, 2015 | Martin Matishak, Fiscal Times

The U.S.-led air campaign against ISIS is revving up its efforts to choke off one of the terror group’s main sources of revenue: oil. Well…


Liberia: Liberian President Says ExxonMobil Return Sign of Investor’s Confidence

Nov 13, 2015 | Global News Network

President Ellen Johnson has hailed oil giant ExxonMobil for its renewed commitment to oil exploration and development of the sector in spite of plummeting prices…


Liberia: US Lifts Sanctions on Liberia after More Than a Decade

Nov 13, 2015 | Deutsche Presse-Agentur

US President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting the sanctions, pointing to progress made in the West African nation and Taylor's sentencing to 50…


Iraq: Iraq's Killer Weather

Nov 12, 2015 | Chloe Cornish, IRIN

Iraq is the world’s second most dangerous country, according to the Global Peace Index. Only Syria ranks higher. The UN counts 559 civilians killed by…


Somalia: Report: Kenyan Military ‘in Business’ with Al-Shabab

Nov 12, 2015 | Ty McCormick, Foreign Policy

A new report says Kenya’s military has done a brisk business in sugar and charcoal in Kismayo, Somalia, since pushing al-Shabab from the southern port…


Vietnam/Philippines/South China Sea: Vietnam, Philippines to Sign Strategic Accord

Nov 12, 2015 | Trung Nguyen, Voice of America

The Philippines plans to sign a strategic partnership agreement with Vietnam, paving the way for the two countries to boost maritime security cooperation in the…


Sierra Leone: Was Billionaire Steinmetz Betrayed by CEO over Diamond Mine?

Nov 11, 2015 | Thomas Biesheuvel and Jesse Riseborough, Bloomberg

The prize is a chunk of African earth that yields some of the most valuable diamonds on the planet for premium jeweler Tiffany & Co.…


Sudan/South Sudan/Abyei: South Sudan Abyei Leader Urges Khartoum to Release 2% of Oil Money

Nov 11, 2015 | Radio Tamazuj

The head of the Abyei Administrative Area Chol Deng Alak has called on the Khartoum government to release to the local governemnt a 2% share…


DRC: DRC's Gold Mining in Troubled Times

Nov 10, 2015 | Gregory Mthembu-Salter, The Africa Report

Mineral commodity prices have all fallen this year, and gold is no exception. But because gold, unlike other minerals, is perceived as a safe haven…


Climate Security: Kerry Flags Security Threat from Climate Change

Nov 10, 2015 | Keith Johnson, Foreign Policy

Just weeks ahead of a major U.N. climate change conference in Paris, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an impassioned call for the United…


Liberia: Payment Scheme Might Influence Kosmos Oil Deal Ratification

Nov 10, 2015 | Henry Karmo, FrontPageAfrica

From 2005 to now, Liberia has signed several agreement totalling over US$1.6 billion with nothing to show from the ratification in terms of jobs creation,…


Iraq: Iraq Oil Partners Seek Contract Changes to Boost Output

Nov 10, 2015 | Anthony Dipaola, Bloomberg

International oil companies could boost production in Iraq beyond current targets if production contracts were changed to give more incentives for investment, according to BP…