International


DRC: Companies Struggle to Comply with Rules on Conflict Minerals

Sep 7, 2015 | Lynnley Browning, New York Times

A pink My Little Pony balloon does not usually evoke images of rifle-toting warlords in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Still, Party City Holdings, the…


Colombia: 47 Municipios de Cundinamarca Están en Riesgo de Sequía (47 Municipalities in Cundinamarca Are at Risk of Drought)

Sep 7, 2015 | El Espectador

Este lunes, desde la Gobernación de Cundinamarca, advirtieron que 47 de 116 municipios del departamento están en alerta, debido al desabastecimiento de agua y a…


Angola: Foreign Oil Drillers Sour on Regulation-Happy Angola, Total Says

Sep 5, 2015 | Candido Mendes, Bloomberg

Angola risks losing investment from foreign oil companies as costly government regulations and low world prices make the country, vying to be Africa’s largest producer,…


DRC: Is There Even Such a Thing as Conflict-Free Minerals?

Sep 4, 2015 | Tom Clynes, Take Part

For decades, it has been impossible to distinguish processed tantalum that originated in DRC from other sources. The Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative and other endeavors aim…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Chinese, Vietnamese Presidents Meet, Agreeing to Properly Handle Disputes

Sep 4, 2015 | Claire Hopkins, Press Examiner

The two leaders said they are pleased with the development of the Vietnam-Laos relationship and cooperation on all fronts, including the recently signed trade agreements…


Myanmar: Myanmar Activist in Court as Land Crackdown Deepens, Rights Groups Say

Sep 4, 2015 | Reuters

A prominent farmers' activist in Myanmar appeared in court on Friday in what watchdog organisations say is part of an escalating crackdown on land rights…


Afghanistan: Report: $1B Wasted in Afghan Refugee Crisis

Sep 3, 2015 | Paul D. Shinkman, US News & World Report

Almost $1 billion in support from the U.S. government has done little to stem a refugee crisis in Afghanistan that has reportedly displaced millions of…


Liberia: GVL Excepts to INHCR Report

Sep 2, 2015 | The New Dawn

The Indonesian oil palm company, Golden Veroleum Liberia, has taken exception to the recent report by the Independent National Commission on Human Rights on the…


Israel/Palestine: Gaza Could Soon Become Uninhabitable, UN Report Predicts

Sep 2, 2015 | Peter Beaumont, Guardian

A hard-hitting new United Nations report says Gaza could become uninhabitable in less than five years if current economic and population trends continue. It cites…


Syria: Syria's Ailing Water Network Could Spark Epidemics: Red Cross

Sep 2, 2015 | Stephanie Nebehay, Reuters

Syria's water network, heavily damaged by bombs and shelling, is at risk of collapse as its civil war drags on, increasing the threat of deadly…


Liberia: Liberian Lawmaker Wants Audits - Falls Short in Equity

Sep 1, 2015 | Henry Karmo, FrontPageAfrica

Representative Bhofal Chambers (CDC-District #2 Maryland County) has written the House of Representatives requesting the august body to ensure the audit of several Ministries and…


India: Marathwada Towns Come to Blows over Dam Water

Sep 1, 2015 | Syed Rizwanullah, Thain News Network

Water wars are breaking out on the Osmanabad-Beed border, and officials have even come to blows over their share of water in Manjra dam -…


South China Sea: India Ready to Move Oil Platform into South China Sea

Sep 1, 2015 | Want China Times

India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is ready to move an oil platform into the South China Sea to help the Vietnamese government explore for…


Sierra Leone: Spain to Hand over US-Belgian Businessman Wanted in Sierra Leone Blood Diamonds Case

Aug 31, 2015 | Ciaran Giles, Associated Press

An American-Belgian businessman arrested for suspected involvement in enslavement and pillaging blood diamonds during Sierra Leone's civil war will be handed over shortly to Belgium,…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Controversy Continues over How to Cut up Kirkuk

Aug 31, 2015 | Saad Salloum, Al-Monitor

While the Kurds think of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk as the “Jerusalem of Kurdistan,” since the adoption of the 2005 Iraqi Constitution, the Turkmens have been calling for…


Timor-Leste: Six Years after the Montara Oil Spill, Those Who Suffered Most Still Seek Compensation

Aug 30, 2015 | News.com.au

On August 21, 2009, the West Atlas rig owned by the Norwegian-Bermudan Seadrill and operated by Perth-based operation PTTEP Australasia Montara sprung a leak. For…


South Sudan: African Union Commission Says Oil Resources Must Benefit the People for Lasting Peace

Aug 30, 2015 | Ann Garrison, Bay View

The warring parties in South Sudan’s 20-month civil war signed a peace agreement in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, earlier this week. The civil war which began…


Conflict Diamonds: Africa’s Blood Diamonds are Dawood's Latest Biz, Intelligence Agencies Say

Aug 30, 2015 | Raj Shekhar, Times News Network

Investigators working to identify underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's offshore assets have stumbled on a startling fact: The fugitive is now in the business of conflict…


Sierra Leone: Spain Detains Belgian Sierra Leone Diamond Trafficker

Aug 28, 2015 | Expatica

Spanish police said Friday they have detained a Belgian man wanted for allegedly trafficking diamonds in Sierra Leone during the west African country's decade-long civil…


Middle East: Water Wars? Devastating Shortages Will Fuel MidEast Conflicts for 25 yrs – Report

Aug 28, 2015 | RT

In a worrying global trend, the Middle East is set for a record water shortage to strike over the next 25 years. The global fallout…


Sierra Leone: The Ebola Crisis Is Over, but Tiffany Is Still Paying for It

Aug 27, 2015 | Kyle Stock, Bloomberg

The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa is hitting Tiffany & Co.'s bottom line. In 2011, the company lent about $50 million to a miner in Sierra…


Iraq: Oil Prices Compound Iraq’s Stability Concerns

Aug 27, 2015 | Nick Cunningham, OilPrice.com

Iraq has managed to ratchet up oil production to record highs, against what would seem to be insurmountable obstacles. Despite political gridlock, a fight against…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds Pledge Oil Company Payments to Boost Output

Aug 27, 2015 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

A move to issue regular payments to oil companies operating in the Kurdish north of Iraq should help them endure the market downturn, the government…


Liberia: Has Liberia Found the Way to Share its Forest Plenty with the Poor?

Aug 26, 2015 | Max Bankole Jarrett, Guardian

The “paradox of plenty” debate tends to focus on fossil fuels and minerals. Countries that are rich in these resources are often – paradoxically –…


Iraq: The Long Fight over an Iraq Oil Town Whose Importance Is Now Debatable

Aug 26, 2015 | Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Washington Post

After more than a year of near-constant fighting, there is still no sign that the battle for the Iraqi town of Baiji and its massive…


Timor-Leste: East Timor PM Seeks to Diversify Economy with Help of Oil Fund

Aug 26, 2015 | Randy Fabi, Reuters

East Timor will tap into its $16.6 billion oil fund to build the necessary infrastructure to attract non-energy investment, the prime minister said on Wednesday,…


DRC: Portland Goes Conflict-Free

Aug 26, 2015 | Enough Project

Activists and policymakers are celebrating the Portland City Council’s vote today to enact a policy to ensure that cellular devices and other key communication equipment purchased by the city are not connected to…


Uganda: Museveni Orders Probe into Karamoja Land Grabbing

Aug 25, 2015 | Steven Ariong, The Monitor

President Museveni has ordered investigations into land grabbing in Karamoja sub-region where many residents face eviction by some people purporting to be investors. The President…


Iraq: Iraq Oil Minister Says $9 bln in Arrears Paid to Oil Firms

Aug 25, 2015 | Reuters

Iraq has paid foreign oil companies $9 billion in remaining arrears for 2014 and was paying outstanding fees for 2015 in stages until the beginning…


Ukraine: UN Giving Chickens to Small Farms in Ukraine

Aug 25, 2015 | Prague Post

Some 7,000 three-week-old layer-broiler chickens are being distributed this week to small farms in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Provision of the birds is the latest…