International


South China Sea: South China Sea Tensions Deter Oil Exploration

Aug 11, 2015 | Sue Lannin, ABC News

An energy analyst said exploring for oil and gas near disputed islands in the South China Sea is too much of a gamble for international…


Water Wars: Filming Water Wars

Aug 11, 2015 | Gautaman Bhaskaran, Gulf Times

Set sometime in the future, Paani would dramatize how water shortage would affect relationships between individuals, cities and nations. The beautiful young daughter of the…


Liberia: Equatorial Palm Oil Reaches Deal to Allow Exports from Liberia

Aug 10, 2015 | London South East

Equatorial Palm Oil PLC Monday said it has signed an agreement with the National Port Authority of Liberia to lease land so it can build…


South Sudan/Sudan: South Sudan Seeks to Revise Oil Deal with Sudan after Global Prices Drop

Aug 10, 2015 | Xinhua

Due to the deteriorating economic conditions caused by the civil war and lack of political stability, South Sudan is seeking to revise the oil deal…


Sudan: People in South Kordofan Reject Traditional Gold Mining

Aug 9, 2015 | Radio Dabanga

The Abu Jubaiha Citizens' Committee in eastern South Kordofan has called on all people living in the locality to oppose the establishment of gold mining…


South Sudan: Nilepet Suspends 'Assistance' Payments after Corruption Report

Aug 8, 2015 | Radio Tamazuj

South Sudan's state-run oil company Nilepet has suspended so-called “assistance” payments after the publication of a report revealing that Managing Director Joseph Cleto Deng was…


South Sudan/Sudan: Sudanese Petroleum Minister Discusses Oil Cooperation in Juba

Aug 7, 2015 | Sudan Tribune

The Sudanese Oil and Gas minister Mohammed Zayed Awad has downplayed the adverse impact on oil fields from the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. Awad…


Liberia: Senate to Hear Proposed Land Rights Act

Aug 7, 2015 | The New Dawn

The Liberia Legislature is expected to hold a public hearing on the 2014 proposed Land Rights Act on Monday, August 10, 2015. According to press…


South China Sea: ASEAN Again Split on South China Sea Reclamation Issue

Aug 7, 2015 | Today

The Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN), which wound up meetings of regional foreign ministers yesterday, said some members had “serious concerns” about land reclamation…


Myanmar: While Myanmar Military Touts Reforms, Villages Still Fight Land Grabs

Aug 6, 2015 | Simon Lewis and John Zaw, Union of Catholic Asian News

The problem has been reported across Myanmar, including in ethnic minority areas where many Catholics and other Christians live. A report released in June by the…


Conflict Minerals: Assent/Tulane Study Illustrates Difficulty of Conflict Minerals Compliance…Even for Mylar Balloons

Aug 6, 2015 | Jeff Yoders, MetalMiner

US companies shelled out roughly $709 million and 6 million staff hours last year to comply with regulations to disclose conflict minerals in their supply chains,…


Businesses: Can Big Brands Like Nestlé Really Play a Role in Halting Land Disputes?

Aug 6, 2015 | Oliver Balch, The Guardian

Globally, over 70% of land lacks clear registration or is subject to ownership disputes. This phenomenon directly increases the vulnerability of the world’s poorest, as…


Japan/Philippines/South China Sea: Japan May Give Planes to Philippines for Aerial Patrols, sources say

Aug 6, 2015 | ABC News

Tokyo is looking to offer Manila three Beechcraft TC-90 King Air planes that could be fitted with basic surface and air surveillance radar, four sources…


China/United States/South China Sea: John Kerry Says US Will Not Accept Restrictions on Movements in the Sea

Aug 6, 2015 | ABC News

US secretary of state John Kerry has accused China of not allowing freedom of navigation and overflight in the disputed South China Sea, despite giving…


Iraq: The Electricity Uprising in Iraq

Aug 6, 2015 | Abdul Latif Al-Saadoun, Middle East Monitor

"If we cannot provide enough electric power for the Iraqis, why don't the families buy private generators?" asked an Iraqi official during a recent press…


Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan/ Uzbekistan/Fergana Valley: Border Problems – A Threat to Central Asia’s Future

Aug 6, 2015 | Elena Kosolapova, Trend

Two days ago, there was a shootout along the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which resulted in the injury of six Tajiks. As of now,…


Turkey: Turkey to Boost Security for Energy Infrastructure as PKK Attacks Rise

Aug 6, 2015 | Orhan Coskun and Humeyra Pamuk, Reuters

Turkey will deploy thermal cameras and horse-back patrols to heighten security around key oil and gas pipelines as Kurdish militant attacks increase, in a bid…


Conflict Minerals: Conflicts May Hinge on Phosphorus Supply

Aug 6, 2015 | Paul Hanley, The Starphoenix

Life without phosphorus, and plenty of it, is impossible. It's a central component of DNA, shared by every living creature on earth. Human cells use…


United States: Pentagon Prepares for Century of Climate Emergencies and Oil Wars

Aug 6, 2015 | Nafeez Ahmed, Middle East Eye

The US Army is preparing for a new era of war for oil. While energy has always played a role in military conflicts, US military…


China/South China Sea: China 'Stops Reclamation Work in South China Sea'; US Voices Concerns over Military Role for New Islands

Aug 5, 2015 | ABC News

China has stopped land reclamation work in the South China Sea, according to foreign minister Wang Yi. Mr Wang's remarks at the Association of South-East…


Liberia: 14 Illegal Gold Miners Victims of Landslide in Liberia

Aug 4, 2015 | Associated Press

State radio in Liberia says 14 men illegally mining for gold in Liberia's west fell victim to a landslide. They were trapped under rubble and…


Rwanda: Rwanda Discovers New Precious Stone

Aug 4, 2015 | Patrick Bigabo, KT News

Rwanda has announced it may have large amounts of rare precious stones underneath; the discovery could boost image of the country’s mining sector. Mr. Evode…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Denounces Kurdish Plan to Annex Sinjar

Aug 4, 2015 | Middle East Monitor

The State of Law Coalition yesterday rejected remarks by Kurdish President Masoud Barzani that he plans to include Sinjar to his remit, theAnadolu Agency reported.…


Iraq/Kurdistan/Turkey: KRG Says PKK Oil Pipeline Sabotage Cost $250M

Aug 3, 2015 | Rudaw

A Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) sabotage operation against a Kurdistan region oil pipeline in Turkey has temporarily halted oil export to Turkey since last week…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds Announce Oil Payment Mechanism

Aug 3, 2015 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

The Kurdish government in Iraq said Monday it would allocate some of its revenue to international oil companies on a monthly basis to help cover…


Iraq: Temperatures, And Tempers, Soar In Iraq

Aug 3, 2015 | Peter O’Dowd, Here & Now

A year after the U.S. launched air strikes against ISIS in Iraq, the fight continues, but now there’s a new threat to the Iraqi people —…


China/ASEAN: China-ASEAN Sea Spat Hotline in the Works

Aug 3, 2015 | Rio N. Araja, AFP

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China are discussing setting up a hotline to handle emergencies stemming from territorial disputes over the South China…


China: Police in China's Hainan Beat, Detain Villagers over Land Protest

Aug 3, 2015 | Shiny Li and Feng Xiaoming, Radio Free Asia

Chinese police attacked a protest rally in southern China’s island province of Hainan on Friday, beating and detaining 10, as more than a thousand villagers…


Cambodia: Gov’t Still Disputing Licadho Land Grab Report

Aug 2, 2015 | Chea Vannak, Khmer Times

The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction responded on Saturday to a scathing report by rights group Licado which claimed that land disputes…


Iraq: Rivers Dry Up in Iraq as Country Struggles through Unprecedented Heatwave Three Days after Temperatures Hit 71C

Aug 2, 2015 | Mark Duell, Daily Mail

The people of Iraq today continued to battle through temperatures so hot that the country has been given a mandatory four-day holiday. Scorching weather is…