International


Kurdistan: Iraq’s Autonomous Kurdistan Government Looking to Borrow Internationally

Feb 6, 2015 | Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is considering borrowing abroad “to strengthen economic infrastructure,” a Kurdish lawmaker told Rudaw.

Izat Sabir, chairman…


Liberia: Liberians Need Legal Rights to Forest, Says Report

Feb 6, 2015 | SciDev.Net

Liberia’s government must do more to award land rights to forest dwellers to protect natural resources from exploitation and encroachment of palm oil plantations, warns…


Afghanistan: Copper Mining Threatens Afghan Site of Ancient Buddhist Past

Feb 6, 2015 | Lynne O'Donnell, Associated Press

Treasures from Afghanistan's largely forgotten Buddhist past are buried beneath sandy hills surrounding the ancient Silk Road town of Mes Aynak - along with enough…


South Sudan: S. Sudan Rebels Dismiss Governor’s Claims on Oil Fields

Feb 6, 2015 | Sudan Tribune

A spokesperson for South Sudanese rebels in Unity state has described as “mere propaganda” allegations that the armed opposition forces planned to attack the oil…


Liberia: Special Report: Illegal Gold Mining in Liberia

Feb 5, 2015 | African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting

A recent report by the United Nations Panel of Experts in Liberia highlighted the ongoing insecurity in the border area between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire,…


Iraq: Pentagon: Oil is No Longer ISIS’ Main Source of Income

Feb 5, 2015 | Al Arabiya

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is no longer relying on oil as its main source of revenue to fund its terrorist activity,…


China/Philippines/South China Sea: China Defends Ship’s Actions Against Philippines in South China Sea

Feb 5, 2015 | Malay Mail Online

China today defended the actions of a coast guard vessel in the disputed South China Sea after the Philippines accused it of ramming three fishing…


Myanmar: Jade Mines Grind to a Halt in Hpakant

Feb 4, 2015 | Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Jade mining operations in northern Burma’s Kachin State have ground to a halt after more fighting between the military and Kachin Independence Army…


Liberia: Who Collected Controversial U.S.$100,000?

Feb 4, 2015 | The News

The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has made it categorically clear that it never disbursed funds to the House of Representatives for the purpose…


Iraq: Low Oil Prices Force Iraq to Pass Austerity Budget As It Struggles to Pay Soldiers Fighting ISIS

Feb 4, 2015 | Campbell MacDiarmid, National Post

ERBIL, Iraq — Low oil prices have forced an austerity budget on Iraq as it struggles to rebuild its army and rally support across the…


Liberia: Could 2015 Be a Breakthrough Year for Community Land Rights?

Feb 4, 2015 | Astrid Zweynert, Thomson Reuters Foundation

2015 is set to be a pivotal year for the global recognition of land and resource rights if momentum in protecting the world's forests and…


Resource Curse: Study Suggests Oil Factors Hugely Into Foreign Wars

Feb 4, 2015 | Douglas Main, Newsweek

Oil plays an even bigger role in influencing foreign military intervention than is generally acknowledged, according to a new economic analysis, lending support to so-called…


South Sudan: UN Agency Warns of Catastrophic Food Shortages If Conflict Continues

Feb 4, 2015 | UNICEF

The ongoing conflict in South Sudan is sharply reducing food supplies and slowing humanitarian access to people in need, the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF)…


Russia/United States: New Cold War: U.S., Russia Fight Over Energy Future

Feb 4, 2015 | Bradley Klapper and Matthew Lee, Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The United States and Russia are once more locked in what could be a generation-defining conflict, and Europe is yet again the…


Conflict Resources: Russia Presses UN Resolution to Prevent Terrorists from Collecting Ransom and Money from Oil

Feb 4, 2015 | Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS –  Russia is pressing for adoption of a new U.N. resolution aimed at preventing terrorists from collecting ransom payments or money from the…


Conflict Minerals: Where Apple Gets the Tantalum for Your iPhone

Feb 4, 2015 | Lynnley Browning, Newsweek

Nobody likes to think his or her iPhone was made from minerals derived from a country where warlords and mass rapists profit from the mines.…


Myanmar: Land Disputes in Myanmar: From Ploughs to Ports

Feb 3, 2015 | Economist

New businesses are opening across Myanmar, literally reshaping its landscape. But some wonder whether the new developments will benefit everyone.


Liberia: Oil Money Raises Eyebrows for Legislative Consultation

Feb 3, 2015 | C. Winnie Saywah-Jimmy, The Inquirer

Contrary to Representatives Emmanuel Nuquay and Prince Moye's claim that the US$ 1.2 million under debate was a single check endorsed by the National Oil…


Conflict Minerals: EU’s Proposed Regulation on Conflict Minerals – Part I

Feb 3, 2015 | Squire Patton Boggs, Dynda A. Thomas, and Kate Stokes, Lexology

The European Union (EU) is considering legislation that would regulate the importation of conflict minerals into the EU. The European Commission announced its proposed regulation…


Climate Security: High North Dialogue Podcast – Interview with Kristin Halvorsen

Feb 3, 2015 | Andreas Raspotnik, The Arctic Institute

In our 2nd podcast for the High North Dialogue 2015 we talked with Kristin Halvorsen, Director of CICERO, Center for International Climate and Environmental Research…


Liberia: What Happened to Kuwaiti Oil Deal?

Feb 2, 2015 | Heritage

MONROVIA - There are reports that the announced Kuwaiti Oil Deal has supposedly ended up like the controversial Nigerian and Japanese Oil Agreements(deals) which were…


Iraq: Iraq Oilfield Output Suspended After IS Fighting - Oil Minister

Feb 2, 2015 | Mustafa Mahmoud, Reuters

Production at an oilfield near the northern Iraq city of Kirkuk remained suspended on Monday after incurring severe damage during a weekend attack by Islamic…


Myanmar: Burma Puts the Brakes on Resource Exports to China

Feb 2, 2015 | Jonathan Manthorpe. Business Vancouver

The seemingly endless nose-to-tail line of snorting trucks crossing the border from Burma into the far southwestern Chinese town of Ruili was mesmerizing.

Just as transfixing…


Pakistan: Muslim Illegally Seizes and Bulldozes Homes of Christian Families

Feb 1, 2015 | Pakistan Christian Post

KASUR: The influential Muslim men seized and bulldozed homes of seven Christian families in a village of Kasur.

Today, a local native Boota Masih reached…


Colombia: Colombia’s Rebel Reintegration Quagmire

Feb 1, 2015 | Global Politics

Colombia has endured more than five decades of civil discord. Peace negotiations between FARC representatives and the Colombian State have, though, been ongoing since 2012…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds Retake Oil Facility in North Iraq, 15 Workers Still Missing

Jan 31, 2015 | Mustafa Mahmoud, Reuters

Kurdish peshmerga forces retook a small crude oil station near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk which Islamic State insurgents seized earlier on Saturday, but…


Libya: Two Million People, a Third of Libya’s Population, May Have Been Affected by Internal Conflict – International Report

Jan 31, 2015 | Libya Herald

A new report out last week estimates that two million people, a third of the Libya population, may have been affected, and close to four-hundred…


South Sudan/Sudan: South Sudan to Renegotiate Oil Fees with Sudan: Official

Jan 31, 2015 | Sudan Tribune

JUBA – South Sudan’s petroleum minister, Stephen Dhieu Dau said his country will consider whether to continue paying Sudan $25 per barrel of oil or…


Sudan/South Sudan/Abyei: Sudan Signs Oil Contract with China in Disputed Area with S/Sudan

Jan 31, 2015 | APA

Sudan government has signed an agreement with China for oil production in the disputed area with South Sudan, the oil minister announced on Saturday.Sudan’s minister…


Pakistan: Man Stoned to Death in Land-Grabbing Episode

Jan 30, 2015 | The News

Killing over land dispute is a routine matter in rural areas of the country, which has now shifted to big cities after property-grabbing became trouble-free…