International
Conflict Minerals: Making a Call: Why the Fairphone is Better Than Its Rival Smartphones
Jan 22, 2015
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Susanna Butter, London Evening Standard
With a large screen and a silver back, the Fairphone does not look markedly different to any other mobile but it is better than its…
Lebanon: Not Just a Pipe Dream
Jan 22, 2015
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Jeremy Arbid, Executive
Even though Lebanon’s first offshore licensing round is on hold indefinitely, each passing month highlights the necessity for transparency and accountability in managing the country’s…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: What Do Weak Oil Prices Mean for the South China Sea?
Jan 21, 2015
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David Tweed, Bloomberg
When it comes to territorial tensions in the South China Sea, it’s more about what goes through it than what lies beneath it.
Oil last week…
Ukraine: Pro-Russia Separatists Accused Of Land Grabbing
Jan 21, 2015
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RTT News
The U.S. has accused pro-Russian separatists of land grabbing in eastern Ukraine, even as foreign ministers from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany called for an…
South Sudan: South Sudan Government Says Rebels Torched Oil Facility
Jan 21, 2015
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Charlton Doki, Voice of America
JUBA—The South Sudan government on Wednesday accused rebels loyal to former vice president Riek Machar of attacking an oil facility in Unity state and setting…
Iraq: Iraq Says Oil Output Must Rise to Compensate for Price Drop
Jan 21, 2015
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James Herron and Maher Chmaytelli, Bloomberg
Iraq, the nation adding more new oil to global markets than any other supplier in OPEC, said it needs to boost production and exports of…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: South China Sea Spats: A Territorial Fight, Not About the Oil
Jan 21, 2015
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Malay Mail Online
When it comes to territorial tensions in the South China Sea, it’s more about what goes through it than what lies beneath it.Oil last week…
Myanmar: Gas Projects in Doubt as Bangkok Frets about Over-Reliance on Burma
Jan 21, 2015
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William Boot, The Irrawaddy
Thai investment in Burmese natural gas development might be curtailed because the army generals running Thailand are worried about dependence on supplies from its neighbor,…
Kosovo: 700 Miners Refuse to Resurface in Ownership Row
Jan 21, 2015
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World Bulletin
Hundreds of miners in northern Kosovo have refused to resurface, demanding that the Kosovo government takes over their near-bankrupt mine in Mitrovica within 24 hours.
About 700 miners were still…
South Sudan: South Sudan Finance Minister Says Food Output Can Offset Oil
Jan 20, 2015
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Francis Okech, Bloomberg
South Sudan should boost agricultural output and reduce its reliance on imports to salvage an economy hit by conflict and a plunge in global oil…
Liberia: Land Commission Tenure Extended
Jan 20, 2015
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The New Dawn
The Land Commission was established by an Act of the Legislature on August 9, 2009, and charged with the mandate to propose, advocate and coordinate…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Official: KRG to Receive Full Share of Budget for First Time
Jan 20, 2015
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Aso Fishagi, Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Despite falling oil prices that have severely hit Iraqi revenues, the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will receive its full 17…
Myanmar: Oil Pipeline Through Myanmar to China Expected to Open in Jan -Sources
Jan 20, 2015
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Adam Rose and Aung Hla Tun, Reuters
A crude oil pipeline and a deep sea port meant to secure an alternative route for Chinese imports overland through Myanmar are set to open…
Myanmar: NGOs Damn Myanmar Dam Plans
Jan 20, 2015
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Mizzima
In open letters to Myanmar’s Ministry of Electric Power and the Thai and Chinese embassies in Yangon, the Burma Rivers Network appealed January 19 for…
Sri Lanka: Probe Land Grabbing from 2005-2014 - ECT Chief
Jan 19, 2015
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Disna Mudalige, Daily News
Incidents of land grabbing from 2005-2014 should be investigated, Environment Conservation Trust (ECT) Director Sajeewa Chamikara said.Issuing a press communique, he said hundreds and thousands…
Conflict Minerals: Europe and Electronics: A Roundup of Legislation in 2014
Jan 19, 2015
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Gary Nevison, Evertiq
While Conflict Minerals legislation and RoHS2 (Recast) are amongst the more well known ones, other decrees were modified over the course of 2014, including those…
Colombia: Crime Ring Laundered $1 Billion in Colombia Gold Exports
Jan 19, 2015
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Elyssa Pachico, In Sight Crime
Colombia's Attorney General's Office announced the results of an investigation involving an illegal network that had allegedly laundered $1 billion through gold sales, in a…
Myanmar: Letpadaung Manslaughter Charge Should Be Pursued, Finds Inquiry
Jan 17, 2015
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Matt Roebuck, Mizzima
The case of manslaughter, in relation to the death of Daw Khin Win, a 53 year old villager who was shot in the head by…
South Sudan: Oil May Explain Why China Is Sending Its Infantry To A UN Peacekeeping Mission For The First Time
Jan 16, 2015
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Armin Rosen, Business Insider
An advanced party of Chinese peacekeepers is in South Sudan and the rest of the 700-strong contingent is due to arrive by early April, a…
Liberia: President Sirleaf Issues Executive Order No. 66 Extending the Tenure of the Land Commission by One Year
Jan 16, 2015
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Executive Mansion
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has issued Executive Order No. 66 extending the tenure of the Land Commission by one additional year ending January 9, 2016.According…
Water: Water Shortage is Biggest Global Threat
Jan 16, 2015
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Rick Pendrous, Food Manufacture
More than two-thirds of people on the planet – between 4-5bn – could be living in parts of the world affected by water stress by…
Rwanda: Kagame Says Rwanda Not Plundering DRC Coltan
Jan 16, 2015
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News of Rwanda
President Paul Kagame has offered free visa and air ticket to anyone disputing Rwanda's Coltan (tantalum) production capability to visit the country's active mining sites.
"Rwanda…
Myanmar: Govt to Continue Fight Against Illegal Timber
Jan 16, 2015
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Pyae Thet Phyo, Myanmar Times
The government is planning further crackdowns on the illegal timber trade in northern Myanmar, a senior government official says, and also plans to reduce legal…
Myanmar: Mandalay Farmers, Monks, Students Call for Constitutional Reform, Land Rights Protection
Jan 16, 2015
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Zarni Mann, The Irrawaddy
MANDALAY — About 1,000 farmers, students, labourers, Buddhist monks and community leaders gathered in Mandalay on Friday to call for better protection of land rights,…
South Sudan: South Sudan Army Says Oil Fields Under Full Protection
Jan 16, 2015
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Sudan Tribune
The South Sudanese army (SPLA) said on Friday it remains in full control of oil fields in both Unity and Upper Nile states, downplaying threats…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: East Sea: Are Artificial Islands More Dangerous Than Oil Rigs?
Jan 15, 2015
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Vietnamnet
China’s East Sea policy has a clear delineation between short term and long term.
The strategy to maintain a continuous presence in the undisputed waters to…
Myanmar: Human Rights Commission Faults Police Over Copper Mine Shooting
Jan 15, 2015
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Nobel Zaw, The Irrawaddy
RANGOON — Burma’s National Human Rights Commission has said that the recent killing of a farmer at the Letpadaung copper mine in Sagaing Division was…
Cows and Conflict: South Sudan's “Slow Motion” Livestock Crisis
Jan 15, 2015
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Andrew Green, IRIN
At 11 million head, cattle outnumber people in South Sudan and are central to the country’s economy and society. Now, 13 months of civil war…
Colombia: Understanding Colombia’s Armed Conflict: International Actors
Jan 15, 2015
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Colombia Reports
Compared with much of the world, Latin America was relatively free inter-state wars during the 20th century, and Colombia is no exception. While tension with neighboring…
Guinea: Did Palm Oil Expansion Play a Role in the Ebola Crisis?
Jan 14, 2015
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Emmanuel K. Urey, Mongabay.com
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa may have been the result of complex economic and agricultural policies developed by authorities in Guinea and Liberia, according…