International
Nepal: Nepal Villages Cut Off by Earthquake Wait for Aid as Death Toll Passes 4,000
Apr 27, 2015
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Thomas Fuller and Ellen Barry, New York Times
Five hours by car from Katmandu, then by foot for several miles past the spot where the road is blocked by boulders and mud, people…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Falling Prices, Rising Threats Cool Interest in Kurdish Oil
Apr 26, 2015
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Bram Janssen and Paul Schemm, Associated Press
The hall for the Irbil Oil and Gas Exhibition this week was crowded with company displays, executives and investors. But conspicuously absent were international oil…
South Sudan: Sudd Institute Reports Cover-Up of South Sudan Oil Spills
Apr 26, 2015
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Radio Tamazuj
An independent South Sudanese research organization has found that none of the environmental transparency provisions of the Petroleum Act 2012 are being enforced, in particular…
South Sudan: South Sudan Capital Hit by Drinking Water Shortages
Apr 26, 2015
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Sudan Tribune
Residents in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, say there is no clean drinking water in the city which serves as the seat of the government,…
Palestine: How Israel’s War Has Left Gaza Dry
Apr 25, 2015
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Kate Shuttleworth, The National
A tanker pulls up on a dirt road outside a two-level house where five families live. Three men jump out and unwind a plastic hose…
Iraq: Low Oil Prices Limit Iraq’s Output Growth
Apr 23, 2015
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Andy Tully, OilPrice.com
Iraq, still reeling from the US invasion and now fighting ISIS, has been trying to increase its oil output, but two energy giants, Britain’s BP…
Liberia: A Closer Look at Alternative Land Dispute Resolution (ALDR) Systems
Apr 23, 2015
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Liberian Observer
As inscribed in the Act establishing the Land Commission, one of the duties and functions is to promote "prompt and fair resolution of conflicts over…
Conflict Minerals: Conflict Minerals Remain Unchecked by Most U.S. Manufacturers
Apr 22, 2015
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Stephen E. Stapczynski, Bloomberg
Metals that are sold to help fund armed groups in Africa could be making their way into the U.S manufacturing industry unchecked, a Global Witness…
DRC: Responsible Gold Also Means Supporting Livelihoods of Artisanal Miners
Apr 22, 2015
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Tyler Gillard and Roel Nieuwenkamp, The Huffington Post
Last year, Congolese civil society leader Eric Kajemba helped broker a deal between the army, local authorities, three powerful Congolese families and a Canadian mining…
Water: OSU Geoscientist Wins $250,000 Award for Global Water Negotiations
Apr 22, 2015
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The Oregonian
An Oregon State University geoscientist who specializes in resolving complex international water conflicts will receive a $250,000 Heinz Award for Public Policy. Professor Aaron Wolf…
Liberia: Logging Company Dumps Defendants in PUP Six Million Case
Apr 21, 2015
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Abednego Davis, Liberian Observer
Drama unfolded yesterday in the ongoing trial of four dismissed managers of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) and a senior surveyor of the Ministry of…
Sudan: Sudan Gold-Mine Collapse Leaves Six People Dead, Dozens Missing
Apr 21, 2015
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Bassem Abo Alabass Mohammed, Bloomberg
A gold-mine collapse in Sudan’s western region of Darfur killed six people and may have left more than 30 others trapped underground, a community leader…
China: Pressure Mounts on China for Water Security
Apr 20, 2015
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The Asian Age
Way back in 1999, before he became China’s Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao warned that water scarcity posed one of the greatest threats to the “survival…
Liberia: Banks Raising $400m for Palm Oil Expansion 'Must Examine High Risks'
Apr 20, 2015
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Oliver Tickell, The Ecologist
Banks preparing to launch a $400m bond issue for a global palm oil giant with a history of legal violations and broken standards have been…
Iraq: BP Says Taking More Oil from Iraq as Payment
Apr 20, 2015
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Reuters
BP (BP.L) has been lifting more crude oil cargoes in the past couple of months as payment for its work in southern Iraq, and is…
Sudan/South Sudan: As Gold Fuels Darfur Conflict, Activists Push for More Sudan Sanctions
Apr 19, 2015
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Johnny Magdaleno, Al Jazeera
Taj el-Bisary, an independent researcher for aid groups, visits the Darfur region in western Sudan, where he was born, at least three times a year.…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Refinery at Baiji Secured, but Iraq Fighting Still Rages at Ramadi
Apr 19, 2015
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Mitchell Prothero, McClatchy DC
Iraqi security forces backed by heavy air support from the American-led coalition have secured Iraq’s largest oil refinery from a determined Islamic State offensive. But…
Colombia: In Colombia, Land Mines Are Cleared, Inch by Inch
Apr 19, 2015
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William Neuman, New York Times
Luvin Mejía kneels on the ground, wearing a heavy Kevlar vest and pants, a thick clear plastic shield over his face. It can take him…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Beijing, Hanoi Reach Agreement on Handling Disputes at Sea
Apr 16, 2015
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Today
China and Vietnam have agreed to manage their maritime disputes in the South China Sea through peaceful negotiations based on mutual interests, Chinese state media…
Water Wars: Battle Lines Drawn for Control over Water
Apr 16, 2015
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Suparna Dutt-D’Cunha, Gulf News
Societal unrest and strategic manoeuvring over water have pervaded the Middle East for a long time now, pushing people to act aggressively to secure the…
Liberia: FDA's U.S.$6 Million PUP Trial Defendants Linked to 'Falsifying Signatures of Land Deeds'
Apr 16, 2015
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Abednego Davis, Liberian Observer
Several former managers of the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) on trial for illegally issuing sixty-one (61) Private Use Permits (PUPs) in the amount of US$6M…
Conflict Minerals: Global Witness Criticises Proposed EU Conflict Minerals Law
Apr 16, 2015
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Metal Bulletin
Campaign group Global Witness has called proposed European conflict minerals legislation “weak and ineffective”.
It criticised the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee following its vote on…
DRC: Illicit Wildlife, Gold, Timber Trade Funds DRC Conflict
Apr 16, 2015
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Environmental News Service
Organized crime funded by illegal trade in natural resources is fueling the 20-year-long conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, that has…
Yemen: Yemen War Puts 2015 Crop at Risk, Food Security Worsening - FAO
Apr 15, 2015
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Reuters
Conflict in Yemen is disrupting the crop planting season and threatens to create food shortages, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on…
Iraq: Oil Minister Says Iraq Close to Securing Refinery From Militants
Apr 15, 2015
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Jim Snyder, Bloomberg
Iraq’s oil minister said troops were closer to securing the country’s largest refinery after an attack by Islamic State militants last week.
“They are clearing their…
Nepal: Nepal's Community Forests Fight Poverty and Destruction
Apr 14, 2015
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Jennifer Collins, Deutsche Welle
From low-lying grasslands and steamy subtropical jungles, to soaring snowy peaks and pine forests, Nepal is a country of dramatic extremes. This tiny mountain nation…
Ethiopia: Ethiopians Talk of Violent Intimidation as Their Land is Earmarked for Foreign Investors
Apr 14, 2015
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David Smith, The Guardian
The human cost of Ethiopia’s “villagisation” programme is laid bare by damning first person testimony published on Tuesday. The east African country has long faced…
Yemen: Conflict, Famine, Refugees, and IDPs: A Perfect Storm in Yemen?
Apr 14, 2015
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Omer Karasapan, Brookings Institution
The current crisis in Yemen will only add to the fraying of an already extremely fragile country and worsen an unfolding human tragedy. Thousands have…
Conflict Minerals: MEPs Divided on Conflict Minerals Scheme
Apr 14, 2015
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Benjamin Fox, EU Observer
EU lawmakers have clashed over which businesses should be covered by new rules on the trade of conflict minerals used to fund civil wars.
In a…
Iraq/Syria: Research and Markets: Oil and Refined Flows From Northern Iraq and Eastern Syria
Apr 14, 2015
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Business Wire
A 30 page overview of the sources, locations, and flows of licit and illicit crude and refined product from Northern Iraq and Eastern Syria. From…