International


Liberia: Growth & Graft - How Oil Can Profit or Ruin Liberia

Dec 9, 2014 | Front Page Africa

Liberia recently ended consultations on reforms in the emerging oil industry by stakeholders' participation. As part of its efforts to educate the public on the…


How Simple Palm Oil Undermined Liberia's Efforts to Contain Ebola

Dec 9, 2014 | Sara Jerving, Mic

Timothy Yeabah heard a noise ringing from the forests surrounding his village in central Liberia one morning in April 2013. It was the sound of…


China/South China Sea: US South China Sea Report Riles China to Defend Behaviour

Dec 9, 2014 | Nigel Wilson, International Business Times

China has attacked a report by the US State Department about its claims on the disputed territorial waters of the South China Sea.

Beijing's claim over…


Iraq: Iraq Cuts Official Crude Oil Selling Price to Asia, U.S.

Dec 9, 2014 | David Sheppard, Reuters

Iraq has cut the official selling price (OSP) to Asia and the United States in January for its main crude oil export grade, Basrah light,…


Iraq: IMF: Less Iraq Contraction in 2014 on Rising Oil Output

Dec 9, 2014 | AFP

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday said Iraq's oil-dependent economy was expected to contract much less than previously thought this year due to rising oil…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad-Erbil Deal is Silent on KRG's Surplus Oil

Dec 9, 2014 | Mohammed A. Salih, Al-Monitor

ERBIL, Iraq — The new oil agreement between Iraq’s federal government and the autonomous Kurdish government in the north appears to have left some room…


Liberia: In Oil & Gas Laws Stakeholders Want President's Power Limited

Dec 9, 2014 | Leroy M. Sonpon, III, Liberian Observer

At least 150 stakeholders from over 30 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have successfully validated two 'Oil and Gas Laws', but recommended limitations on the power…


Conflict Minerals: SEC Files Brief in Conflict Minerals Rehearing

Dec 8, 2014 | Stephen M. Quinlivan, Lexology

The SEC has filed its brief in the conflict minerals rehearing.  Amnesty International also filed its brief as intervenor and Free Speech for People filed an amicus brief.

To recap, when…


Liberia: Still No Oil for Liberia, but

Dec 8, 2014 | Garmonyou Wilson, The Inquirer

With 17 oil blocks on the coast of Liberia, Nigerian, American, Chinese companies among others have leased more than 60%. Each block costs the company…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kirkuk Governor: Oil Revenue to Kurdish Region Delayed

Dec 7, 2014 | World Bulletin

Revenue from oil exports to the Kurdish Regional Government is held up by government discussion of the 2014 budget, and by pipeline stoppages, Kirkuk Governor Najmiddin…


Somalia: Somaliland: “How Does One Misappropriate Yet to Be Harvested Products “Wonders Eng Duale

Dec 7, 2014 | Yusuf M Hasan, Somaliandsun

The four main foreign firms with oil Product Sharing Contracts –PSC with Somaliland are ready to continue exploration and start extraction operations in the first…


China/Philippines/South China Sea: China Denounces Philippine 'Pressure' Over Sea Dispute Arbitration

Dec 7, 2014 | Adam Rose and Ben Blanchard, Reuters

China denounced the Philippines on Sunday for putting it under pressure with an international arbitration case over disputed waters, and refused again to participate a…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad: No Agreement on Independent Kurdish Oil Export

Dec 7, 2014 | Rudaw

Iraq’s oil ministry dismissed on Sunday reports that Baghdad had agreed to independent oil exports by the Kurdish government, saying its position had not changed.

“The…


Liberia: Confab On Oil Law Validation Begins

Dec 5, 2014 | AllAfrica

The Legislature is expected to begin a two-day National Stakeholders Dialogue for the validation of the Draft Petroleum Exploration & Production Act 2013 today.

The conference…


Iraq: ISIS Dismantles Oil Refinery at Baiji, Shipping Facility to Mosul

Dec 5, 2014 | Rudaw

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region-- The Islamic State (ISIS) dismantled a refinery near Baiji, and transported it to the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi military sources said.

Military officials…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdish Oil Market Evolving Quickly

Dec 5, 2014 | Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International

The market for crude oil produced in the Kurdish north of Iraq is evolving rapidly both in the domestic and foreign markets, an oil company…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Deal a Sign of Hope Between Baghdad, Erbil

Dec 5, 2014 | Mushreq Abbas, Al-Monitor

As soon as the oil agreement signed Dec. 2 between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was announced, optimism emerged in Iraqi…


Iraq: Iraqi Army Repels ISIS Attack on Baiji Oil Refinery

Dec 5, 2014 | Al Arabiya

Iraq’s armed forces have repelled a major attack by extremists on Baiji oil refinery in northern Iraq, Al Arabiya News Channel on Friday.

Last month the…


Liberia: House Reaffirms Its Commitment to Reform Oil Sector

Dec 4, 2014 | Richard Stephens, AllAfrica

Monrovia — Deputy House Speaker Hans Barchue has reaffirmed the National Legislature's commitment to reform the oil and gas sectors of Liberia to ensure every…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Here's What The Big Iraqi-Kurdish Oil Deal Really Means

Dec 4, 2014 | Michael Knights, Business Insider

Leaders in Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan have taken a brave step toward reunifying the country through revenue sharing. The United States should support implementation of…


Afghan President Sets out His Mining Agenda

Dec 4, 2014 | Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative

The potential for major government revenue from the Afghan mining sector is significant. Whilst it will not alone revive Afghanistan’s economic prospects, it will need…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq's Big Kurdish Oil Deal

Dec 3, 2014 | Vivienna Walt, Fortune

You almost have to hand it to ISIS. The brutal terror group has stormed across Syria and Iraq, gobbling up territory and sparking turmoil across…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Special Report: How Exxon Helped Make Iraqi Kurdistan

Dec 3, 2014 | Dmitry Zhdannikov, Isabel Coles and Ned Parker, Reuters

In January 2011, Exxon hired one of the best connected men in Iraq: Ali Khedery, an American of Iraqi descent who had served in Baghdad as…


Iraq: Amid Conflict with ISIS, Iraq Pumps Oil Like There's No Tomorrow

Dec 3, 2014 | Robert Winderm, NBC News

espite its war with ISIS, Iraq is pumping oil at a pace not seen in nearly 40 years, and the spigot will be opened still…


Africa: IGAD Officials to Discuss Beefing up Regional Cooperation in Conflict Prevention

Dec 3, 2014 | APA

The Committee of Permanent Secretaries (CPS) of the Inter-Governmental Agency for Development (IGAD)'s Conflict Early Warning and Response Mechanism (CEWARN) will convene on Thursday in…


South Sudan: Here's Why China's Sending Hundreds Of Peacekeepers To Africa

Dec 3, 2014 | Sean J. Li, Business Insider

hina announced in September that it would send a battalion of seven-hundred infantry soldiers to reinforce the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), a…


Peru: Colombia's FARC Profit from Illegal Gold Mining in Peru

Dec 3, 2014 | Marguerite Cawley, In Sight Crime

A journalist in Peru has reported that Colombia's FARC guerrillas are profiting from the illegal gold trade inside Peru, underscoring the rebels' cross-border activities and…


China/Vietnam: Vietnamese and Chinese Vessels Clash Again in South China Sea

Dec 2, 2014 | Want China Times

Vietnamese fishing boats clashed again with Chinese coast guard vessels in the disputed South China Sea on Nov. 26, four months after China withdrew its…


China/South China Sea: China Defends Land Reclamation in South China Sea

Dec 2, 2014 | Associated Press

Defying a U.S. call to halt the project, China defended its land reclamation in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday,…


Angola: Secret Footage Allegedly Shows Diamond Diggers Being Tortured in Angola

Dec 2, 2014 | Global Voices

A video purportedly showing employees of a private mining security company torturing two Congolese diamond diggers with a machete in Angola has raised the ire of many social…