International

Myanmar: Neighborhood Rivalry ‘Puts Burma’s Oil and Gas Sector at Risk’

Nov 24, 2014 | The Irrawaddy

Burma will struggle to attract new investment in oil and gas development because of a global industry slump and new competition from neighboring countries, a…

Sudan: Gold Production Reaches 64 Tonnes

Nov 24, 2014 | Sudan Tribune

Sudan has announced that the production of gold from January through October amounted to 64 tonnes, up from 34 tonnes in 2013.

A local brings his…

Iraq; Thousands of Iraq Chemical Weapons Destroyed in Open Air, Watchdog Says

Nov 24, 2014 | Iraq Oil Report

The United States recovered thousands of old chemical weapons in Iraq from 2004 to 2009 and destroyed almost all of them in secret and via…

Liberia: In Midst of Ebola, Lawmakers Eye U.S.$25m Million Oil Cash

Nov 24, 2014 | allAfrica

Under the draft Legislative budget 2014/2015, Lawmakers, knowing fully-well that appropriations were already allotted for institutions within the national budget, went ahead and re-appropriated the…

Colombia: Colombia Captures 'Coltan Czar' Linked to FARC

Nov 24, 2014 | Kyra Gurney, InSightCrime

Authorities in Colombia have captured a key operative who facilitated the sale of coltan and uranium for the FARC and ELN guerrilla groups, in a…

Liberia: '2014 Election Is About Oil'

Nov 23, 2014 | allAfrica

Montserrado County Senatorial candidate Christopher Z. Neyor has disclosed that the 2014 Special Election is about the country's future and the management of its oil…

China/South China Sea: China Building Possible Airfield in S. China Sea: US

Nov 22, 2014 | AFP/The West Australian

China is building a massive island in the South China Sea that could host an airfield in an area where Beijing is locked in bitter…

Landgrabbing: Why Wall Street Investors and Chinese Firms are Buying Farmland All over the World

Nov 22, 2014 | Brad Plumer, Vox

As the world's population soars past 7 billion, farmland and freshwater are becoming increasingly valuable resources.

And, in response, a growing number of companies and investors —…

Iraq: Turkey a Guarantor for Energy Peace in Iraq, Says Genel Energy President

Nov 22, 2014 | Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey is a guarantor for energy peace between Baghdad and Arbil, according to the head of an international energy company operating in
Iraq.  

A dispute…

Timor-Leste: East Timor’s Oil Resource: Boon or Bane?

Nov 21, 2014 | Mong Palatino, The Diplomat

Questions have emerged over the performance of East Timor’s Petroleum Fund, reviving discussion about whether the country is suffering from a “resource curse” caused by…

China/South China Sea: China Calls for Enhanced Dialogue to Resolve Conflicts

Nov 21, 2014 | BBC News

China's Defence Minister, Chang Wanquan, says he wants to enhance dialogue to manage disputes with neighbouring countries.Speaking at a security forum in Beijing, Mr Chang…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi, Kurdish Officials Stress Unity on Oil Policy

Nov 21, 2014 | World Bulletin

Iraqi central government officials and Kurdish region leaders have stressed eliminating differences for a more cohesive oil policy.

"We are very optimistic about overcoming the dispute between the Iraqi…

Liberia: "U.S.$20 Million Lost to Illicit Money"

Nov 21, 2014 | Keith Morris, Liberian Observer

A research report released yesterday on the Liberian economy shows that an estimated US$20 million is lost annually due to illicit financial flow (IFF).

According to…

Iraq/Kurdistan: BP Seeks Kirkuk Oil Field Revival, Starts Talk with Baghdad

Nov 20, 2014 | Hellenic Shipping News

U.K. supermajor BP plc (BP) has initiated a contract talk with the Iraq’s Oil Ministry to develop the Kirkuk oil field – a potential area…

Liberia: 'FDA Has Capacity Limitation' - Liberia's Forest Chief On U.S.$150 Million Deal

Nov 20, 2014 | AllAfrica

When it was announced at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York that the Government of Norway would be partnering with the Government of…

Conflict Minerals: Project to Tackle Conflict Minerals Given Grant to Expand Efforts

Nov 20, 2014 | Marino Donati, Supply Management

A programme to build responsible minerals supply chains in conflict areas will be expanded following a grant from Motorola Solutions Foundation.

The philanthropic arm of the…

Iraq: Iraq Losing Billions In Oil Exports After ISIL Captured Pipeline

Nov 20, 2014 | World Tribune

BAGHDAD — Iraq has been losing billions of dollars because of a halt in crude oil exports.

The Oil Ministry said Baghdad was losing $1.2 billion…

Liberia: Forestry Chief Says U.S.$150 Million Norway Deal Not Anti-Logging

Nov 19, 2014 | AllAfrica

Monrovia — In the wake of the signing of a forest conservation agreement between the Government of Liberia and the European Union through the Government…

Iraq: Inside Islamic State’s Oil Empire: How Captured Oilfields Fuel Isis Insurgency

Nov 19, 2014 | Fazel Hawramy, Shalaw Mohammed and Luke Harding, The Guardian

Islamic State has consolidated its grip on oil supplies in Iraq and now presides over a sophisticated smuggling empire with illegal exports going to Turkey,…

South Sudan: Wildlife Devastated in South Sudan War: Conservationists

Nov 19, 2014 | Peter Martell, AFP

Nairobi - Warring factions in South Sudan have slaughtered, poached and eaten "alarming" numbers of endangered wildlife, devastating one of Africa's largest migrations, conservationists warned…

Afghanistan: Land-Grabbing by Powerful Rife in Afghanistan - Watchdog

Nov 19, 2014 | Reuters

Corruption and weak regulation have allowed nearly a quarter of a million hectares of land to be seized in Afghanistan over the last decade, often…

South Sudan: Govt Denies Reports of Oil Leak in Unity State

Nov 19, 2014 | Sudan Tribune

Juba — South Sudan's minister for petroleum and mining has dismissed reports of an oil leak in severely damaged fields in Unity state. Speaking to…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq, Kurdish Region Implement Deal on Oil Exports, Salaries

Nov 19, 2014 | Reuters

The government of Iraq and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region have begun implementing a deal under which Baghdad resumes funding Kurdish civil servant salaries in return…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Can the Iraqi-Kurdish Oil Deal Last?

Nov 18, 2014 | Nick Cunningham, Christian Science Monitor

Kurdistan and the Iraqi central government have reached an important agreement over oil.

Although the deal is only an interim agreement, leaving larger issues unresolved, the…

Conflict Minerals: Federal Appeals Court to Reconsider Conflict Minerals Rule

Nov 18, 2014 | Tim Devaney, The Hill

U.S. companies may be required after all to disclose whether their products are manufactured with "conflict minerals" from war-torn parts of Africa, a federal appeals…

South Sudan: S Sudan Minister Says Cleaning Up Damage to Oil Fields

Nov 18, 2014 | Radio Tamazuj

South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum and Mining Stephen Dhieu Dau says that the government is now cleaning up damages caused during recent fighting between SPLA-IO…

Central African Republic: Central African Republic New ‘Blood Diamond’ Hub

Nov 18, 2014 | Martin Creamer, Mining Weekly

The dysfunctional Central African Republic (CAR) has taken over as the country where “blood diamond” activity is again rife.

Diamonds worth $24-million have been smuggled out…

Liberia: Oil Bid Round 'Transparent' - Nocal Replies Global Witness

Nov 18, 2014 | AllAfrica

Monrovia — Aletha Sherman, the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for the National Oil Company of Liberia says the Bid Round team has worked…

Myanmar: Villagers to Protest Over Grisly Death of Kachin Jade Picker

Nov 18, 2014 | Lawi Weng, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — Hundreds of villagers will protest this week after a jade scavenger was allegedly murdered and mutilated in Hpakant, a resource-rich area in northern…

China/Myanmar: Myanmar-China Border Dispute a Matter for Foreign Ministry Say Shan State Government

Nov 18, 2014 | Kyel Pyar, Mizzima

The Shan State government says the Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs should handle a border dispute concerning three villages now occupied by Chinese citizens but…