International


Liberia: Chief Karwor Requests Land for Post-Ebola Farming

Nov 18, 2014 | Johnson Bobby Liway, AllAfrica

The Chairman of the National Traditional Council of Liberia, Chief Zanzan Karwor, is urging the Ministry of Internal Affairs to request local officials in each…


Iraq: Iraq’s Biggest Oil Plant to Reopen After Militants Moved

Nov 18, 2014 | Kadhim Ajrash and Khalid Al-Ansary, Businessweek

Iraq’s biggest oil refinery at Baiji is set to restart processing in about three months after government troops forced Islamic State armed militants away from…


South Sudan: South Sudan Govt Claims Full Control of Oilfields

Nov 18, 2014 | Star Africa

South Sudan has announced that it is in full control of the oilfields in the troubled Unity State, the scene of fighting between government troops…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan to Begin Exporting Oil Through SOMO After Loan from Baghdad: KRG Officials

Nov 17, 2014 | Dalshad Abdullah, Asharq Al-Awsat

Erbil— The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will begin exporting oil through under Baghdad’s supervision once it receives a loan it says was promised from the…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Capital of Kurdish Iraq Goes from Backwater to Boomtown as It Fights to Achieve Independence

Nov 17, 2014 | Campbell MacDiarmid, National Post

Erbil, Kurdistan Region — The nucleus of the city is a citadel rising 30 metres above the plains. The height represents the accretion of eight…


Iraq: Battle Turning Against IS, Says US Gen Martin Dempsey

Nov 15, 2014 | BBC

America's top general has told US troops in Iraq that momentum is turning against Islamic State militants. Gen Martin Dempsey, on an unannounced visit, called…


DRC: Oil Dispute Takes a Page From Congo’s Bloody Past

Nov 15, 2014 | Jeffrey Gentlemen, New York Times

VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, Democratic Republic of Congo — The trouble started when a British company suddenly appeared in this iconic and spectacularly beautiful national park,…


Protected Areas Can Safeguard Global Biodiversity and Build Peace in Conflict Hotspots

Nov 14, 2014 | Phys Org

Today, the Conservation International (CI) Policy Center for Environment and Peace released five case study summaries that show that protected areas, through transparent and open…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan Pushes Independent Oil Company Plan after $500m Deal with Iraq

Nov 14, 2014 | Middle East Eye

A preliminary deal between Baghdad and Iraq's Kurdish region to resolve long-running financial disputes over oil has reduced a threat to national unity, Iraq’s oil minister…


Sierra Leone: Ebola Wiping out Sierra Leone's Post-War Gains: Study

Nov 14, 2014 | AFP

Ebola-hit Sierra Leone faces social and economic disaster as gains made since the country's ruinous civil war are wiped out by the epidemic, according to…


China: Addressing Conflict Minerals – China Publishes ‘Groundbreaking’ Guidelines

Nov 14, 2014 | Heidi Vella, Mining Technology

In a bid to strengthen its commitment as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, last month, in an unprecedented move, a Chinese government-affiliated…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Producers in Iraqi Kurdistan Expect Export Payments This Month

Nov 13, 2014 | Reuters

Three of Iraqi Kurdistan's main oil producers said they expect payments this month from the regional government for oil exports, as they look set to…


Myanmar: Colorful Fields in Shan State Signal Another Bumper Opium Crop

Nov 13, 2014 | Lawi Weng, The Irrawaddy

PEKHON TOWNSHIP, Shan State — In west-Padaung, a hilly region located on the border of Shan and Karenni states, farmers are hard at work in…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq and Kurds Reach Deal on Oil Exports and Budget Payments

Nov 13, 2014 | Ben Hubbard, New York Times

BAGHDAD —  Iraq’s central government and the autonomous region of Kurdistan reached an interim agreement on Thursday over oil exports and budget payments, at least…


Iraq: Iraq Losing Billions In Oil Revenues To IS

Nov 12, 2014 | Radio Free Europe Radio Library

Iraq’s Oil Ministry has said that the country is losing as much as $1.2 billion a month in oil revenues as a result of Islamic State…


Myanmar: Land Disputes Leading Cause of Human Rights Complaints

Nov 12, 2014 | Nobel Zaw, The Irrawaddy

RANGOON — The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) has said that nearly 45 percent of the total complaints it has received this year stem…


Liberia: As Ebola Takes Lives in Liberia, It Leaves Hunger in Its Wake

Nov 12, 2014 | Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post

FOYA, Liberia — The Ebola virus, which has killed more than 2,830 Liberians and collapsed the country’s health-care system, is also attacking Liberia’s food supply,…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad and Kurds, Under Pressure, Reach Deal on Oil

Nov 12, 2014 | Sarah Kent, Wall Street Journal

The governments of Iraq and its semiautonomous region of Kurdistan reached an interim accord to ease long-standing tensions over Kurdish oil exports, both sides said…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdistan exporting oil from disputed fields

Nov 11, 2014 | Ben Van Heuvelen, Iraq Oil Report

Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is now exporting oil from fields it recently seized from federal authorities - a step that takes Kurdistan much…


Land grabbing: H&M Says Seeks to Ensure Cotton Does Not Come from Disputed Land

Nov 11, 2014 | Reuters

Hennes & Mauritz (HMb.ST), the world's second-biggest fashion retailer, said on Tuesday that it made every effort to ensure its cotton did not come from…


Conflict minerals: Were Your Solar Panels Made With Conflict Minerals?

Nov 11, 2014 | Todd Woody, TakePart

So you just put solar panels on your roof and can pat yourself on the back for doing the clean, green thing, right?

Not quite.

While solar…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China, Vietnam Willing to Handle Maritime Issues Through Dialogue

Nov 10, 2014 | Reuters

China and Vietnam have agreed to handle maritime disputes through dialogue, Chinese state media reported on Monday, months after ties between the two countries hit…


Liberia: Liberia Braces for Next National Crisis: A Crude Oil Boom

Nov 10, 2014 | Peter Green, The Street

Forget Ebola. The next big thing to come out of Liberia may be crude oil. Since 2010, the government has awarded exploration rights for eight offshore blocks to…


South Asia: The Specter of Water Wars in South Asia

Nov 10, 2014 | Seema Sengupta, Arab News

Maj. Gen. Muniruzzaman, a renowned Bangladeshi security expert had predicted sometime ago that “if ever there were a localized conflict in South Asia, it will…


Myanmar: New Model Land Contract to ‘Help Prevent Land Grabs’

Nov 10, 2014 | Mizzima

A Canada-based international public policy research institute for sustainable development has come up with a “model contract” to protect land owners and users in developing…


Conflict Minerals: Trade MEPs Call for More Clarity About EU Plans on Conflict Minerals

Nov 10, 2014 | Metal Bulletin

European Commission proposals for voluntary self-certification by European companies importing tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold from "conflict and high risk" regions have been branded too…


Myanmar: Domestic Issues Blamed on Chinese Failure to Block Illegal Timber Trade

Nov 9, 2014 | Eleven

China is failing to control the illegal timber trade despite repeated requests from Myanmar, said the Union Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry Win Tun.Fear…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad Asks for Kurdish Oil Revenue from Turkey

Nov 9, 2014 | Hemin Salih, BasNews

The federal government of Iraq has asked Turkey for Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) oil revenues, currently deposited in the Turkish Halk Bank.

 A reliable source has…


Iraq: ISIS Sells Stolen Kirkuk Oil at $20 Per Barrel - Iraq Finance Ministry

Nov 9, 2014 | RT

Islamic State militants, who have seized oil fields and refineries in Kirkuk province in the north of Iraq, are selling the hijacked oil on the…


Middle East: Water Wars Endanger Middle East Environment

Nov 9, 2014 | Nabil al-Samman, Al-Monitor

The idea of a so-called "water war" in the Arab world is linked to fears that there could be an armed conflict over control of…