International
Conflict Minerals: Assent/Tulane Study Illustrates Difficulty of Conflict Minerals Compliance…Even for Mylar Balloons
Aug 6, 2015
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Jeff Yoders, MetalMiner
US companies shelled out roughly $709 million and 6 million staff hours last year to comply with regulations to disclose conflict minerals in their supply chains,…
Businesses: Can Big Brands Like Nestlé Really Play a Role in Halting Land Disputes?
Aug 6, 2015
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Oliver Balch, The Guardian
Globally, over 70% of land lacks clear registration or is subject to ownership disputes. This phenomenon directly increases the vulnerability of the world’s poorest, as…
Japan/Philippines/South China Sea: Japan May Give Planes to Philippines for Aerial Patrols, sources say
Aug 6, 2015
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ABC News
Tokyo is looking to offer Manila three Beechcraft TC-90 King Air planes that could be fitted with basic surface and air surveillance radar, four sources…
China/United States/South China Sea: John Kerry Says US Will Not Accept Restrictions on Movements in the Sea
Aug 6, 2015
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ABC News
US secretary of state John Kerry has accused China of not allowing freedom of navigation and overflight in the disputed South China Sea, despite giving…
Iraq: The Electricity Uprising in Iraq
Aug 6, 2015
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Abdul Latif Al-Saadoun, Middle East Monitor
"If we cannot provide enough electric power for the Iraqis, why don't the families buy private generators?" asked an Iraqi official during a recent press…
Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan/ Uzbekistan/Fergana Valley: Border Problems – A Threat to Central Asia’s Future
Aug 6, 2015
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Elena Kosolapova, Trend
Two days ago, there was a shootout along the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which resulted in the injury of six Tajiks. As of now,…
Turkey: Turkey to Boost Security for Energy Infrastructure as PKK Attacks Rise
Aug 6, 2015
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Orhan Coskun and Humeyra Pamuk, Reuters
Turkey will deploy thermal cameras and horse-back patrols to heighten security around key oil and gas pipelines as Kurdish militant attacks increase, in a bid…
Conflict Minerals: Conflicts May Hinge on Phosphorus Supply
Aug 6, 2015
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Paul Hanley, The Starphoenix
Life without phosphorus, and plenty of it, is impossible. It's a central component of DNA, shared by every living creature on earth. Human cells use…
United States: Pentagon Prepares for Century of Climate Emergencies and Oil Wars
Aug 6, 2015
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Nafeez Ahmed, Middle East Eye
The US Army is preparing for a new era of war for oil. While energy has always played a role in military conflicts, US military…
China/South China Sea: China 'Stops Reclamation Work in South China Sea'; US Voices Concerns over Military Role for New Islands
Aug 5, 2015
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ABC News
China has stopped land reclamation work in the South China Sea, according to foreign minister Wang Yi. Mr Wang's remarks at the Association of South-East…
Liberia: 14 Illegal Gold Miners Victims of Landslide in Liberia
Aug 4, 2015
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Associated Press
State radio in Liberia says 14 men illegally mining for gold in Liberia's west fell victim to a landslide. They were trapped under rubble and…
Rwanda: Rwanda Discovers New Precious Stone
Aug 4, 2015
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Patrick Bigabo, KT News
Rwanda has announced it may have large amounts of rare precious stones underneath; the discovery could boost image of the country’s mining sector. Mr. Evode…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Denounces Kurdish Plan to Annex Sinjar
Aug 4, 2015
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Middle East Monitor
The State of Law Coalition yesterday rejected remarks by Kurdish President Masoud Barzani that he plans to include Sinjar to his remit, theAnadolu Agency reported.…
Iraq/Kurdistan/Turkey: KRG Says PKK Oil Pipeline Sabotage Cost $250M
Aug 3, 2015
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Rudaw
A Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) sabotage operation against a Kurdistan region oil pipeline in Turkey has temporarily halted oil export to Turkey since last week…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurds Announce Oil Payment Mechanism
Aug 3, 2015
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Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International
The Kurdish government in Iraq said Monday it would allocate some of its revenue to international oil companies on a monthly basis to help cover…
Iraq: Temperatures, And Tempers, Soar In Iraq
Aug 3, 2015
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Peter O’Dowd, Here & Now
A year after the U.S. launched air strikes against ISIS in Iraq, the fight continues, but now there’s a new threat to the Iraqi people —…
China/ASEAN: China-ASEAN Sea Spat Hotline in the Works
Aug 3, 2015
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Rio N. Araja, AFP
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China are discussing setting up a hotline to handle emergencies stemming from territorial disputes over the South China…
China: Police in China's Hainan Beat, Detain Villagers over Land Protest
Aug 3, 2015
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Shiny Li and Feng Xiaoming, Radio Free Asia
Chinese police attacked a protest rally in southern China’s island province of Hainan on Friday, beating and detaining 10, as more than a thousand villagers…
Cambodia: Gov’t Still Disputing Licadho Land Grab Report
Aug 2, 2015
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Chea Vannak, Khmer Times
The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction responded on Saturday to a scathing report by rights group Licado which claimed that land disputes…
Iraq: Rivers Dry Up in Iraq as Country Struggles through Unprecedented Heatwave Three Days after Temperatures Hit 71C
Aug 2, 2015
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Mark Duell, Daily Mail
The people of Iraq today continued to battle through temperatures so hot that the country has been given a mandatory four-day holiday. Scorching weather is…
South China Sea: AMM to Discuss South China Sea Dispute
Aug 1, 2015
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Rahimy Rahim, The Star
Malaysia is encouraged by the progress to finalise the code of conduct (CoC) among claimant countries in the South China Sea, but expressed concern that…
Iraq: Angry Protests over Poor Services Spread across Iraq
Aug 1, 2015
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AFP
Hundreds of Iraqis demonstrated Saturday over the poor quality of water in the southern city of Basra, as protests demanding better services from the government…
South Sudan: Sad About Cecil? These African Animals Are Slaughtered by the Thousands
Aug 1, 2015
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Margot Kiser, The Daily Beast
A hopeful myth persists in this region that “wildlife refugees”—fauna in flight from war-ravaged habitats—will return one day when the conflict is over. Would that…
China/South China Sea: China Is Building a New South China Sea Fleet for its Maritime Militia
Jul 31, 2015
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Prashanth Parameswaran, The Diplomat
China is building a new South China Sea fishing fleet for its maritime militia in a move that could intensify regional disputes, an expert told…
Myanmar: Freeing of Chinese Loggers Riles Myanmar Citizens
Jul 31, 2015
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Tim McLaughlin and Hnin Yadana Zaw. Reuters
Myanmar's newspapers and social media users reacted with anger and disappointment on Friday to the government's decision to include 155 Chinese in a mass amnesty,…
China/Malaysia/South China Sea: How Worried Should Malaysia Be about the South China Sea Dispute?
Jul 30, 2015
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Arief Irsyad, Malaysian Digest
Just two days ago, China's navy carried out a 'live firing drill' in the South China Sea, supposedly in a bid to improve its maritime…
Conflict Minerals: Fair-Trade Thinking in Smartphone World
Jul 30, 2015
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Derek Scally, Irish Times
The Fairphone is about bringing fair-trade thinking to the smartphone world. The story began five years ago with a campaign to raise public awareness of…
Syria: Syrian Kurds Refine Oil for Themselves for First Time
Jul 30, 2015
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AFP
Smoke rises as crude oil is heated in Rmeilan oil field of Syria's Hasakeh province, where the Kurds, having fought off jihadists, are extracting and…
Liberia: Brown Debunks Global Witness 'Snake Oil' Report
Jul 30, 2015
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Wilfred Gortor, Liberia News Agency
Information Minister Lewis G. Brown has refuted reports by the advocacy group Global Witness that the Government of Liberia is involved in unwholesome acts such…
Myanmar: Myanmar Frees Loggers From China amid a Broader Amnesty
Jul 30, 2015
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Wai Moe
Days after a court in Myanmar sentenced more than 150 Chinese citizens to life in prison for illegal logging, resulting in objections from Beijing, the…