International


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…


Viet Nam/South China Sea: Vietnam to Build Big Oil Rigs

Nov 8, 2014 | Dat Viet, VietnamNet

The Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam), Vietsovpetro (the main investor) and PV Shipyard in October held a keel laying ceremony for the Tam…


Iraq Kurdistan Exported $3bn Worth of Oil in 2014

Nov 8, 2014 | PressTV

Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region has exported nearly three billion dollars worth of oil to southern Turkey since the beginning of 2014 despite Baghdad calling such…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Thanks to IS, Iraqi Kurdistan Sees Oil Revenues Rise by 60%

Nov 8, 2014 | Voltaire Network

Since the beginning of the crisis in Iraq four months ago, that is to say since the invasion of a part Iraq, prearranged between the…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Envoy Says His Nation in Talks with Kurdistan over Oil on Tanker (subscription)

Nov 7, 2014 | Rhiannon Myers, Houston Chronicle

With falling oil prices stripping Kurdistan and Iraq of needed cash to fend off attacks from extremist militants, Iraq's ambassador to the United States said…


Iraq: Iraq Army Regains Full Control of Baiji Oil Refinery

Nov 7, 2014 | PressTV

Iraqi troops have retaken full control of the country’s biggest oil refinery on the outskirt of the northern town of Baiji in Salahuddin Province, Iraqi…


Water Wars: Water Crises Drying Seas, ‘Hydro-Diplomacy’ Needed: UN

Nov 7, 2014 | Randall Hackley, Bloomberg

Water crises are drying seas and creating a more urgent need for “hydro-diplomacy” to help avert conflict over shared rivers and lakes, the United Nations’…


China/ South China Sea: CNOOC Puts Second Deep-Water Rig into Use

Nov 6, 2014 | E China News

CNOOC Group Ltd, China's largest offshore oil and gas developer, announced on Wednesday that its semi-submersible drilling rig Nanhai Jiu Hao completed the first deep-water exploration well…


China/ India: China and India's Next Rivalry- Energy

Nov 6, 2014 | Huffington Post

With two of the fastest growing economies in the world, India and China are racing towards securing resources they need to sustain their economic growth.…


Myanmar: NGOs Say Ethnic Areas Have No ‘Virgin Lands’

Nov 6, 2014 | DVB News

The Ethnic Community Development Forum (ECDF) released a statement on Thursday which slammed Burma’s draft National Land Use Policy for failing to protect small-scale farmers…


Iraq/ Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurdistan Close to Economic Independence, Says Oil Minister

Nov 6, 2014 | Rudaw

The Iraqi Kurds are within sight of economic if not political independence with oil exports expected to rise to 500,000 barrels a day by early…


Syria: Syrian Army Regains Control of Oil Wells Captured by Islamic State

Nov 6, 2014 | Middle East Monitor

The Syrian army regained control on Wednesday over two important oil wells that had been seized recently by the Islamic State (ISIS), according to the…


Egypt: Analysis - Why Ethiopia and Egypt Aren't Fighting a Water War

Nov 6, 2014 | allAfrica

There were times last year, when the rhetoric in Cairo reached fever pitch, that some kind of conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt over the waters…


Conflict Minerals: Debate in the European Parliament on the European Commission’s Conflict Minerals Proposal

Nov 6, 2014 | National Law Review

On November 6, the Committee on International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament will have a first exchange of views on the proposal presented in…


Kenya: Kenyan Law Aimed at Luring Mining Giants Sparks ‘Resource Curse’ Fears

Nov 6, 2014 | Andrew Thompson, The Guardian

Community and human rights advocates in Kenya are wary of a new mining bill that is on the verge of being passed into law.

Kenya’s national…


Central African Republic: Gold, Diamonds Fuelling Conflict in Central African Republic U.N. Panel Says

Nov 5, 2014 | Reuters

Gold and diamond sales are being used to finance conflict in Central African Republic and United Nations peacekeepers should monitor mining sites to clamp down…


China/ South China Sea: Energy Potential in Disputed Waters

Nov 5, 2014 | New Strait Times

FOR the past several years, China has been throwing its weight around the South China Sea, a body of water studded with coral reefs that…


Myanmar and EU Discuss Forestry Cooperation

Nov 5, 2014 | Mizzima

The European Union and Myanmar’s Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry recently held discussions about how Myanmar can encourage sustainable management of the country's forests…


Timor-Leste: East Timor Kicks out Judges over ConocoPhillips Tax Fight

Nov 5, 2014 | Reuters

East Timor has ordered five foreign judges out of the country after a court ruled in favour of U.S. oil and gas producer ConocoPhillips in…