International
Liberia: Communal Violence Impedes Investment
May 30, 2014
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AllAfrica
Communal violence by groups of people demanding benefits from concession companies is impeding investment, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has warned.
"Community issues relating to land and benefits…
Liberia: Liberia-EU Sign Forest Governance and Trade Agreement
May 30, 2014
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Al-Varney Rogers, AllAfrica
Monrovia — A joint agreement between Liberia and the European Union, which intends to put in place a system to verify the legality of Liberia's…
Iraq/Syria/Turkey: A New Turkish Aggression Against Syria: Ankara Suspends Pumping Euphrates’ Water
May 30, 2014
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Suhaib Anjarini, Al-Akhbar English
The Turkish government recently cut off the flow of the Euphrates River, threatening primarily Syria but also Iraq with a major water crisis. Al-Akhbar found…
Conflict Minerals: The Conflict Minerals Reports Are Trickling in, and They Show Progress
May 30, 2014
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Lily Hay Newman, Slate
ou wouldn't want anything sinister lurking in your smartphone. But the tin, gold, and other potential "conflict minerals" in there could have a checkered past…
Conflict Minerals: 'Conflict Minerals' Deadline Looms for Technology Firms
May 30, 2014
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Dave Lee, BBC News
Companies manufacturing products that use "conflict minerals" must submit a plan to deal with the problem to US regulators by Monday.The term applies to raw…
South Sudan: South Sudan's Oil Production Drops By 32%
May 29, 2014
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Sudan Vision
Oil production in South Sudan has dropped by at 32% according to the Minister of Oil and Petroleum Stephen Dhieu Dau.“The on-going conflict has dealt…
Myanmar: Kachin Farmers Protest Over Yuzana Land Grabbing
May 29, 2014
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Eleven Media Group
Farmers from Hukong Valley in Kachin State have held a press briefing on May 28 to denounce the grabbing of their land by the influential…
Myanmar: Election Body’s Land Proposal Divides Burma’s Political Parties
May 29, 2014
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The Irrawaddy
RANGOON — The National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD) say they will not accept properties if the government…
South Sudan: South Sudan Opposition Against UNMISS Guarding Oil Facilities
May 29, 2014
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Lucy Poni, Voice of America
NAIROBI — South Sudan's opposition forces on Thursday said they were happy with all but one aspect of the new focus announced by the United…
Myanmar: Japan Aid Widens Myanmar Factories vs Farms Divide
May 29, 2014
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Aye Aye Win and Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press
THILAWA, Myanmar (AP) -- Tin Hsan and her husband lived modestly in the outskirts of Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon, growing rice and betel leaves on…
South Sudan: South Sudan Borrows $200m From Oil Companies as War Hits Output
May 28, 2014
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Mading Ngor, Bloomberg
South Sudan borrowed $200 million from oil operators and postponed repayments on domestic loans after the country’s six-month-old conflict cut crude output, the government’s main…
Liberia: Big Year for West Africa's New Oil Province
May 28, 2014
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Petroleum Economist
FIVE years ago, a new interpretation of West Africa's petroleum geology suggested the deep waters lying off Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Ghana could…
Myanmar: China Loan Suspensions Hurt Mandalay Jade Market
May 28, 2014
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Naw Noreen, Democratic Voice of Burma
A recent change in policy by the Chinese government, to stop giving loans to jade merchants, has affected trade at the world-famous jade market in…
Myanmar: Farmers Plough On in Karenni Land Grab Case
May 28, 2014
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Nang Mya Nadi, Democratic Voice of Burma
More than 200 farmers staged a protest on Tuesday in the town of Hpruso in Karenni State against land grabs by the Burmese military by…
Myanmar: Karen State: Landmine Kills Six-Year-Old Girl And Critically Injures Five Villagers
May 28, 2014
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Karen News
A six-year-old girl was killed and five villagers wounded by a landmine in U Mu Ta village, Hlaingbwe Township, two kilometers away from the Thai…
Conflict Minerals: Intel Stiff-Armed Pursuing African-Mine Conflict Minerals
May 27, 2014
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Ian King, Bloomberg
Intel Corp.’s chips contain tantalum, gold, tin and tungsten -- all made from minerals that can be mined from war-torn parts of the Democratic Republic…
China/Vietnam: Chinese Vessel Sinks Vietnamese Fishing Boat, Raising Tensions
May 27, 2014
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Barbara Demick, The Los Angeles Times
A Chinese ship rammed and sank a wooden Vietnamese fishing boat near a Chinese-operated oil drill in disputed South China Sea waters, Vietnamese state media…
China/Vietnam: China and Vietnam Point Fingers After Clash in South China Sea
May 27, 2014
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Jane Perlez, The New York Times
BEIJING — Tensions in the South China Sea escalated sharply on Tuesday as China and Vietnam traded accusations over the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing…
Ukraine: Ukraine Faces Hurdles in Restoring Its Farming Legacy
May 27, 2014
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Danny Hakim, The New York Times
ZIBOLKY, Ukraine — Like many of her neighbors in this old Soviet collective farm, Maria Onysko prefers to be paid in grain instead of cash…
Iraq: Threat of Disease in Iraq Villages Flooded by Militants
May 27, 2014
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IRIN
DUBAI, 27 May 2014 (IRIN) - Flooding caused by the forced closure of a major dam on the Euphrates river has destroyed villages and farms…
Conflict Minerals: Africa: Statement Concerning the Continued Importance of Due Diligence for Conflict Minerals Identified in Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
May 27, 2014
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African Press Organization
The Department of State recognizes recent progress in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Republic of Rwanda towards developing legitimate supply chains for…
Sudan/South Sudan: South Sudan Says Khartoum to Help Repair Damaged Oilfields
May 24, 2014
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Reuters
May 24 (Reuters) - Sudan has offered to supply materials, engineers and electricity to South Sudan to speed up the repair of oilfields damaged during…
South Sudan: South Sudan Chaos Halts Ex-Blackwater CEO’s Refinery Plan
May 23, 2014
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Ilya Gridneff, Bloomberg
As the former head of U.S. security company Blackwater USA, Erik Prince thrived in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. South Sudan, the world’s newest…
Conflict Minerals: Intel Files Conflict Minerals Report
May 22, 2014
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Steve Quinlivan, Stinson Leonard Street
The holy grail (at least so far) of conflict minerals precedents was filed with the SEC albeit perhaps too late for many issuers to wholesale…
South Sudan: South Sudan Oil Production down about 50%: US Envoy
May 22, 2014
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Agence France Presse
Five months of fighting in South Sudan has cut the country's economically vital oil production by nearly 50 percent, the United States special envoy to…
North Korea/South Korea: Koreas Trade Artillery Fire Across a Line in the Water
May 22, 2014
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Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times
SEOUL, South Korea — Naval vessels from North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Thursday, raising tensions along a disputed maritime boundary. Neither hit…
Myanmar: ‘Land Grab’ Tensions Could Trigger Uprising, Warns Ruling Party MP
May 22, 2014
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Min Min, Mizzima
Tensions over unresolved land ownership disputes could spark a nationwide uprising if the issue was not dealt with soon, a senior member of the ruling…
Myanmar: Burma’s Nargis Refugees Demand Shelters Closer to Home
May 22, 2014
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New Europe
In southwest Burma, more than 1,000 people are living in refugee camps set up in Latuputta Township in the Ayeyawaddy region. They are the survivors…
Timor-Leste: Diplomatic Confusion, Energy Policy
May 21, 2014
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Eddy Purwanto, The Jakarta Post
After the furor over bugging, the government has lodged a protest against Australia for repeated territorial violations by the Australian Navy. The apology offered by…
Sudan/South Sudan: No Success Here: Sudanese Seccession Leaves Behind Shattered Economy
May 21, 2014
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Al Bawaba
The civil war raging in South Sudan has cost the lives of thousands and internally displaced close to a million people. The humanitarian costs have…