International


DRC: Israeli Billionaire Dan Gertler Probed by UK Serious Fraud Office over Mining Deals

Dec 5, 2016 | Elsa Buchanan, International Business Times

The United Kingdom Serious Fraud Office is investigating Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler over mining deals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The DRC is…


Syria: Syria's River is Overflowing Now That Its People Have Fled

Dec 5, 2016 | Motherboard

The Syrian civil war has wreaked havoc on the Middle East since 2011, with millions of Syrians fleeing the country and trying to survive in…


Liberia: Senate Passes 2 Concession Agreements

Dec 2, 2016 | Bridgett Milton, New Dawn

The Liberian Senate, on Wednesday, November 30, passed two concessionagreements between the Liberian Government and the SethiferroFabrik,Inc. and the Gola Forest National Park. Following the…


Liberia: Exxon Set to Drill - Are Liberians Ready For Jobs in Oil Industry?

Dec 2, 2016 | FrontPageAfrica

Liberia’s oil industry is holding its breath waiting for the outcome of ExxonMobil exploration efforts by the end of the year. With global oil prices…


Iraq: Iraq MP Fears Assassination if Oil Thieves Are Exposed

Dec 2, 2016 | Middle East Monitor

In an interview with Iraqi station Al-Taghier TV, Misha’an Al-Jibouri, a Sunni MP, can be seen to be sat extremely uncomfortably as the programme host…


Afghanistan: The Taliban and China's Quest for Afghan Copper

Dec 2, 2016 | Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi, Deutsche Welle

It sounds paradoxical: The Taliban want to support and encourage big infrastructure and development projects in Afghanistan. That's the bottom line of an unexpected statement the insurgent…


Iraq/Kuridstan/Islamic State: ISIS Uses Water as Weapon in Mosul Fight

Dec 1, 2016 | Mohammed Tawfeeq and Salma Abdelaziz, CNN

At least half a million people caught in the crossfire inside the Iraqi city of Mosul now have no access to running water, the United…


Myanmar: Fire on the Salween: Dams in Conflict Zones Could Threaten Myanmar’s Fragile Peace Process

Dec 1, 2016 | Demelza Stokes, Mongabay

Fear of the dams fueling more conflict in Myanmar’s ethnic areas led to a coalition of ethnic Shan political groups to call for the government…


Afghanistan: Chinese Govt Reacts to WION Expose, Rejects Accusations of Military Activity Deep inside Eastern Afghanistan

Dec 1, 2016 | Giles Gibson, Daily News & Analysis

Last month, WION obtained exclusive pictures showing Chinese-manufactured military vehicles in Little Pamir. The slim finger of Afghan territory borders China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and India's…


Food Insecurity: A Cause and Consequence of Conflict

Dec 1, 2016 | Vatican Radio

In a world where conflict affects so many communities, it is important to recognize the connection between food insecurity and social unrest. Kimberly Flowers, Director…


Climate Change: Climate Change Already Major Security Threat – Military Chiefs

Dec 1, 2016 | RT

Climate change and the ‘unimaginable’ refugee crisis which will follow is a threat right now and shouldn’t be seen merely as something which may emerge…


Syria: Toxic Hell of Syria’s Oil Fields

Dec 1, 2016 | Kieran Cooke, Middle East Eye

The satellite images tell the story: black, T-shaped marks littered across areas of the land in eastern Syria controlled by the Islamic State. On closer inspection,…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Mosul: Drone Vision Shows 'Smoke-Filled Hell' Facing Civilians near Iraq's Burning Oil Fields [Photos]

Dec 1, 2016 | ABC News

Newly released drone vision has revealed the devastation burning oil fields are having on communities near the Iraqi city of Mosul. Aid agencies said Islamic…


Climate Change: Climate Change Will Stir 'Unimaginable' Refugee Crisis, Says Military

Dec 1, 2016 | Damian Carrington, Guardian

Climate change is set to cause a refugee crisis of “unimaginable scale”, according to senior military figures, who warn that global warming is the greatest…


Colombia: Canada’s Zonte Sues Colombia Authorities over Gold Permit Rejection

Dec 1, 2016 | Cecilia Jamasmie, MINING.com

Canadian junior explorer Zonte Metals (TSX-V: ZON) is going ahead with plans to sue Colombia’s Department of Antioquia as it claims the mining authority did…


Myanmar: New Drone Analysis Highlights Conservation Challenges in Myanmar

Nov 30, 2016 | Ann Wang, Mongabay

Conservation work in Myanmar has been met with various challenges such as limited funding, an unstable political situation and poor management plans for forest reserves.…


Afghanistan: Afghan Taliban Offer Security for Copper, Gas Projects

Nov 30, 2016 | Hellenic Shipping News

The Afghan Taliban on Tuesday offered to protect major government projects, such as the mining of a big copper deposit and an international natural gas…


Colombia: Latin America Has Most Unequal Land Distribution, Colombia Fares Worst — Charity

Nov 30, 2016 | Anastasia Moloney, Reuters

Land distribution in Latin America is the most unequal in the world where only one percent of the farms and estates control more than half…


Liberia: Global Witness Pleased with Liberia’s New Oil Law

Nov 29, 2016 | FrontPageAfrica

Global Witness has welcomed Liberia’s new Petroleum Law, which marks a significant step towards the transparent management of the country’s oil sector, but warns that…


Conflict Minerals: EU Reaches Final Agreement on Conflict Minerals Regulation – An Overview

Nov 29, 2016 | Michael R. Littenberg, Amanda N. Raad, Katerina Sandford, Emily Burke, and Julia Chen, Ropes & Gray LLP

On November 22, the EU Council, Commission and Parliament reached an informal final agreement on a conflict minerals regulation. Last week's agreement builds upon the…


Conflict Minerals: Key Points Regarding the New European Union Conflict Minerals Agreement

Nov 29, 2016 | Sarah A. Altschuller, Foley Hoag LLP

On November 22, the Presidency of the European Council and the European Parliament announced agreement on the text of a new conflict minerals regulation. The agreement…


South Sudan: South Sudan Unveil Measures to Improve Non-Oil Revenues

Nov 29, 2016 | Sudan Tribune

South Sudan’s economy is currently in dire straits as the local currency, South Sudan Pound has fallen by over 50% and revenue generated from oil,…


South Sudan: Land Grabbing Blamed for Ethnic Tensions in South Sudan

Nov 29, 2016 | Joseph Oduha, Africa Review

Rampant land grabbing was fuelling ethnic strife in South Sudan’s Equatoria State, an official said. The National Land Commission Coordinator, Mr Butrus Apollo, said in…


Myanmar: As Labourers Leave Myanmar Delta, Farmers Struggle to Mechanise

Nov 29, 2016 | Myanmar Now

Most farmers in Ayeyarwady Region, the country’s ‘rice bowl’ and home to some 10 million people, lack enough land and capital to afford use of…


DRC: Amid Billions of Dollars in Mineral Exports From DRC, Locals Say They Are Left Behind

Nov 28, 2016 | Noella Nyirabihogo, Global Press Journal

The riches of DRC's earth have long been exported; the wealth is often claimed by foreigners, even though each mining company is required by DRC…


Conflict Minerals: EU: Conflict Minerals Agreement Reached as Exemptions Added

Nov 28, 2016 | Weekend Post

The European Union (EU) this week took a positive, but half-hearted, step towards cleaning up Europe’s trade in minerals. EU legislators concluded their negotiations on…


Myanmar: How a Rebel Myanmar Tin Mine May up-end a Global Supply Chain

Nov 28, 2016 | Yimou Lee and Joel Schectman, Reuters

From a remote corner of northeastern Myanmar, an insurgent army sells tin ore to suppliers of some of the world's largest consumer companies. More than…


China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Taking Long-Term Hard Line Toward China on Maritime Claims

Nov 28, 2016 | Ralph Jennings, Voice of America

Vietnam is lengthening a military runway on a tiny islet to help hold off a larger, more aggressive China for control in Asia’s widest-reaching sovereignty…


Turkmenistan/Afghanistan: Turkmenistan, Afghanistan Inaugurate New Rail Link

Nov 28, 2016 | Alexander Vershinin, Associated Press

The presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan on Monday officially opened a new railroad that will link the oil-rich former Soviet republic with Afghanistan. Turkmen President…


Afghanistan: The Personal Feud That's Strangling Afghanistan's Precious Mineral Trade

Nov 27, 2016 | Franz J. Marty, National Interest

The settlement in the shadows of the mighty peaks and cliffs of the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Badakhshan is mostly deserted. The…