International
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…
Thirsty Swiss Cows are Harbingers of (Water) War
Jul 30, 2015
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Mark Gilbert, Bloomberg View
A quarrel has broken out between Switzerland and France after the Swiss army was caught stealing water from a French lake. While Switzerland's aqua grab seems to…
Turkey: Turkish Oil Pipeline from Iraq Bombed
Jul 29, 2015
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Daniel J. Graeber, United Press International
For the second consecutive day, pipelines running through southern Turkey have become the target of militant campaigns drawing attention from NATO. Turkish Energy Minister Taner…
Philippines/Mindanao: FAO Helps Farmers in Conflict-Torn Mindanao Catch Planting Season
Jul 29, 2015
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GMA News
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched an assistance program to allow farmers in conflict-torn and disaster-hit Central Mindanao catch up with the first…
Sudan: Sudan Sees Hydropower Boost after Protests over Electricity Cuts
Jul 29, 2015
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Bassem Abo Alabass Mohamme, Bloomberg
Sudan plans to boost electricity output by about 15 percent with new hydropower equipment in the coming year as power cuts in the capital spur…
Sudan: Govt Signs Unprecedented Gold Exploration Agreement with Russia
Jul 29, 2015
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SudaNow
Sudan and Russia on Wednesday signed a gold exploration agreement, described by Khartoum as unprecedented. The agreement was signed at the Republican Palace, in the…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: China's Maritime Actions a Cause for Global Concern
Jul 27, 2015
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Viet Nam News
China's construction of oil rigs and artificial islands in the East Sea were illegal, an international seminar was told in HCM City on Saturday. About…
Timor-Leste: Labor Backs Talks on New Maritime Boundary with East Timor
Jul 27, 2015
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Tom Allard, Sydney Morning Herald
A Labor government will enter into maritime boundary negotiations with East Timor, a move that would likely give the tiny half-island state a far greater share…
China/South China Sea: China Eyes New Cruise Link to Disputed South China Sea Islands
Jul 27, 2015
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Reuters
Chinese authorities plan to start a second cruise ship link to the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday,…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Erbil-Baghdad Oil Relations Swing Between Deal, No Deal
Jul 27, 2015
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Mohammed A. Salih, Al Monitor
Encouraged by more international interest in purchasing its oil, coupled with the apparent failure of the federal Iraqi government to provide agreed-upon budget handouts, the autonomous…
Yemen: When War Creates Environmentalists
Jul 27, 2015
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Almigdad Mojalli, IRIN
As the war has intensified and fuel shortages have increased, a growing number of Yemenis are turning to solar power to see them through. Two…
Lebanon: Lebanese Seethe as Stinking Garbage Piles Grow in Beirut and Beyond
Jul 27, 2015
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Ben Hubbard, New York Times
Lebanon is suffering from a spreading garbage crisis that has left huge mounds of trash piling up across Beirut and elsewhere. Many Lebanese see it…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Chinese Ship Accused of Attacking Vietnamese Fishing Boats off Central Coast
Jul 25, 2015
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Hoang Trong, Thanh Nien News
Fisherfolk in Binh Dinh Province have said their boats were attacked by a Chinese ship while they were fishing in Vietnamese waters this week. Nguyen…
Uganda: Uganda's Farmers Battle Palm Oil Goliaths for Land
Jul 25, 2015
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Amy Fallon, AFP
Even before the bulldozers arrived life was tough for John Muyiisa, scratching a living from a rented farm on Lake Victoria's Kalangala island. Now he…
Iraq: Iraq's Southern Oil Exports Head for Another Record in July
Jul 24, 2015
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Alex Lawlor, Reuters
Iraq's southern oil exports have risen above 3.0 million barrels per day (bpd) so far in July, according to loading data and an industry source,…