International
South Sudan: Meet the South Sudanese Farmers Who Want to Feed Their War-Torn Nation
Jun 1, 2015
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Charlotte Alfred, Huffington Post
Pineapple farmer Marko Bagayowya has big plans. He wants to build a juice factory and sell South Sudan-made drinks. He wants to leave his four…
Iraq: Iraq Begins Heavy Oil Exports after Complaints about Quality
Jun 1, 2015
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Khalid Al Ansary and Anthony Dipaola, Bloomberg
Iraq, OPEC’s second-biggest oil producer, is set to increase exports after starting a new grade of crude to quell customer complaints about the quality of…
Conflict Minerals: Conflict-Mineral Reporting Industry Thriving
Jun 1, 2015
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Katherine Conner, The Daily Transcript
With all publicly traded companies preparing for manda- tory conflict-mineral reporting requirements to take effect in 2016, one private San Diego County company is preparing…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Erbil Warns Baghdad It May Sell Oil 'On Its Own'
May 31, 2015
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Middle East Monitor
The regional government in Erbil has the right to sell its own oil if Baghdad does not uphold its part of an oil agreement, the…
South China Sea: China/South China Sea: Australia Raises Alarm over Possible Chinese Military Build-Up on Contested Spratly Islands
May 31, 2015
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ABC News
Defence Minister Kevin Andrews has joined the United States and other nations in opposing China's large-scale land reclamation in the South China Sea. Satellite imagery…
China/South China Sea: China Says It Could Set Up Air Defense Zone in South China Sea
May 31, 2015
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Edward Wong, New York Times
A Chinese admiral said Sunday that Beijing could set up an air defense zone above disputed areas of the South China Sea if it thought…
China/South China Sea: US Calls for Immediate End to China's Island-Building; Vows More Patrols
May 30, 2015
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ABC News
The United States has called for an immediate end to China's intensifying reclamation works in the South China Sea and vowed to continue sending military…
China/Philippines/South China Sea: Philippines Says Maritime Dispute Its 'Most Pressing Security Concern'
May 30, 2015
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Sue Lannin, ABC News
The Philippines says tension with China over disputed islands in the South China Sea is the country's most pressing security concern. China claims most of…
Iraq: OPEC under Siege as ISIL Threatens World's Oil Lifeline
May 30, 2015
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Andrew Critchlow, The Telegraph
Thick black smoke rising from the Baiji oil refinery could be seen as a dirty smudge on the horizon as far away as Baghdad after…
China/South China Sea: China Placing Mobile Artillery on Reclaimed Island, US Says
May 29, 2015
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ABC News
The United States says China has placed mobile artillery weapons systems on a reclaimed island in the disputed South China Sea, a development that Republican…
Liberia: Protesters Invade Liberia Palm Oil Plantation, Injure Official
May 28, 2015
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Reuters
Armed protesters entered a palm oil plantation in southeastern Liberia, taking several people hostage and injuring a senior government official, police officials and the company…
South Sudan: South Sudan Lacks Enough Revenues to Fund Budget
May 28, 2015
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudan has announced its inability to generate enough revenues to fund the country’s annual budget, amid allegations that government may halt paying for basic…
South China Sea: Taiwan’s Plan for Peace in the South China Sea
May 27, 2015
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Shannon Tiezzi, The Diplomat
On Tuesday, Taiwan’s president, Ma Ying-jeou, announced a plan for dialing down tensions in the South China Sea, where Brunei, mainland China, Malaysia, the Philippines,…
Iraq: An Iraqi Oil Refinery that Was Too Important to Destroy has Just Been Destroyed
May 27, 2015
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Stephen Snyder, Public Radio International
ISIS fighters and pro-goverment forces battled for a year over control of the oil refinery at Baiji, Iraq's largest. The plant was crippled but intact,…
Sudan: Sudan Orders Chinese Gold Miners to Stop Digging Immediately
May 27, 2015
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Want China Times
The government of Sudan has stunned Chinese investors in gold mining in the country by ordering them to stop extraction operations within 24 hours or…
China/Philippines/Vietnam/South China Sea: Philippine, Vietnam Troops Play Sports on Disputed Island
May 27, 2015
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AFP
Filipino and Vietnamese troops played football and tug-of-war on a disputed South China Sea island on Wednesday, officials said, closing ranks as their rival China…
DRC: Governor of Congo Mining Hub Katanga Warns Against Tax Hikes
May 27, 2015
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Aaron Ross, Reuters
The powerful governor of Democratic Republic of Congo's Katanga province warned on Wednesday against significant tax hikes in a proposed new mining code amid a…
China/Philippines/Vietnam/South China Sea: Don't Blame the Oil Rigs
May 27, 2015
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Emily Meierding, Pacific Standard
A year ago this month, China moved its oil drilling rig, the HD-981, into waters around the Paracel Islands. China’s exploratory drilling provoked a confrontation…
Climate Change: How Climate Change Threatens National Security (+video)
May 26, 2015
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Michael Holtz, Christian Science Monitor
What is the “farmhands-to-fighters” argument? The argument links reduced economic opportunity in agriculture to increased violent activity. A study by Edward Miguel, an economist at…
Chad/Cameroon/Nigeria: Boko Haram Surrounds Havens with Land Mines
May 25, 2015
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Sierra Leone Times
Chad and Cameroon say huge numbers of land mines planted by Boko Haram fighters along Cameroon's border with Nigeria are a danger to people, livestock…
Iraq: ISIS in Iraq: Islamic State Torches Iraq's Largest Oil Refinery at Beiji
May 25, 2015
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Mark Piggott, International Business Times
Fighters from ISIS - also known as Islamic State (IS) - have torched part of Iraq's largest oil refinery at Beiji, some 200km from Baghdad,…
South Sudan: South Sudan Oil Field Becomes Battleground as Economy Reels
May 25, 2015
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Ilya Gridneff, Bloomberg
After 17 months of civil war spanning a swathe of South Sudan bigger than Syria, President Salva Kiir’s survival may hinge on the fate of…
South Sudan: War Pushes South Sudan's Economy to the Brink
May 24, 2015
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AFP
Soaring inflation and a likely currency collapse are adding to South Sudan's woes after 17 months of civil war characterised by brutal attacks on civilians.…
Iraq/Iran: US Officials Say Iran is Firing Artillery in Support of Iraq's Fight for Beiji Oil Refinery
May 22, 2015
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Robert Burns, Associated Press
Iran has entered the fight to retake a major Iraqi oil refinery from Islamic State militants, contributing small numbers of troops — including some operating…
Iraq/Iran: Iraq Discusses Iran Drilling its Oil, Gas Fields
May 22, 2015
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Press TV
A high-ranking Iraqi delegation has visited Tehran and discussed oil and gas drilling by Iranian companies in the Arab country, the Mehr news agency says. The…
Mali: Mali Government Promises to Tackle Land Grabbing
May 22, 2015
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Spy Ghana
Mali’s Minister of State Domains and Land Affairs Me Mohamed Ali Bathily has said his ministry will launch a merciless war against land grabbers and…
South Sudan/Sudan: As Fighting Escalates, South Sudan Alleges Khartoum Hand in Rebel Offensive to Take Oil Hub
May 22, 2015
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Rodney Muhumuza, Associated Press
South Sudan's military on Friday accused the Sudanese government of aiding a new rebel offensive in the southern country where oil fields are now threatened…
DRC: European Parliament Votes for Tougher Measures on Conflict Minerals
May 21, 2015
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The Guardian
European gold, tantalum (the material that makes mobile phones vibrate), tungsten and tin imports from conflict zones will be subjected to tougher surveillance procedures under…
DRC: Parliament Prioritises Human Rights in Conflict Minerals Crackdown
May 21, 2015
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Julie Levy-Abegnoli, The Parliament
Parliament turned into its own conflict zone when MEPs approved new rules in an effort to stop blood minerals from being used in products made…
DRC: Brandeis University Goes Conflict-Free
May 21, 2015
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Enough Project
Student activists are celebrating the announcement from Brandeis University of a new policy to ensure computers and other electronic equipment they purchase are not connected to killing, child…