International
Myanmar: Knowledge Vacuum and Conflict Plague Salween River
Mar 14, 2015
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Demelza Black, The Irrawaddy
Bright sunlight bears down on Saw Nyan Win as he unravels his fishing net with practiced hands on the bank of the Salween river, “I…
Timor-Leste: Timor Considers Buying Sunrise
Mar 13, 2015
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Peter Klinger, The West Australian
Timor-Leste Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Alfredo Pires said yesterday its national oil company, Timor Gap, could be used to buy out Woodside or other…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kurdish Oil Deal with Baghdad Unravels as Tensions Rise
Mar 13, 2015
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Isabel Coles, Rania El Gamal, and Dmitry Zhdannikov, Reuters
A four-month-old oil deal between Iraq and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region is close to unraveling after payments from Baghdad dried up, prompting Arbil to threaten…
Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone News: Rutile Falls but Sierra Rutile Tops 2014 Production
Mar 13, 2015
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Awoko
Of the five (iron ore, diamonds, rutile ilmenite, zircon and bauxite) heavily mined minerals in Sierra Leone only two (ilmenite and zircon) were able to…
South Sudan/Sudan/Abyei: Warrap Government Urges UNISFA To Block Bashir's Plan To Visit Abyei Region
Mar 12, 2015
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Ariik Atekdit, Gurtong
Omer Al-Bashir is believed to be planning a visit to the area for his April elections campaign.
Paul Dhel Gum, the State Minister of Information…
Nile River: On the River Nile, a Move to Avert a Conflict over Water
Mar 12, 2015
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Fred Pearce, Yale Environment 360
For thousands of years, Egyptians have depended on the waters of the Nile flowing out of the Ethiopian highlands and central Africa. It is the…
Iraq: Oil Companies Offer to Cut 2015 Spending in Iraq
Mar 12, 2015
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Reuters
Oil companies have proposed millions of dollars of cuts in development spending in Iraq, a senior oil ministry official said, after Baghdad told them low…
Myanmar: ‘Unprecedented Rate’ of Agriculture-Driven Deforestation: Report
Mar 12, 2015
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David Hopkins, The Irrawaddy
The conversion of forestlands for agricultural development is occurring at an “unprecedented rate,” aided by a weak legal framework governing forest management and land use,…
Liberia: Liberia Locals May Lose Land Rights To Palm Oil Industry
Mar 12, 2015
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John C. Cannon, Mongabay.com
The rights of local and indigenous peoples aren’t being adequately protected in the drive for economic development, according to a report published in February by…
South Sudan/Sudan: Abyei is Sudanese Territory and Will Remain So: President Bashir
Mar 12, 2015
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Sudan Tribune
During a visit to the West Kordofan state on Wednesday, Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir asserted that the contested Abyei area belongs to Sudan and…
Iraq: Iraq’s Continuing Struggle with Conflict Pollution
Mar 12, 2015
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Wim Zwijnenburg, Insight on Conflict
While Iraq is still recovering from the environmental impact of both Gulf wars, it now faces new environmental problems caused by the current conflict against…
China/Japan/South China Sea: Testing Beijing, Japan Eyes Growing Role in South China Sea Security
Mar 11, 2015
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Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo, Reuters
Seventy years after its imperial forces were kicked out of the South China Sea, Japan is quietly moving back into the region, forging security ties…
Exclusive: Iraq Builds Up Arrears to Majors as Oil Price Drops - Sources
Mar 11, 2015
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Dmitry Zhdannikov and Alex Lawler, Reuters
Iraq is building up debts to the oil companies developing its giant fields, industry sources said, a further sign of how the oil-price drop is…
Liberia: GVL, Citizens Reach Agreement
Mar 10, 2015
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N. Dweh Nimley, The NEWS (Monrovia)
Citizens of Butaw Administrative District in Sinoe County have reportedly reached an agreement with Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL) for the expansion and development of land…
Sierra Leone: Ebola Crisis Could Force Sierra Leone to Diversify away from Mining
Mar 10, 2015
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The Guardian
As Sierra Leone looks to rebuild after the Ebola epidemic, it may be forced to diversify from a mining-heavy economic base. Falling iron ore prices…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi Kurds Say Keeping Their Side of Baghdad Oil Deal
Mar 9, 2015
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Isabel Coles, Reuters
Iraqi Kurdistan said Monday it is on course to keep its side of an oil export deal reached with Baghdad in December, as loadings from…
Iraq/Syria/Libya: Oil Could Lead to the Downfall of ISIS
Mar 9, 2015
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Rob Nikolewski, Watchdog
One of the key factors to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria may be as simple as disrupting oil production at facilities in northern…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Coast Guards Chase Chinese Vessel off Vietnam Waters
Mar 9, 2015
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Nguyen Tu and Ba Vinh, Thanh Nien News
Coast guards in central Vietnam last week chased a Chinese poacher vessel from Vietnamese waters thanks to local fishermen's tip-off. Truong Van Phuong, a fisherman from…
China/South China Sea: China Defends Island Building in South China Sea, Says Not Seeking New World Order
Mar 8, 2015
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Michael Martina, Reuters
China's foreign minister on Sunday defended his government's controversial policy of reclamation on disputed isles in the South China Sea which has sparked regional concern,…
Myanmar: Many Buried in Jade Mine Landslide
Mar 8, 2015
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Eleven
Many raw jade miners are feared dead after a 1,000-foot-high heap of soil collapsed in Hpakant, Kachin State. “I ran as soon as I heard…
Syria: Air Strike on Islamic State-Run Refinery in Syria Kills 30-Monitor
Mar 8, 2015
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Reuters
A U.S.-led coalition air strike in Syria hit an oil refinery run by the Islamic State militant group near the border with Turkey on Sunday,…
Iraq/Kurdistan: ISIS Blows up Mekhmour Oil Fields to Thwart Airstrikes
Mar 7, 2015
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Rudaw
Fighters with the Islamic State have responded to a wave of crippling coalition airstrikes targeting the Mekhmour front by exploding
two oil fields in the…
Iraq/Syria: UN Condemns 'Destruction' of Ancient Iraq City of Hatra
Mar 7, 2015
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I24News
The United Nations cultural body on Saturday condemned what it said was the destruction of the ancient city of Hatra in Iraq by the Islamic…
Water Wars: Why Water Shortages Are the Greatest Threat to Global Security
Mar 6, 2015
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Zeeshan Aleem, Policy Mic
If you were to ask the average American to list what the cause of the next global conflict would be, they'd likely list the threats…
Myanmar: Banking on the Farm Vote
Mar 6, 2015
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Thurein Htway, Nikkei
The Myanmar Farmer Development Party is proposing to set up a bank that will provide financial support to farmers to improve their productivity -- and…
Palestine: Gaza's Farmers on Front Lines of Perpetual War
Mar 6, 2015
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Dylan Collins, Al Jazeera
Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip are struggling to recover from the 51-day war between Israel and Palestinian armed groups that ended with a ceasefire…
Myanmar: Farmers Launch Boycott of MPs Who ‘Didn’t Stand Up for Us’
Mar 5, 2015
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Myanmar Times
A meeting of about 700 farmers at Mandalay’s Bayda Institute on February 28 released a seven-point statement demanding that the government stop “destroying farmers’ lives”…
Iraq/Kurdistan: ISIL Torches Oil Field Near Tikrit as Militia Advance
Mar 5, 2015
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Saif Hameed and Dominic Evans, Reuters
Islamic State militants have set fire to oil wells northeast of the city of Tikrit to obstruct an assault by Shi'ite militiamen and Iraqi soldiers…
Conflict Minerals: FTA Issues Statement on Conflict Minerals to Highlight Drawbacks on Draft Regulation
Mar 5, 2015
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Foreign Trade Association
The Foreign Trade Association (FTA) has published a statement on conflict minerals to highlight certain drawbacks associated with a draft regulation discussed by the European…
South Sudan: South Sudanese Minister Signs Mining Order
Mar 5, 2015
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudan’s petroleum and mining minister on Thursday signed an order meant to regulate the extraction of minerals in the world’s youngest nation.
The order, Stephen…