International
Iraq/Kuwait: Iraq Seeks Delay in $4.6 Bln Reparation to Kuwait Amid Oil Price Crash
Dec 13, 2014
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Sputnik
Ekaterina Blinova — Seriously affected by sliding oil prices and the war with the Islamic State, Iraq is asking Kuwait for a postponement in its $4.6 billion payment of reparations for the…
South China Sea Dispute: Philippines and Vietnam Allies in Position Papers against China
Dec 13, 2014
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Michelle Flor Cruz, International Business Times
Vietnam and the Philippines expressed support for each other this week against claims made by China in the hotly disputed South China Sea area. The…
Sierra Leone: Ebola’s Spread in Sierra Leone Puts Diamond Mines at Risk
Dec 12, 2014
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Thomas Biesheuvel and Makiko Kitamura, Bloomberg
As Ebola rages in Sierra Leone, the outbreak has claimed almost 2,000 lives and contributed to the collapse of the iron ore industry. Now the…
South Sudan: Protecting Wildlife in South Sudan’s Civil War – Reddit AMA Highlights
Dec 12, 2014
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Maeve Shearlaw, The Guardian
As well as having a devastating effect on the human population, South Sudan’s prolonged civil war is endangering the future of its wildlife. Elephants, giraffes,…
Conflict Minerals: SEC Argues Its Conflict Minerals Rule Survives First Amendment Scrutiny
Dec 12, 2014
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Yin Wilczek, Bloomberg BNA
The Securities and Exchange Commission Dec. 8 told a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that it should uphold…
China/Philippines/Vietnam/South China Sea: South China Sea Tensions Flare as Vietnam Files Stance to Court
Dec 12, 2014
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Diep Ngoc Pham and John Boudreau, Bloomberg
Tensions over the South China Sea were reignited after Vietnam said it had submitted its stance on the dispute to the international arbitration tribunal reviewing…
Liberia: Four Oil Blocks 'Lease' Postpones Capitol Recess
Dec 12, 2014
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Leroy M. Sonpon, III, Liberian Observer
The Liberian Legislature has extended its Special Session by one week, upon a request from President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on the pending submission of four…
Myanmar: Mining Workshop for Civil Society Leaders in Myanmar
Dec 12, 2014
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Cecile Medail, Earth Rights International
Rapid development in mining in Myanmar is putting communities at risk. Pollution, inhumane business and labor practices, and violence are some of the many issues…
DRC: Miner vs. Miner: A Different Kind of Mineral Conflict
Dec 11, 2014
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Sabri Ben-Achour, Marketplace
Biyamungu Ngalikyana, in his mid-20s, sports shiny white rubber boots and a mining helmet as he walks down a dirt road in the mining town…
China/South China Sea: Why Specks of Land in the South China Sea Are Fueling Tensions Between Beijing and Its Neighbors
Dec 11, 2014
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Simon Worrall, National Geographic
They have names like Pigeon Reef, West Sand, Taisho-To, and Scarborough Shoal. Most are no more than outcrops of rock poking out of the sea.…
Liberia: Nocal Renews Support for Oil Sector Reform in Liberia
Dec 11, 2014
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Front Page Africa
Monrovia — An official of the National Oil Company of Liberia has reiterated NOCAL support towards efforts to reform the oil sector of the country.
Speaking…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kirkuk Oil Exports in Focus: How And Why?
Dec 11, 2014
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Muhammed Hadi, Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Why did Baghdad agree to exporting Kirkuk oil via the Kurdistan Region? And what will happen if the oil fields produce…
Iraq: Iraq’s Bright Oil Future Blocked By ISIS
Dec 11, 2014
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Colin Chilcoat, Oilprice.com
Last week’s oil agreement between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was a milestone event and the market reaction was largely fitting – Brent…
Food Security: UN Agency Reports Record Cereal Crop as Ebola, Conflict Threaten Food Security
Dec 11, 2014
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United Nations
Despite world cereal production likely to reach an all-time record of more than 2.5 billion tonnes in 2014, a total of 38 countries are at…
Cyprus/Turkey: Oil Deal In Iraq Should Be Example for Cyprus: Turkish President Erdoğan
Dec 11, 2014
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Turkish Weekly
The recent internal agreement between Baghdad and Arbil should set an example for sharing potential energy resources off Cyprus, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has…
China/South China Sea: Lowy Report: Chinese Rivalries Risk Spiralling Conflict in South China Sea
Dec 10, 2014
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John Garnaut, Sydney Morning Herald
Fierce rivalry between Chinese civilian, paramilitary and military agencies has created a "genuine risk" of conflict in the South China Sea, says a new report.
Reopening…
Angola: National Director of State Assets in Major Land-Grabbing Fraud
Dec 10, 2014
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Rafael Marques de Morais, Maka Angola
On June 5, 2014, the national director of State Assets at the Ministry of Finance, Sílvio Franco Burity, successfully petitioned the governor of Kwanza-Sul, General…
South Sudan: South Sudan Peace Talks Stutter as Economy Becomes Casualty of War
Dec 9, 2014
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James Copnall, The Guardian
South Sudan was born from decades of conflict, after two long civil wars in which well over two million people died. Well before the joyous…
Liberia: Growth & Graft - How Oil Can Profit or Ruin Liberia
Dec 9, 2014
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Front Page Africa
Liberia recently ended consultations on reforms in the emerging oil industry by stakeholders' participation. As part of its efforts to educate the public on the…
How Simple Palm Oil Undermined Liberia's Efforts to Contain Ebola
Dec 9, 2014
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Sara Jerving, Mic
Timothy Yeabah heard a noise ringing from the forests surrounding his village in central Liberia one morning in April 2013. It was the sound of…
China/South China Sea: US South China Sea Report Riles China to Defend Behaviour
Dec 9, 2014
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Nigel Wilson, International Business Times
China has attacked a report by the US State Department about its claims on the disputed territorial waters of the South China Sea.
Beijing's claim over…
Iraq: Iraq Cuts Official Crude Oil Selling Price to Asia, U.S.
Dec 9, 2014
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David Sheppard, Reuters
Iraq has cut the official selling price (OSP) to Asia and the United States in January for its main crude oil export grade, Basrah light,…
Iraq: IMF: Less Iraq Contraction in 2014 on Rising Oil Output
Dec 9, 2014
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AFP
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday said Iraq's oil-dependent economy was expected to contract much less than previously thought this year due to rising oil…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad-Erbil Deal is Silent on KRG's Surplus Oil
Dec 9, 2014
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Mohammed A. Salih, Al-Monitor
ERBIL, Iraq — The new oil agreement between Iraq’s federal government and the autonomous Kurdish government in the north appears to have left some room…
Liberia: In Oil & Gas Laws Stakeholders Want President's Power Limited
Dec 9, 2014
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Leroy M. Sonpon, III, Liberian Observer
At least 150 stakeholders from over 30 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have successfully validated two 'Oil and Gas Laws', but recommended limitations on the power…
Conflict Minerals: SEC Files Brief in Conflict Minerals Rehearing
Dec 8, 2014
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Stephen M. Quinlivan, Lexology
The SEC has filed its brief in the conflict minerals rehearing. Amnesty International also filed its brief as intervenor and Free Speech for People filed an amicus brief.
To recap, when…
Liberia: Still No Oil for Liberia, but
Dec 8, 2014
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Garmonyou Wilson, The Inquirer
With 17 oil blocks on the coast of Liberia, Nigerian, American, Chinese companies among others have leased more than 60%. Each block costs the company…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Kirkuk Governor: Oil Revenue to Kurdish Region Delayed
Dec 7, 2014
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World Bulletin
Revenue from oil exports to the Kurdish Regional Government is held up by government discussion of the 2014 budget, and by pipeline stoppages, Kirkuk Governor Najmiddin…
Somalia: Somaliland: “How Does One Misappropriate Yet to Be Harvested Products “Wonders Eng Duale
Dec 7, 2014
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Yusuf M Hasan, Somaliandsun
The four main foreign firms with oil Product Sharing Contracts –PSC with Somaliland are ready to continue exploration and start extraction operations in the first…
China/Philippines/South China Sea: China Denounces Philippine 'Pressure' Over Sea Dispute Arbitration
Dec 7, 2014
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Adam Rose and Ben Blanchard, Reuters
China denounced the Philippines on Sunday for putting it under pressure with an international arbitration case over disputed waters, and refused again to participate a…