International


Myanmar: China Loan Suspensions Hurt Mandalay Jade Market

May 28, 2014 | Naw Noreen, Democratic Voice of Burma

A recent change in policy by the Chinese government, to stop giving loans to jade merchants, has affected trade at the world-famous jade market in…


Myanmar: Farmers Plough On in Karenni Land Grab Case

May 28, 2014 | Nang Mya Nadi, Democratic Voice of Burma

More than 200 farmers staged a protest on Tuesday in the town of Hpruso in Karenni State against land grabs by the Burmese military by…


Myanmar: Karen State: Landmine Kills Six-Year-Old Girl And Critically Injures Five Villagers

May 28, 2014 | Karen News

A six-year-old girl was killed and five villagers wounded by a landmine in U Mu Ta village, Hlaingbwe Township, two kilometers away from the Thai…


Conflict Minerals: Intel Stiff-Armed Pursuing African-Mine Conflict Minerals

May 27, 2014 | Ian King, Bloomberg

Intel Corp.’s chips contain tantalum, gold, tin and tungsten -- all made from minerals that can be mined from war-torn parts of the Democratic Republic…


China/Vietnam: Chinese Vessel Sinks Vietnamese Fishing Boat, Raising Tensions

May 27, 2014 | Barbara Demick, The Los Angeles Times

A Chinese ship rammed and sank a wooden Vietnamese fishing boat near a Chinese-operated oil drill in disputed South China Sea waters, Vietnamese state media…


China/Vietnam: China and Vietnam Point Fingers After Clash in South China Sea

May 27, 2014 | Jane Perlez, The New York Times

BEIJING — Tensions in the South China Sea escalated sharply on Tuesday as China and Vietnam traded accusations over the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing…


Ukraine: Ukraine Faces Hurdles in Restoring Its Farming Legacy

May 27, 2014 | Danny Hakim, The New York Times

ZIBOLKY, Ukraine — Like many of her neighbors in this old Soviet collective farm, Maria Onysko prefers to be paid in grain instead of cash…


Iraq: Threat of Disease in Iraq Villages Flooded by Militants

May 27, 2014 | IRIN

DUBAI, 27 May 2014 (IRIN) - Flooding caused by the forced closure of a major dam on the Euphrates river has destroyed villages and farms…


Conflict Minerals: Africa: Statement Concerning the Continued Importance of Due Diligence for Conflict Minerals Identified in Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

May 27, 2014 | African Press Organization

The Department of State recognizes recent progress in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Republic of Rwanda towards developing legitimate supply chains for…


Sudan/South Sudan: South Sudan Says Khartoum to Help Repair Damaged Oilfields

May 24, 2014 | Reuters

May 24 (Reuters) - Sudan has offered to supply materials, engineers and electricity to South Sudan to speed up the repair of oilfields damaged during…


South Sudan: South Sudan Chaos Halts Ex-Blackwater CEO’s Refinery Plan

May 23, 2014 | Ilya Gridneff, Bloomberg

As the former head of U.S. security company Blackwater USA, Erik Prince thrived in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan. South Sudan, the world’s newest…


Conflict Minerals: Intel Files Conflict Minerals Report

May 22, 2014 | Steve Quinlivan, Stinson Leonard Street

The holy grail (at least so far) of conflict minerals precedents was filed with the SEC albeit perhaps too late for many issuers to wholesale…


South Sudan: South Sudan Oil Production down about 50%: US Envoy

May 22, 2014 | Agence France Presse

Five months of fighting in South Sudan has cut the country's economically vital oil production by nearly 50 percent, the United States special envoy to…


North Korea/South Korea: Koreas Trade Artillery Fire Across a Line in the Water

May 22, 2014 | Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — Naval vessels from North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire on Thursday, raising tensions along a disputed maritime boundary. Neither hit…


Myanmar: ‘Land Grab’ Tensions Could Trigger Uprising, Warns Ruling Party MP

May 22, 2014 | Min Min, Mizzima

Tensions over unresolved land ownership disputes could spark a nationwide uprising if the issue was not dealt with soon, a senior member of the ruling…


Myanmar: Burma’s Nargis Refugees Demand Shelters Closer to Home

May 22, 2014 | New Europe

In southwest Burma, more than 1,000 people are living in refugee camps set up in Latuputta Township in the Ayeyawaddy region. They are the survivors…


Timor-Leste: Diplomatic Confusion, Energy Policy

May 21, 2014 | Eddy Purwanto, The Jakarta Post

After the furor over bugging, the government has lodged a protest against Australia for repeated territorial violations by the Australian Navy. The apology offered by…


Sudan/South Sudan: No Success Here: Sudanese Seccession Leaves Behind Shattered Economy

May 21, 2014 | Al Bawaba

The civil war raging in South Sudan has cost the lives of thousands and internally displaced close to a million people. The humanitarian costs have…


Libya: Libyan Unrest Will Force Oil Prices Higher

May 21, 2014 | Alessandro Bruno, InvestorIntel

Industrialized countries may be faced with the prospect of a shrinking oil supply and higher prices in the second half of the year unless a…


Myanmar: Factbox: Myanmar's Oil Sector Attracts Investment

May 21, 2014 | Reuters

(Reuters) - The opening up of Myanmar's economy after decades of isolation has led to a jump in oil demand, attracting local and foreign investors…


Sudan: Sudan Welcomes Russian Gas Specialists

May 20, 2014 | Vestnik Kavkaza

A week ago, rebels in South Sudan, a republic that had broken away from Sudan, demanded oil extraction to be stopped, threatening to take over…


Africa: UN Eyes Africa Oil Levy to Fight Disease

May 20, 2014 | Global Post

The United Nations has begun talks with African leaders over a levy on oil that could rake in huge sums to fight disease in developing…


Myanmar: Letpadaung Mine Workers’ Release Comes with Right to Use Seized Land: Farmers

May 20, 2014 | Zarni Mann, The Irawaddy

MANDALAY — Farmers from the Letpadaung copper mining area in Sagaing Division say they will soon begin to sow crops on their confiscated lands, having…


Myanmar: Myanmar's Pending Ceasefire Jeopardized by Skirmishes over Illegal Logging

May 20, 2014 | Hereward Holland, National Geographic

Myanmar's forests are the final frontier for the logging of tropical hardwoods in mainland Southeast Asia.

Until a few weeks ago as many as a hundred…


Myanmar: Resentment of China Spreading in Myanmar

May 19, 2014 | Thomas Fuller, The New York Times

BANGKOK — A flare-up of resilient hostility toward China among its neighbors has infected central Myanmar, where a Chinese company operating a copper mine has…


Myanmar: Minister Touts Massive Land Redistribution Program

May 19, 2014 | Bill O’Toole and Noe Noe Aung, Myanmar Times

During a visit to Mandalay on May 11, Minister for the President’s Office U Soe Thein made an ambitious claim. Speaking at the Youth and…


Sudan: Sudan's Oil Output Falls by 10-20,000 bpd

May 18, 2014 | Radio Dabanga/Reuters

SINGAPORE (REUTERS) (18 May.) - Production of Sudan's Nile Blend has dropped to around 90,000 barrels per day (bpd), down from 100,000-110,000 bpd two months…


South Sudan: Oil Fans Flames of South Sudan War

May 18, 2014 | Newvision

Despite heavy international pressure, a second ceasefire this month for the world's youngest nation has crumbled, in a war that has already claimed thousands --…


Balkans: Catastrophic Floods Hit Balkans, Raising Fears for Land Mines and Power Plants

May 18, 2014 | Rick Lyman, The New York Times

WARSAW — At least 33 people have died and tens of thousands have been evacuated in Serbia and Bosnia during three days of torrential rains…


Crimea: In Taking Crimea, Putin Gains a Sea of Fuel Reserves

May 17, 2014 | William J. Broad, The New York Times

When Russia seized Crimea in March, it acquired not just the Crimean landmass but also a maritime zone more than three times its size with…