International


Liberia: Lawmaker Linked to 'Illegal' Land Sale

Nov 26, 2014 | allAfrica

Margibi County Representative Roland O. Cooper has been linked to illegal sale of land in Duazon, Lower Margibi County

But Representative Cooper has rubbished the allegation,…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Future Uncertain for Baghdad-Erbil Oil Cooperation

Nov 25, 2014 | Al-Monitor

On Nov. 13, Iraq’s oil minister, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, and Iraqi Kurdish authorities reached a deal whereby the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will export 150,000 barrels of oil…


Iraq/Kurdistan: First Baghdad Crude Oil Payment Reaches Iraqi Kurdistan

Nov 25, 2014 | Platts

Baghdad has paid the $500 million agreed to in a deal with Iraq's Kurds in an effort to rekindle negotiations over revenues, Kurdistan Regional Government…


Sudan: Taking Root- the Cash Crop Trade in Darfur

Nov 25, 2014 | Sudan Vision Daily

The purpose of the study is to understand the impact of a decade of conflict in Darfur on the trade in some of Darfur’s major…


South Sudan: Abyei Community Seeks Global Recognition of Referendum Result

Nov 25, 2014 | allAfrica

Community leaders from the oil-contested region of Abyei say they are determined to push ahead with a campaign seeking regional and international recognition of the…


China/South China Sea: Beijing Defends Land Reclamation in South China Sea

Nov 25, 2014 | China Post

Defying a U.S. call to halt the project, China defended its land reclamation in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Monday,…


Myanmar: Myanmar's Jade Curse

Nov 25, 2014 | Al-Jazeera

Gold is valuable but jade is priceless, so goes a Chinese saying. For centuries, the Chinese consider jade an imperial stone with mystical properties. Today…


Myanmar: Land Consultations Too Short, CSOs Warn

Nov 25, 2014 | Myanmar Times

They have urged the government to conduct wider public consultations before finalising the policy, which some have criticised as being too pro-business.

However, they have also…


Iraq: Iraq’s Future- It’s the Oil, Stupid

Nov 24, 2014 | Hellenic Shipping News

This week, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi is scheduled to visit Erbil, his first visit to the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as…


Iraq/Kurdistan: 2014 ‘a Turning Point for Kurdish Oil and Gas’

Nov 24, 2014 | Hurriyet Daily News

Kurds have created a real chance to make income for themselves by selling their own oil in Iraq and they will probably make more money…


Myanmar: Tensions Rise as Myanmar Turns to Dams for Power

Nov 24, 2014 | South China Morning Post

When a village in the conflict-torn hills of eastern Myanmar was asked to pay authorities more than US$10,000 to plug into an electricity grid, families…


Myanmar: Neighborhood Rivalry ‘Puts Burma’s Oil and Gas Sector at Risk’

Nov 24, 2014 | The Irrawaddy

Burma will struggle to attract new investment in oil and gas development because of a global industry slump and new competition from neighboring countries, a…


Sudan: Gold Production Reaches 64 Tonnes

Nov 24, 2014 | Sudan Tribune

Sudan has announced that the production of gold from January through October amounted to 64 tonnes, up from 34 tonnes in 2013.

A local brings his…


Iraq; Thousands of Iraq Chemical Weapons Destroyed in Open Air, Watchdog Says

Nov 24, 2014 | Iraq Oil Report

The United States recovered thousands of old chemical weapons in Iraq from 2004 to 2009 and destroyed almost all of them in secret and via…


Liberia: In Midst of Ebola, Lawmakers Eye U.S.$25m Million Oil Cash

Nov 24, 2014 | allAfrica

Under the draft Legislative budget 2014/2015, Lawmakers, knowing fully-well that appropriations were already allotted for institutions within the national budget, went ahead and re-appropriated the…


Colombia: Colombia Captures 'Coltan Czar' Linked to FARC

Nov 24, 2014 | Kyra Gurney, InSightCrime

Authorities in Colombia have captured a key operative who facilitated the sale of coltan and uranium for the FARC and ELN guerrilla groups, in a…


Liberia: '2014 Election Is About Oil'

Nov 23, 2014 | allAfrica

Montserrado County Senatorial candidate Christopher Z. Neyor has disclosed that the 2014 Special Election is about the country's future and the management of its oil…


China/South China Sea: China Building Possible Airfield in S. China Sea: US

Nov 22, 2014 | AFP/The West Australian

China is building a massive island in the South China Sea that could host an airfield in an area where Beijing is locked in bitter…


Landgrabbing: Why Wall Street Investors and Chinese Firms are Buying Farmland All over the World

Nov 22, 2014 | Brad Plumer, Vox

As the world's population soars past 7 billion, farmland and freshwater are becoming increasingly valuable resources.

And, in response, a growing number of companies and investors —…


Iraq: Turkey a Guarantor for Energy Peace in Iraq, Says Genel Energy President

Nov 22, 2014 | Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey is a guarantor for energy peace between Baghdad and Arbil, according to the head of an international energy company operating in
Iraq.  

A dispute…


Timor-Leste: East Timor’s Oil Resource: Boon or Bane?

Nov 21, 2014 | Mong Palatino, The Diplomat

Questions have emerged over the performance of East Timor’s Petroleum Fund, reviving discussion about whether the country is suffering from a “resource curse” caused by…


China/South China Sea: China Calls for Enhanced Dialogue to Resolve Conflicts

Nov 21, 2014 | BBC News

China's Defence Minister, Chang Wanquan, says he wants to enhance dialogue to manage disputes with neighbouring countries.Speaking at a security forum in Beijing, Mr Chang…


Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraqi, Kurdish Officials Stress Unity on Oil Policy

Nov 21, 2014 | World Bulletin

Iraqi central government officials and Kurdish region leaders have stressed eliminating differences for a more cohesive oil policy.

"We are very optimistic about overcoming the dispute between the Iraqi…


Liberia: "U.S.$20 Million Lost to Illicit Money"

Nov 21, 2014 | Keith Morris, Liberian Observer

A research report released yesterday on the Liberian economy shows that an estimated US$20 million is lost annually due to illicit financial flow (IFF).

According to…


Iraq/Kurdistan: BP Seeks Kirkuk Oil Field Revival, Starts Talk with Baghdad

Nov 20, 2014 | Hellenic Shipping News

U.K. supermajor BP plc (BP) has initiated a contract talk with the Iraq’s Oil Ministry to develop the Kirkuk oil field – a potential area…


Liberia: 'FDA Has Capacity Limitation' - Liberia's Forest Chief On U.S.$150 Million Deal

Nov 20, 2014 | AllAfrica

When it was announced at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York that the Government of Norway would be partnering with the Government of…


Conflict Minerals: Project to Tackle Conflict Minerals Given Grant to Expand Efforts

Nov 20, 2014 | Marino Donati, Supply Management

A programme to build responsible minerals supply chains in conflict areas will be expanded following a grant from Motorola Solutions Foundation.

The philanthropic arm of the…


Iraq: Iraq Losing Billions In Oil Exports After ISIL Captured Pipeline

Nov 20, 2014 | World Tribune

BAGHDAD — Iraq has been losing billions of dollars because of a halt in crude oil exports.

The Oil Ministry said Baghdad was losing $1.2 billion…


Liberia: Forestry Chief Says U.S.$150 Million Norway Deal Not Anti-Logging

Nov 19, 2014 | AllAfrica

Monrovia — In the wake of the signing of a forest conservation agreement between the Government of Liberia and the European Union through the Government…


Iraq: Inside Islamic State’s Oil Empire: How Captured Oilfields Fuel Isis Insurgency

Nov 19, 2014 | Fazel Hawramy, Shalaw Mohammed and Luke Harding, The Guardian

Islamic State has consolidated its grip on oil supplies in Iraq and now presides over a sophisticated smuggling empire with illegal exports going to Turkey,…