News
DRC: DRC Mining Industry Worried by Country’s Stop to Mining Code Talks
Feb 10, 2015
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Henry Lazenby, Mining Weekly
The mining industry operating within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is concerned about last week's decision taken by the Mines Ministry to shun further…
China/South China Sea: China Finds Sizable Natural Gas Field in South China Sea
Feb 10, 2015
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Associated Press
China said its recent gas discovery in the politically volatile South China Sea could yield 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas, underlining Beijing's determination…
Broken Land, Broken Promises - Myanmar's Controversial Copper Mines
Feb 10, 2015
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Deutsche Welle
"Sometimes there is a very strong smell from the sulphuric acid factory; people cannot stay in the village at those times. Our eyes tear up…
Iraq/Kurdistan: In Payment Drought, Oil Companies Pare KRG Investment
Feb 10, 2015
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Patrick Osgood, Iraq Oil Report
Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has not paid its oil contractors since November, highlighting political and financial problems that could hamper plans to increase…
Larry Koehrsen: Climate Security
Feb 9, 2015
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Larry Koehrsen
Guns or solar panels. Tanks or wind turbines. Homeland security exploded into our consciousness on 9/11 and has defined much of who we are ever…
Climate Security Threat: We Need to Do More
Feb 9, 2015
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Anthony Bergin and Michael Thomas
Our chief ally says climate change is an urgent and growing threat to national security. The Australian Defence Force needs to do more to address…
Iraq: EIA: Iraq Oil Production Growth was World’s Second Largest in 2014
Feb 9, 2015
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Oil & Gas 360
According to information released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) today, Iraq’s production growth in 2014 was the second largest in the world, trailing only…
Myanmar: Investors Eye Myanmar's Rich Potential for Rice Growing
Feb 9, 2015
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Petchanet Pratruangkrai, The Nation
Myanmar may go back to being one of the world's major rice exporters in five to 10 years, as many Thai and foreign investors are…
Myanmar: Shell to Explore in Deepwater Offshore Myanmar
Feb 9, 2015
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World Oil
The Hague, Netherlands -- Shell and its partner Mitsui Oil Exploration group (MOECO) have signed exploration and production sharing contracts with Myanma Oil and Gas…
Sierra Leone: Blood Diamonds Prominent as Multi-Billion-Dollar Swiss Leaks Scandal Hits HSBC
Feb 9, 2015
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Greg Klein, Resource Clips
HSBC’s secret Swiss bank accounts facilitated billions of dollars in money laundering, tax evasion, fraud, arms trafficking and possibly terrorism, a team of investigative journalists…
Sustainable Hydropower Pitch for Burma Difficult to Swallow
Feb 8, 2015
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International Rivers
Burma, or Myanmar, has recently become a lucrative destination for foreign investors, ever since the election a couple of years ago. For the hydropower industry,…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Conflicts and Oil Agreements: Baghdad and Erbil's Truly Ambivalent Relationship
Feb 8, 2015
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Al Bawaba
The Kurdish region’s oil supply is a major point of contention in Iraq as it brings up questions of wealth distribution and foreign exports. The…
How Resource Wealth Fuels War
Feb 6, 2015
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Daniel Curwin
Natural resources can serve as an impetus for conflict or cooperation, prolong a bloody conflict and play an essential role in the postconflict process. The…
Iraq: Iraqi Kurdistan Oil Firms Go Domestic Amid Dearth of Export Pay
Feb 6, 2015
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Reuters
Oil producers in Iraqi Kurdistan, including Gulf Keystone Petroleum and Genel, have started ramping up deliveries to the local market at the expense of foreign…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Baghdad Oil Deal With Kurds 'In Danger' of Falling Apart, Lawmaker Warns
Feb 6, 2015
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Assyrian International News Agency
An important agreement between Baghdad and Erbil that resolved long-standing disputes over the budget and oil exports is in danger of falling apart, the deputy…
Kurdistan: Iraq’s Autonomous Kurdistan Government Looking to Borrow Internationally
Feb 6, 2015
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Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is considering borrowing abroad “to strengthen economic infrastructure,” a Kurdish lawmaker told Rudaw.
Izat Sabir, chairman…
Liberia: Liberians Need Legal Rights to Forest, Says Report
Feb 6, 2015
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SciDev.Net
Liberia’s government must do more to award land rights to forest dwellers to protect natural resources from exploitation and encroachment of palm oil plantations, warns…
Afghanistan: Copper Mining Threatens Afghan Site of Ancient Buddhist Past
Feb 6, 2015
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Lynne O'Donnell, Associated Press
Treasures from Afghanistan's largely forgotten Buddhist past are buried beneath sandy hills surrounding the ancient Silk Road town of Mes Aynak - along with enough…
South Sudan: S. Sudan Rebels Dismiss Governor’s Claims on Oil Fields
Feb 6, 2015
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Sudan Tribune
A spokesperson for South Sudanese rebels in Unity state has described as “mere propaganda” allegations that the armed opposition forces planned to attack the oil…
Liberia: Special Report: Illegal Gold Mining in Liberia
Feb 5, 2015
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African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting
A recent report by the United Nations Panel of Experts in Liberia highlighted the ongoing insecurity in the border area between Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire,…
Iraq: Pentagon: Oil is No Longer ISIS’ Main Source of Income
Feb 5, 2015
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Al Arabiya
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is no longer relying on oil as its main source of revenue to fund its terrorist activity,…
China/Philippines/South China Sea: China Defends Ship’s Actions Against Philippines in South China Sea
Feb 5, 2015
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Malay Mail Online
China today defended the actions of a coast guard vessel in the disputed South China Sea after the Philippines accused it of ramming three fishing…
Khartoum and Juba Oil Dance
Feb 4, 2015
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Alsir Sidahmed
It is official. Juba wants to renegotiate oil-related agreements. Following the dramatic drop in world oil prices to its lowest level in more than five…
How Dodd-Frank Is Failing Congo
Feb 4, 2015
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Lauren Wolfe
Minerals are ruining lives. For several years now, in conversations about conflict and crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, this has been a common…
Prosecuting Pillaging May Be Key to Curbing Natural Resource Driven War
Feb 4, 2015
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Carey L. Biron
Governments, lawyers, activists and the broader multilateral system may be missing a key opportunity in the attempt to end war and violence driven by the…
Myanmar: Jade Mines Grind to a Halt in Hpakant
Feb 4, 2015
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Kyaw Hsu Mon, The Irrawaddy
RANGOON — Jade mining operations in northern Burma’s Kachin State have ground to a halt after more fighting between the military and Kachin Independence Army…
Liberia: Who Collected Controversial U.S.$100,000?
Feb 4, 2015
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The News
The National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has made it categorically clear that it never disbursed funds to the House of Representatives for the purpose…
Iraq: Low Oil Prices Force Iraq to Pass Austerity Budget As It Struggles to Pay Soldiers Fighting ISIS
Feb 4, 2015
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Campbell MacDiarmid, National Post
ERBIL, Iraq — Low oil prices have forced an austerity budget on Iraq as it struggles to rebuild its army and rally support across the…
Liberia: Could 2015 Be a Breakthrough Year for Community Land Rights?
Feb 4, 2015
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Astrid Zweynert, Thomson Reuters Foundation
2015 is set to be a pivotal year for the global recognition of land and resource rights if momentum in protecting the world's forests and…
Resource Curse: Study Suggests Oil Factors Hugely Into Foreign Wars
Feb 4, 2015
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Douglas Main, Newsweek
Oil plays an even bigger role in influencing foreign military intervention than is generally acknowledged, according to a new economic analysis, lending support to so-called…