News

New Publication: Environmental Peacebuilding Perspectives No. 1 featuring Michael Ross

Oct 13, 2014 | ELI & UNEP

Environmental Peacebuilding Perspectives is a new series of briefs that contain commentary, analysis, and opinion from leading thinkers who are shaping the field of environmental…

China’s Dark Designs after 25 Years of Seizing Johnson South Reef

Oct 13, 2014 | Vietnam Net

Twenty-five years after the illegal use of force to occupy Gac Ma (Johnson South Reef) and six other reefs in Vietnam’s Spratly Islands, China once…

Climate Change: Pentagon Says Global Warming Presents Immediate Security Threat

Oct 13, 2014 | Coral Davenport, New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon released a report Monday asserting decisively that climate change poses an immediate threat to national security, with increased risks from terrorism,…

Iraq: Goverment Reviews Oil Ties with United States

Oct 13, 2014 | United Press International

BAGHDAD, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- U.S. energy companies need to stay invested in Iraq's oil sector as the war-torn country continues on the path of reconstruction,…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Foreign Tankers Blacklisted by Baghdad After Kurdish Oil Transfers

Oct 13, 2014 | International Business Times

Iraq's oil marketing agency has banned three foreign tankers from Iraqi ports, according to the Platts news service, citing market sources.

Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation…

Liberia: Cavalla Rubber, Maryland County Oil Palm Donate Ebola Gears

Oct 13, 2014 | allAfrica

Maryland County — As part of its corporate social responsibility, the Management of Cavalla Rubber Corporation and Maryland Oil Palm Plantation on October 10, 2014…

South China Sea: China’s Dangerous Game

Oct 13, 2014 | The Atlantic

In the tranquil harbors that dot the coastline of Palawan, a sword-shaped island in the western Philippines, the ferry boats are crowded with commuters traveling back…

Myanmar: First Half Gas Exports Rise by $400 mn

Oct 13, 2014 | Natural Gas Asia

Myanmar’s natural gas exports has crossed $2.1 billion in the first half of current fiscal, up more than $400 million over same period last year,…

Myanmar: Controversial Hat Gyi Dam Blamed for Karen Conflict

Oct 13, 2014 | The Irrawaddy

Ongoing fighting in southeastern Burma between the government and Karen rebels is linked to a planned hydropower dam nearby on the Salween River, according to…

Forgotten Abyei: How to Bring Back the Struggle of Abyei’s People into Public Discourse

Oct 12, 2014 | Philip Manyok, The Bor Globe Network

July 9, 2011, South Sudan independence was met with great jubilation across South Sudan including the people of Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile and of course…

Sierra Leone: Diamond Miners Adjust to Fight Against Ebola

Oct 12, 2014 | Ronen Shnidman, Rapaport

Western diamond mining companies in Sierra Leone have adjusted their operations as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to plague the country's diamond-rich eastern…

Gaza: Cross-Border Environmental Group Urges Israel to Increase Water Supply to Gaza

Oct 11, 2014 | The Jersusalem Post

As parties from the region prepare to gather in Cairo next week to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza, the environmental organization Friends of the Earth…

Liberia: Liberia’s Hydrocarbon Potential Sparking Interest in Current Bid Round, Despite Ebola Challenges, says GlobalData Analyst

Oct 11, 2014 | Sierra Express Media

LONDON, UK (GlobalData), 9 October 2014 – Liberia’s current invitation-only bidding round has ignited interest among international oil companies, due to the country’s considerable hydrocarbon…

On Water for Gaza, Put Politics Aside

Oct 10, 2014 | The Times of Israel

There is a serious humanitarian crisis in Gaza and water is at its center. Holding water issues hostage to the conflict will have dire consequences…

Afghanistan’s Mining Industry, Crucial for Economy, Holds Risks for Women

Oct 10, 2014 | Emily Horin, United States Institute of Peace

As Afghanistan attempts to develop its economy by attracting investment to its mining sector, the already daunting conditions for women in rural areas could worsen…

Liberia: Lawmaker Breaks Silence On Controversial U.S.$25,000 Saga

Oct 10, 2014 | Abraham S. Sollie, AllAfrica

Monrovia — Montserrado County District #15 Representative, Adolph A. Lawrence, has for the first time spoken publicly on the controversial US$25,000 saga.

It can be recalled…

China/Vietnam: China’s Airstrip in Paracel Islands Heightens Vietnam Tensions

Oct 10, 2014 | John Boudreau, Bloomberg

China’s completion of an upgraded airstrip in the disputed Paracel Islands gives it another foothold in the South China Sea and risks sparking a renewed…

Iraq/Kurdistan: Iraq Bans Entry of Three Tankers at Its Crude Oil Terminals

Oct 10, 2014 | Platts

Iraq has banned three oil tankers -- two Suezmaxes and one Panamax -- from loading at its oil terminals in response to direct exports of…

Sanction: Here's How President Obama Is Using the 'Oil Weapon'—Against Iran, Russia, and ISIS

Oct 10, 2014 | Michael Klare, Mother Jones

It was heinous. It was underhanded. It was beyond the bounds of international morality. It was an attack on the American way of life. It…

South Sudan: Floodwaters Add to Misery of South Sudan Camps for Displaced

Oct 10, 2014 | Gabe Joselow, Voice of America

BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN—Every day, the first thing residents of a protection site at the U.N. base in Bentiu, South Sudan, do when they wake up…

Obama’s New Oil Wars

Oct 9, 2014 | Huffington Post

It was heinous. It was underhanded.  It was beyond the bounds of international morality. It was an attack on the American way of life.  It…

Is Food Aid Helpful or Harmful in Conflict-Affected Areas?

Oct 9, 2014 | Moses Jackson, New Security Beat

A study published in the American Economic Review offers macro-level quantitative support for critics’ claims that food aid, which is often prone to theft or capture by armed…

China/South China Sea: China 'Sends Warning' With Release of Photographs of Disputed South China Sea Island

Oct 9, 2014 | Minnie Chan, South China Morning Post

China has released the first high-resolution photographs of a newly built runway on a disputed island in the South China Sea.

An analyst said the aim…

West Africa: Ebola Fears Could Impact Commodities

Oct 9, 2014 | Michael Kozoil, The Land

RESTRICTIONS on the movement of labour and goods as the Ebola crisis in West Africa worsens could have an impact on commodity markets, economists warn.

Commodity…

Liberia: Shares in Logging Firm - Speaker, Lawmaker in Constitutional Violation?

Oct 9, 2014 | Henry Karmo, AllAfrica

Monrovia — In Liberia, the lawmakers and other senior officials of government are known for violating the laws which the ordinary citizens are compelled to…

Liberia: Oil Blocks Attract Bidder Interest

Oct 9, 2014 | Reed Kramer, AllAfrica

Washington, DC — Liberia has entered discussions with major international oil companies to encourage bids for drilling in four blocks off the coast near the…

Liberia: 'Snatching Our Forefathers Land' - Roar Over LCC Concession Deal

Oct 9, 2014 | Stephen D. Kollie, AllAfrica

Monrovia — Citizens of Quardu Gboni District in Lofa County appear to be relentless in a vigorous campaign aimed at persuading lawmakers in the lower…

South China Sea: Lots of Oil, Lots of Uncertainty

Oct 9, 2014 | Emilia David, CNBC

The South China Sea is expected to hold billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of gas, but some energy firms are…

India/Pakistan/Kashmir: Indian Defense Chief Blames Pakistan for Kashmir Conflict

Oct 9, 2014 | Hari Kumar, New York Times

NEW DELHI — The Indian defense minister blamed Pakistan on Thursday for an escalating conflict that has claimed about 20 lives on both sides of…

The Americas: Hagel to Attend Ministers’ Conference on South America Trip

Oct 8, 2014 | Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr., US Department of Defense

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will attend the 11th Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas during a six-day, three-country trip to Latin…