News
Syria: Toxic Hell of Syria’s Oil Fields
Dec 1, 2016
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Kieran Cooke, Middle East Eye
The satellite images tell the story: black, T-shaped marks littered across areas of the land in eastern Syria controlled by the Islamic State. On closer inspection,…
Iraq/Kurdistan: Mosul: Drone Vision Shows 'Smoke-Filled Hell' Facing Civilians near Iraq's Burning Oil Fields [Photos]
Dec 1, 2016
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ABC News
Newly released drone vision has revealed the devastation burning oil fields are having on communities near the Iraqi city of Mosul. Aid agencies said Islamic…
Climate Change: Climate Change Will Stir 'Unimaginable' Refugee Crisis, Says Military
Dec 1, 2016
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Damian Carrington, Guardian
Climate change is set to cause a refugee crisis of “unimaginable scale”, according to senior military figures, who warn that global warming is the greatest…
Colombia: Canada’s Zonte Sues Colombia Authorities over Gold Permit Rejection
Dec 1, 2016
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Cecilia Jamasmie, MINING.com
Canadian junior explorer Zonte Metals (TSX-V: ZON) is going ahead with plans to sue Colombia’s Department of Antioquia as it claims the mining authority did…
Myanmar: New Drone Analysis Highlights Conservation Challenges in Myanmar
Nov 30, 2016
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Ann Wang, Mongabay
Conservation work in Myanmar has been met with various challenges such as limited funding, an unstable political situation and poor management plans for forest reserves.…
Afghanistan: Afghan Taliban Offer Security for Copper, Gas Projects
Nov 30, 2016
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Hellenic Shipping News
The Afghan Taliban on Tuesday offered to protect major government projects, such as the mining of a big copper deposit and an international natural gas…
Colombia: Latin America Has Most Unequal Land Distribution, Colombia Fares Worst — Charity
Nov 30, 2016
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Anastasia Moloney, Reuters
Land distribution in Latin America is the most unequal in the world where only one percent of the farms and estates control more than half…
Liberia: Global Witness Pleased with Liberia’s New Oil Law
Nov 29, 2016
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FrontPageAfrica
Global Witness has welcomed Liberia’s new Petroleum Law, which marks a significant step towards the transparent management of the country’s oil sector, but warns that…
Conflict Minerals: EU Reaches Final Agreement on Conflict Minerals Regulation – An Overview
Nov 29, 2016
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Michael R. Littenberg, Amanda N. Raad, Katerina Sandford, Emily Burke, and Julia Chen, Ropes & Gray LLP
On November 22, the EU Council, Commission and Parliament reached an informal final agreement on a conflict minerals regulation. Last week's agreement builds upon the…
Conflict Minerals: Key Points Regarding the New European Union Conflict Minerals Agreement
Nov 29, 2016
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Sarah A. Altschuller, Foley Hoag LLP
On November 22, the Presidency of the European Council and the European Parliament announced agreement on the text of a new conflict minerals regulation. The agreement…
South Sudan: South Sudan Unveil Measures to Improve Non-Oil Revenues
Nov 29, 2016
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudan’s economy is currently in dire straits as the local currency, South Sudan Pound has fallen by over 50% and revenue generated from oil,…
South Sudan: Land Grabbing Blamed for Ethnic Tensions in South Sudan
Nov 29, 2016
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Joseph Oduha, Africa Review
Rampant land grabbing was fuelling ethnic strife in South Sudan’s Equatoria State, an official said. The National Land Commission Coordinator, Mr Butrus Apollo, said in…
Myanmar: As Labourers Leave Myanmar Delta, Farmers Struggle to Mechanise
Nov 29, 2016
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Myanmar Now
Most farmers in Ayeyarwady Region, the country’s ‘rice bowl’ and home to some 10 million people, lack enough land and capital to afford use of…
Registration is Open for the 2017 International Peace Park Expeditions
Nov 28, 2016
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International Peace Park Expeditions
Registration for 2017 is open for undergraduate and graduate students for International Peace Park Expeditions three Accredited Academic Expeditions on Environmental Peacebuilding (http://eepurl.com/cqKArz). Earn academic…
Why You Should Care about More Than Just “Conflict Minerals” in the Congo
Nov 28, 2016
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Carol Jean Gallo
Starting around the early 2000s, a global human rights advocacy movement was mobilized to raise awareness of how certain raw materials in electronics came from mines…
DRC: Amid Billions of Dollars in Mineral Exports From DRC, Locals Say They Are Left Behind
Nov 28, 2016
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Noella Nyirabihogo, Global Press Journal
The riches of DRC's earth have long been exported; the wealth is often claimed by foreigners, even though each mining company is required by DRC…
Conflict Minerals: EU: Conflict Minerals Agreement Reached as Exemptions Added
Nov 28, 2016
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Weekend Post
The European Union (EU) this week took a positive, but half-hearted, step towards cleaning up Europe’s trade in minerals. EU legislators concluded their negotiations on…
Myanmar: How a Rebel Myanmar Tin Mine May up-end a Global Supply Chain
Nov 28, 2016
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Yimou Lee and Joel Schectman, Reuters
From a remote corner of northeastern Myanmar, an insurgent army sells tin ore to suppliers of some of the world's largest consumer companies. More than…
China/Vietnam/South China Sea: Vietnam Taking Long-Term Hard Line Toward China on Maritime Claims
Nov 28, 2016
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Ralph Jennings, Voice of America
Vietnam is lengthening a military runway on a tiny islet to help hold off a larger, more aggressive China for control in Asia’s widest-reaching sovereignty…
Turkmenistan/Afghanistan: Turkmenistan, Afghanistan Inaugurate New Rail Link
Nov 28, 2016
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Alexander Vershinin, Associated Press
The presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan on Monday officially opened a new railroad that will link the oil-rich former Soviet republic with Afghanistan. Turkmen President…
No Sun over Qayyara
Nov 27, 2016
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Benedetta Argentieri
A haze of thick black smoke obscured the view of the sky. The only source of illumination was a wall of flames at least three-stories…
Afghanistan: The Personal Feud That's Strangling Afghanistan's Precious Mineral Trade
Nov 27, 2016
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Franz J. Marty, National Interest
The settlement in the shadows of the mighty peaks and cliffs of the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan’s northeastern province of Badakhshan is mostly deserted. The…
Iraq: Iraq, Torn by War and Strife, is Slowly Drawing the Notice of Investors
Nov 26, 2016
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Dawn Kissi, CNBC
One of the most unstable countries in the world also happens to have the distinction of being one of the fastest growing economies in the…
India/Pakistan: Pakistan Warns against Use of Water as an Instrument of Coercion
Nov 25, 2016
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Pres Trust of India
In an apparent reference to row over Indus Water Treaty, Pakistan has warned against use of water as an instrument of coercion or war and…
The New EU Conflict Minerals Regulation — Is It Something to Be Thankful for?
Nov 24, 2016
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Dynda A. Thomas and Christina Economides
Since the US Presidential Election 2 weeks ago, some have been looking forward to a possible repeal of the US conflict minerals rule by a…
Iraq: Risking Flames and Mines, Iraq Oil Workers Battle to Cap Burning Wells
Nov 24, 2016
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John Davison, Reuters
Qayyara's burning oil fields vividly depict the destruction the group wrought on northern Iraq, as Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition battle to drive…
South Sudan: South Sudanese Lawmakers Want Oil Production Halted over Ailing Economy
Nov 24, 2016
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Sudan Tribune
South Sudan lawmakers proposed on Wednesday that the country’s oil production be halted due to what they described as “inappropriate financial assistance” given to Sudan.…
Colombia: Water Rights and the Peace Process in Colombia
Nov 24, 2016
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Gina Spigarelli, Open Democracy
Land disputes in Colombia often revolve around the use of one resource in particular: water. Colombia is one of the richest countries in the world…
Food Scarcity Causes Conflicts — But So Can Food Abundance. Here’s Why.
Nov 23, 2016
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Ore Koren
For a new U.S. administration facing global security challenges, the relationship between food security — what the World Bank defines as “access to enough food for an active, healthy…
Water Wars: Duterte Entrenches New Normal in South China Sea
Nov 23, 2016
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Chris Mirasola
In a stark upending of the status quo, Philippine vessels have had access to traditional fishing grounds around Scarborough Shoal for the past month. This breakthrough followed…