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U.S. Orders Evacuation of Staff From Embassy in South Sudan

The United States on Friday ordered a further reduction of American Embassy staff in strife-torn South Sudan and said it would cease to provide consular services for its citizens as of Saturday, apparently reflecting a somber assessment of the country’s prospects even as the country’s warring factions were reported to have opened preliminary, indirect talks in neighboring Ethiopia. A travel advisory on the website of the State Department said that Washington “ordered a further drawdown of U.S. Embassy personnel because of the deteriorating security situation” in South Sudan, which has been seized with conflict between its main political factions since December. “We continue to urge U.S. citizens in South Sudan to depart the country,” the message said, offering an evacuation flight on Friday “to the nearest safe haven country” on a “first-come, first-served basis.” “The U.S. Embassy will no longer be able to provide any consular services to U.S. […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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South Sudan's warring factions meet in Ethiopia

South Sudan’s warring factions held preliminary meetings Friday ahead of the official start of negotiations in neighboring Ethiopia, mediators said. Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, said the introductory meetings were necessary to bridge the groups’ differences ahead of direct talks expected to start Saturday. The meetings are being held at Addis Ababa’s Sheraton Hotel. Meanwhile, both sides continue to fight in the world’s newest country and the U.S. Embassy in Juba, the capital, said Friday the Department of State ordered a "further drawdown" of embassy personnel because of the "deteriorating security situation." An evacuation flight was being arranged Friday, the statement said. South Sudan’s government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states whose capitals are under rebel control. On Thursday the central government warned that rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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South Sudan’s warring factions meet in Ethiopia

South Sudan’s warring factions held preliminary meetings Friday ahead of the official start of negotiations in neighboring Ethiopia, mediators said. Dina Mufti, a spokesman for Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry, said the introductory meetings were necessary to bridge the groups’ differences ahead of direct talks expected to start Saturday. The meetings are being held at Addis Ababa’s Sheraton Hotel. Meanwhile, both sides continue to fight in the world’s newest country and the U.S. Embassy in Juba, the capital, said Friday the Department of State ordered a "further drawdown" of embassy personnel because of the "deteriorating security situation." An evacuation flight was being arranged Friday, the statement said. South Sudan’s government has declared a state of emergency in Unity and Jonglei, two states whose capitals are under rebel control. On Thursday the central government warned that rebels loyal to ousted Vice President Riek […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Nigerian government did not approve oil refineries privatization plan: report

The Nigerian government did not approve a plan to sell the country’s four ailing refineries, state media reported Friday quoting presidential spokesman Reuben Abati, contrary to earlier reports that the president had given the green light for the privatization of the plants. "The Federal Government will not sell the refineries. There is no presidential endorsement. Even the minister does not have the powers to sell government’s property," Abati was quoted as saying in state radio. Nigeria’s state privatization agency, the Bureau of Public Enterprise, on December 21 said it had received approval from President Goodluck Jonathan to proceed with the sale of the four state-owned refineries despite strong opposition and strike threats by the country’s powerful oil unions. "President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the commencement of the privatization of the nation’s four refineries by the BPE. This is in keeping with the [government] agenda, […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Pollution Threatens China's Food Security

A Reuters report this week noted that nearly 3.33 million hectares (eight million acres) of Chinese farmland are too polluted to grow crops. The article, which was re-posted by the state-run China Daily news site, quoted Wang Shiyuan, China’s vice minister of land and resources. Wang says that the government is determined to address the issue of polluted farmland, and will commit “tens of billions of yuan” each year to help return the land to a usable state. Food security is a major concern for Chinese leaders, and worries over this issue already had the potential to severely slow down other planned reforms such as urbanization. The announcement on China’s pollution levels further complicates the balance of preserving farmland and speeding up urbanization. Wang Shiyuan noted that the amount of polluted land represents nearly 2 percent of the country’s arable land, which is not […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Pollution Threatens China’s Food Security

A Reuters report this week noted that nearly 3.33 million hectares (eight million acres) of Chinese farmland are too polluted to grow crops. The article, which was re-posted by the state-run China Daily news site, quoted Wang Shiyuan, China’s vice minister of land and resources. Wang says that the government is determined to address the issue of polluted farmland, and will commit “tens of billions of yuan” each year to help return the land to a usable state. Food security is a major concern for Chinese leaders, and worries over this issue already had the potential to severely slow down other planned reforms such as urbanization. The announcement on China’s pollution levels further complicates the balance of preserving farmland and speeding up urbanization. Wang Shiyuan noted that the amount of polluted land represents nearly 2 percent of the country’s arable land, which is not […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Shares Of Bakken Oil Producers Plunge After US Warning

Shares of Whiting Petroleum Corp , Continental Resources Inc and other top crude oil producers in the Bakken shale formation plunged on Thursday after the U.S. government said oil produced there may be extra flammable. The warning came three days after a BNSF train carrying crude oil collided in eastern North Dakota with another train carrying grain. The resulting explosion led to the temporary evacuation of a nearby town and added to the growing concern about the safety of oil-by-rail shipments. Last July a runaway oil train, which originated in North Dakota, derailed and exploded in a small Quebec town, killing 47 people. Oil extracted from the Bakken, a vast rock formation underneath North Dakota and Montana, "may be more flammable than traditional heavy crude oil," the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said on […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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For U.S. Drillers, the Days of Easy Money End

Since 2008, deep-pocketed foreign investors have subsidized the U.S. energy boom, as oil and gas companies spent far more money on leasing and drilling than they made selling crude and natural gas. But the rivers of foreign cash are running dry for U.S. drillers. In 2013, international companies spent $3.4 billion for stakes in U.S. shale-rock formations, less than half of what they invested in 2012 and a tenth of their spending in 2011, according to data from IHS Herold, a research and consulting firm. It is a sign of leaner times for the cash-hungry companies that have revived American energy output. The value of deals involving U.S. energy producers plunged 48% this year from 2012, to $47 billion, the first annual decline since 2008, according to an IHS report to be published Thursday. So U.S. oil and gas producers have started to slash spending. "The days of easy […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Shale-Oil Boom Puts Spotlight on Crude Export Ban

The U.S. government virtually banned the export of crude oil in the wake of the mid-1970s energy crisis. But as America pumps more crude, 2014 could be the year those constraints are lifted. For decades, even discussing the possibility of exporting domestic oil was a political nonstarter in Washington. Now, surging U.S. production has led to the beginning of a glut along the Gulf Coast, home to the largest refinery complex in the world. Too much crude is driving down prices there, making producers eager to export some of their oil to places like Europe where prices are higher. Signs that the energy industry would challenge the export restrictions began appearing in the final months of 2013, with the American Petroleum Institute, the oil industry’s main lobbying group in Washington, D.C., saying it was looking to end the ban. Last month, Ken Cohen, vice president of public and government […]

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U.S. Issues Warning on Bakken Shale Oil

The federal government issued a rare safety alert on Thursday, warning that crude oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota may be more flammable than other types of crude. The warning comes after two federal agencies spent months inspecting Bakken crude, including oil carried in recent train accidents that resulted in explosions. The latest blast occurred earlier this week in Casselton, N.D., 25 miles west of Fargo. The Transportation Department alert urges shippers to test the oil they transport and, if necessary, strip out gases found in that crude. The Wall Street Journal had reported that investigators and industry officials were alarmed and puzzled by the strength of the explosions that resulted from the train crashes. Crude oil is hard to burn and generally doesn’t explode with such ferocity. The Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration launched "Operation Classification" in August to perform […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple