The Andes
Third-party candidates marginalized …in Venezuela
In Venezuela as in the US, third-party candidates were roundly ignored by the media—including a veteran labor leader who challenged Hugo Chávez from the left.
Tag: control of oil
East Asia
Japan, Taiwan ships clash with water cannon
Japanese and Taiwanese patrol ships blasted each other with water cannon as a fishing fleet from Taiwan mobilized a protest flotilla to the contested East China Sea islands.
East Asia
Pacific FTAs advance amid Sino-Japanese tensions
China and Japan are moving ahead with new Free Trade Agreements such as the ASEAN+6 pact and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, even amid escalated military tensions.
Mexico
Mexico’s prez-elect broaches oil privatization —almost
As a devastating blast rocked a Pemex plant, Mexico’s president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto told business leaders the private sector will help modernize the state-owned giant.
East Asia
East China Sea flashpoint for Sino-Japanese war?
Leon Panetta warned that the latest escalation over islands disputed by China and Japan could lead to war—even as he arrived in Tokyo to inaugurate a new anti-missile system.
The Caribbean
PDVSA oil spill fouls Curaçao
An oil spill at a refinery operated by the Venezuelan parastatal PDVSA on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curaçao threatens a nature reserve which is a critical flamingo habitat.
The Andes
Venezuela: refinery disaster politicized
Venezuela’s opposition accused the state oil company of negligence after the deadly refinery explosion at Amuay, while the government says foreign subversion undermined safety.
Watching the Shadows
US charges Gitmo detainee with supporting terrorism
The US Department of Defense announced new terrorism charges against a Saudi Guantánamo Bay prisoner accused of plotting with al-Qaeda to blow up oil tankers.
Planet Watch
Petro-oligarchs play presidential candidates —again
Romney’s new energy plan is billed as a drive towards “energy independence”—yet ironically mirrors the plan Obama unveiled two years ago to lift current restrictions on offshore drilling.
North Africa
Libya: oil companies happy, African migrants not so much
BP and Total announce plans to expand operations in Libya—as militiamen are accused of killing three at a detainment camp for African migrants where a hunger strike is underway.
Planet Watch
Keystone vs Enbridge: race or stratagem?
We noted earlier this year that the Canadian government is holding out the threat of selling the Alberta tar sands oil to China through the Northern Gateway pipeline that Enbridge Inc hopes to build to the British Columbia coast as… Read moreKeystone vs Enbridge: race or stratagem?
East Asia
China and Japan can’t stop fighting World War II
The 67th anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender saw a confrontation with Chinese activists over the contested Senkaku Islands in the oil-rich East China Sea.