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Military Takeover in Egypt: UN Appeals for Restraint

With Egypt’s transition at “another delicate juncture,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated on Wednesday 3rd July his appeals for non-violence and restraint, urging an inclusive approach to overcome the current “deep difficulties” and address the concerns of all Egyptians.

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UN: Management of Natural Resources for a Peaceful Afghanistan

Sustainable and equitable management of Afghanistan’s natural resources such as land, water, forests and minerals can contribute to peacebuilding in the country, according to a United Nations report released on June 24th. The report, Natural Resource Management and Peacebuilding in

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CFI Hero Malala and Gordon Brown Fight Back for Children’s Education

A 15-year-old Pakistani girl targeted by assassins – Malala Yousafzai – is the first signatory of a new worldwide petition calling for urgent action to ensure the right of every child to safely attend school, launched today with the backing

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Solar Industry in the MENA Region: Sunny Prospects

A trend towards generating electricity from solar power is on the horizon for the countries of the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa); The regional market for photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal power plants is expected to reach 3.5

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Revenue Watch: 4 out of 5 Companies Fail in Good Governance

The Resource Governance Index (RGI) measures the quality of governance in the oil, gas and mining sector of 58 countries. From highly ranked countries like Norway, the United Kingdom and Brazil to lowranking countries like Qatar, Turkmenistan and Myanmar, the

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Emir of Qatar: Raising the Profile

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani became Emir of Qatar in 1995 and his reign has coincided with a period of rapid economic growth at home and increasing political and social influence throughout the region. Qatar has seen a modernisation programme

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Otaviano Canuto, World Bank Group: Fiscal Policy Redux

As part of their response to negative shocks coming from advanced economies after the Lehman Brothers’ collapse in 2008, most developing countries resorted to countercyclical fiscal policy. Such a policy choice was available to many developing economies that entered the

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Expo 2020: Selecting the Host City

Brazil, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates have all officially bid to host Expo 2020 by the 02 November 2011 deadline. A decision will be made the the BIE General Assembly in 2013. Expo 2020 will likely represent

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Child Bride Hero Nujood Ali

Divorce can be a traumatic experience – but for a ten year old? Nujood Ali, now a fifteen year old activist opposing forced marriage, obtained a divorce five years ago breaking with tribal tradition in the Yemen. The law allows

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SABIC’s Collaboration with MIT

The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) has signed an initial agreement with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, a world leader in scientific research. The agreement paves the way for SABIC and MIT to work together to

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