Source : Al Arabiya with Reuters / 07 Apr 2014

Saudi Arabia has begun construction work on its long awaited first metro rail system in the capital Riyadh.

The multi-billion project will involve six rail lines extending 176 kilometers and carrying electric, driverless trains, in what Saudi officials project to be the world's largest public transport system.

Source : World Bulletin / 07 Apr 2014

Construction of Turkey’s first nuclear plant will begin in May if an environmental impact report wins approval.

The report on the Akkuyu nuclear power plant has been submitted to the Environment and Urban Planning Ministry for evaluation. According to government officials, the Environmental Effect Evaluation Report could be approved in May.

Source : Trust.org / 05 Apr 2014

New Zealand came first in a global index published on Thursday that ranks countries by social and environmental performance rather than economic output in a drive to make social progress a priority for politicians and businesses.

By Andrew Masinde / New Vision / 05 Apr 2014

Uganda has partnered with Egypt to remove the weed that evaded Lake Kyoga.

The task of clearing the weed started in 1999 and has registered two successful phases.

Source : Reuters / 04 Apr 2014

Global food prices rose to their highest in almost a year in March, led by unfavorable weather for crops and political tensions over Ukraine, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) price index, which measures monthly price changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 212.8 points in March, up 4.8 points or 2.3 percent from February.

Source : RT / 03 Apr 2014

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is wasting dozens of millions of public money on over 1,100 “unnecessary jobs” such as car park environmental officers and art curators, the think tank TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) revealed.

Source : RT / 03 Apr 2014

The Russian government commission has approved a new scheme for hiring migrant workers, switching from current company quotas to an unlimited "patent" system.

The move is opposed by the Labor Ministry, but the government commission has supported it nevertheless, according to the Izvestia daily. The new plan has been developed by the Federal Migration Service and it allows not only major businesses but also small companies and even private entrepreneurs to attract workers from a broad on a much simpler basis.

Source : WTTC / 03 Apr 2014

Indonesia grew its economic contribution from Travel & Tourism by 8.4% in 2013, the largest growth of any G20 country. That is according to the latest research from The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the global authority on the Travel & Tourism Industry.

Source : RT / 02 Apr 2014

Russia’s state-owned gas major Gazprom announced a new price for gas exports to Ukraine of $385.50 per 1,000 cubic meters as of April 1, 2014. The price increased by $117 after Gazprom cancelled its discount agreed in December.

"This follows Ukraine’s default on its obligation to repay its debt for gas supplies in 2013 and the 100 percent lack of payment for current supplies,” Gazprom chief Aleksey Miller said Tuesday. Gazprom had until April 10 to decide on a new price.

Source : RIA Novosti / 31 Mar 2014

Russia and North Korea have signed a new protocol to transition to using the ruble for payments between the two countries as part of an effort to boost annual bilateral trade to $1 billion by 2020, Russia's Far East Development Ministry said Friday.