Resources Archive

HONG KONG — Mum rang the other day. It was only unusual because we had already spoken between Melbourne and Hong Kong twice that week, for her 70th birthday, and this conversation was stilted, though she assured me everything was fine. Then she blurted out: “You might think me silly but it rained last night. Oh it rained and rained from midnight until eleven in the morning and it was heavy. It’s just that,” she hesitated. “It hasn’t rained for so long.” Such is the drought afflicting Australia — the worst in living memory — that it warranted a call […]

CARACAS, Venezuela — Fond of mocking George W. Bush and railing at the U.S, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called his country’s number one oil customer, otherwise known as “the empire,” the greatest threat to human existence today. On the verge of reelection, Chavez has said that his geopolitical mission is nothing less than “saving the world” from the evils of U.S-style capitalism. As part of this plan, say analysts, Chavez has reached out to China. Eager for oil to fuel its economy, China has agreed to form a “strategic alliance” with Venezuela, strengthening bilateral ties through oil agreements and […]

NAIROBI, Kenya — For a number of reasons, including an agricultural sector that enjoys relatively low land and labor costs, many see sub-Saharan Africa as well suited to pioneer the development of biofuel as an alternative energy source for the continent and the world. Development analysts say it may be decades before biofuel becomes a significant alternative source of energy for Africa, but significant production could mean a boost for sub-Saharan economies by both providing new income and reducing the continent’s reliance on imported fossil fuels. For many countries in Africa, oil makes up a significant portion of gross imports, […]

It was billed as the, “chance of a lifetime,” by Panama’s President, Martin Torrijos, and 77 percent of Panamanian voters backed this view when they approved plans to expand the Panama Canal in a national referendum last month. The $5.25 billion expansion will make one of the engineering wonders of the world 60 percent wider and 40 per cent longer. The eight-year project involves enlarging existing locks, deepening navigation channels and adding a third set of locks to ease bottlenecks and allow larger container vessels, known as post-Panamax ships, to traverse the famous passage linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. […]

VALETTA, Malta — On Memorial Day, a senior officer of Malta’s tiny army placed a wreath at the Monument of the Fallen situated just outside the capital. The granite column topped by a golden eagle commemorates the Maltese and British defenders who lost their lives in the heroic 1942 siege, in which Axis planes bombed the island into rubble but failed to take it. The siege of Malta is an incredible saga of resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. But bygones are bygones: Since 2004, the former British colony has been tied to Europe as the smallest member of […]

NANNING, China — A huge sign strung across the entrance to a trade exhibition center in the southwest Chinese city of Nanning blandly says “10+1=11.” But behind this uninspiring piece of sloganeering, and in and around this provincial capital, more exciting things have been happening. The Philippines’ President Gloria Arroyo went for a cruise on the Li River, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong popped up to Sichuan and received a bottled gourd for happiness and prosperity, and deals worth $600 million were signed between Chinese companies and several Southeast Asian countries. There have also been some amusing asides in […]