"Many bilateral aid programmes to Asia have been cut by over 40 per cent and there have been complete withdrawals from some sectors such as regional health programmes in South-East Asia. There has been a lack of strategic vision in Asia so clearly demonstrated by Australia’s reduction in assistance to Myanmar as a fledgling democracy and transitioning economy. We also remain extremely concerned that the most vulnerable people living on Pacific island nations are inadequately protected from climate change,” Purcell tells SciDev.Net. 

Protecting and promoting human rights is a cornerstone of Swedish foreign policy. Sweden strives to be a strong voice and a global leader that stands up for and defends human rights, democracy and the principles of rule of law through foreign policy. This is also central to our engagement in Myanmar. I will meet with representatives from the government, civil society and international organizations to get a good understanding of the situation.

The People’s Republic of China has restated her resolve to transfer technology and other competences to Nigeria through continuous training. This dominated the discourse at an exhibition tagged, ‘China through the eyes of Nigerians’. The event held at the china cultural center in Abuja. It was a delightful testimony of mutual relationship transcending more than 50 years between Nigeria and China.

The 2017 three-week tour features concerts and cultural exchange activities in Shanghai, Beijing, Ulaanbaatar, Seoul, and Hong Kong. 2017 is also the first year of new five-year partnerships with China's National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and the Shanghai Media Group Performing Arts Division. [...] This is the first time a Western orchestra has engaged in people-to-people exchange and outreach activities in Mongolia,made possible by the Department of State and the US Embassy in Ulaanbaatar.

President Emmanuel Macron undertook his first trip as commander-in-chief on Friday when he met troops fighting Islamist militants in Mali. Macron, a newcomer to international diplomacy, put counter-terrorism at the top of his security priorities during the election campaign, vowing to strengthen support for West African allies. "Emmanuel Macron made the commitment during the campaign to immediately go and see troops engaged in the fight against terrorism," said a senior French diplomat.

India’s and Turkey’s bilateral relations have been marked by cordiality and warmth since the establishment of their diplomatic relationship in 1948. However, the Pakistan factor has overshadowed Indo-Turkey relations during the last several decades. The bilateral ties between Turkey and Pakistan has been tied and strengthened by their historical and religious legacies.

In remarks during the occasion, the Ambassador Thit Linn Ohn of the Union of Myanmar stressed that his country was pleased to establish diplomatic relations with Liberia, Africa’s oldest independent Republic. He believes that the event marks the beginning of building closer ties between the two countries especially in the areas of trade, agriculture and people to people exchanges.

The UAE's Al Ayalla group has held its first performance for the Saharan Bedouin festival, Tan Tan Moussem, taking place from 5th to 10th May in the southern region of Morocco. A 200-strong Emirati delegation, headed by the Cultural Programmes and Heritage Festivals Committee - Abu Dhabi, has returned for the fourth year as a special guest at the annual festival celebrating the heritage of Sahrawi tribes.