Despite having significant natural resources like oil and minerals Sudan has not seen peaceful development. Its people have suffered from decades-long violence and military conflicts that have left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. The country's southern region has been striving for independence for some time now, however experts point out that the issue of South's oil reserves could significantly complicate the attaining of this goal. Controversial politics, the war in Darfur, corruption, armed confrontations these are just some of the obstacles undermining the development...

Just a few decades ago it would have been hard to predict that one day people will chose to read digital format books instead of flipping the pages of the conventionally printed ones. Nevertheless, today's tendencies might indicate the future of the publishing industry statistics show that e-book readers are considered to be the ''it'' technology, especially among young people. While some say that before this digital trend can fully establish its positions it has to address such issues like intellectual property protection, others claim that the sooner companies acknowledge that publishing...

For more than five decades now the world-famous bunny has become a symbol of the ultimate playboy lifestyle, just like Playboy's founder Hugh Hefner the recognizable face of the company, embracing in life all what his business stands for. While critics say that the magazine offers more of the shape, less of the substance, it would be wrong to underestimate the cultural impact Playboy has had on the global community. Iconic images have graced its covers and serious men like Jimmy Carter and Donald Trump have shared their thoughts with Playboy readers from all around the world. In order to find...

Geological research shows that Greenland is holding natural resources worth billions of US dollars. During recent years the geographically unique autonomous country has set a new and constitutionally significant political course one that might lead to acquiring stronger independence from Denmark. Greenland's politicians believe that the country's natural richness could prove to be highly beneficial to achieve this goal, since according to power industry's experts the island's gas and oil reserves would be enough to satisfy Europe's energetic needs for years to come. In order to find out more...

Going from a middle class chemistry institute graduate to Russia's richest man and head of one of the planet's biggest oil companies, to a prison inmate stripped of his assets, power and influence this is how the life of Mikhail Khodorkovsky can be summed up in one sentence. His accusations of financial crimes have sparked massive debates, with some saying that the trial and its verdict are strongly politically motivated, while others claim that it would have been impossible to legitimately and fairly acquire such wealth in such a short time. In order to find out more about the controversial...

Despite the fact that ensuring workforce safety has been one of the corner-stones of many social policies in various countries around the world, from time to time a tragic and unfortunately deadly accident reminds the global public that the issue of occupational safety is far from being resolved. Many nations have adopted strict policies, yet statistics show that thousands of people even in countries like the United States die of work-related injuries every single year, and tens of thousands of accidents go unreported. Analysts say that the authorities responsible for these matters must...

Every year millions of people belonging to the Islam faith travel to the holy city of Mecca to perform one of the most significant religious duties considered obligatory for every Muslim in the world the Hajj. This pilgrimage lasting for several days and involving a number of rituals is believed to be one of the most unifying elements of Islam, especially today when the Muslim community is spread all around the world. While without a doubt inspiring and spiritual, the Hajj has its history's dark pages as well, involving tragic accidents that have left hundreds of pilgrims dead or injured. In...

Lacrosse fans believe that in terms of perfectly balancing both intellectual skills and physical endurance there are only a few other team sports that can compete with this highly exciting and challenging game. Despite the fact that lacrosse has been widely popular in North America, Australia and Great Britain, many sports analysts claim that it has the potential to captivate the rest of the world as well, providing competition to such sports giants like football, soccer and hockey. In order to find out more about lacrosse, its history, types and governing bodies read this book.

Being only in his twenties, Mark Zuckerberg has already established his name in books on 21st century history. He has been the mastermind behind what is considered to be an online social phenomenon Facebook, becoming one of the youngest billionaires in the world, famous for his simple wardrobe and preference to keep his private life to himself. Many thought that Zuckerberg made a mistake refusing rather tempting offers to sell his company, yet today's statistics show that this was the right choice Facebook membership numbers are growing, and so is its value. In order to find out more about...

The Guantanamo Bay detention facility initially created to keep enemy combatants out of battlefield and gather intelligence information has turned out to be a rather problematic issue for United States politicians, harming not only the country's reputation, but involving it in several lawsuits as well. While human rights activists claim that the very existence of such a facility, not to mention the mistreatment of prisoners, is against international law, US government has been trying to dispel this criticism, and many speculate that closing the camp might be a decision officials will have to...