SPOTLIGHT
> China in the Mekong: A satellite city in Vientiane…
> …and a stadium, too; Policy or market forces? Influence and investment; Chinese immigrants

POLITICS & SOCIETY
> Catholics challenge the authorities: Advancing the La Vang case
> Cholera outbreak spreads: Degraded water resources; Poor hygiene

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
> Vietnam sides with China…
> …and guards the torch
> Ratifying the ASEAN Charter: What does the Charter do?
> China strengthens naval presence
> Philippines Congress debates Spratlys: Giving too much away?

ECONOMY & ENERGY
> Stock market shake out: Stabilising the market; Foreign investors sanguine
> Government fails to stem inflation
> Attacking rice speculation: Restricting exports; Poor weather a factor; Problem is price, not supply
> Business in brief: South Korea's Posco; Malaysia's Scomi Engineering; Vietnam enters the satellite age; Vietnam-China Trade; Cuba in Hanoi
> Chevron finds more gas
> Oil refinery progress: Production, refining, consumption
> Spectre of power shortages
> Smuggling coal
> Petroleum law amendments

ENVIRONMENT
> Environment on the agenda
> Wildlife smuggling: Tiger trafficking; Bear bile
> Illegal timber trade
> Dry weather threatens forests
> Environment in brief: Desertification; Mines and bombs still contaminate; Marine coastal protection
> Weather patterns

Azerbaijan:
> Socar hits the jackpot; Oil fund's reserves swell

Turkmenistan:
> Burren deal threatens to turn sour for Eni
> Dragon boosts Cheleken output
> Iranian gas deliveries resume…
> …but Europe wants some too
> Indians agree on joint projects
> Central bank head sacked

Kazakhstan:
> Mangistaumunaigas – a family affair
> Arrest of rail boss points to wider power struggle
> Oil export tax imposed
> TCO faces $307m environmental fines

Stock Watch:
> Zhaikmunai set for float
> Arawak prepares for London listing

Iran:
> New boss for Nico
> BP ends crude shipments: Vitol resumes gasoline supplies

Regional Focus:
> Russia digs in against CPC expansion
> Petrofac builds Caspian track record
> Batumi goes quiet under new ownership

Tables:
> Loadings at BTC terminal, May 2008
> CPC shipments, Q1 2008
> Oil shipments out of Batumi, Q1 2008

POLITICS & SOCIETY
> Beijing reins in nationalism amid fear of a tarnished image: Carrefour boycott; Beijing calls for restraint
> Olive branch to the Dalai Lama? War of Words; Thirty jailed for Tibet riots
> Virus kills children
> Security stepped up
> Boao Forum hosts bigwigs

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
> Musharraf visits China: India-Pakistan-China pipelines; Xinjiang visit
> Masimov in Beijing
> Iran nuclear talks in Shanghai
> China-UAE deals
> African activity snapshot: Congo mining venture; Workers pulled from Equatorial Guinea; Libyan housing project; Hospital in Sudan; Angola rehabilitation; Liberian food production

ECONOMY & FINANCE
> SOE profits slow down
> BP in SAFE portfolio: Profitability; SAFE and subsidiary
> Speculative fund inflows: Banks told to reduce foreign debt
> China-EU dialogue
> Finance in brief: Beijing delays red-chip list; Regional foreign reserve swap; CIC to invest more abroad; PBOC increases reserve ratio; CCB forms M&A team

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
> China-Central Asia gas pipeline: Uzbekistan gas JV; Kazakhstan section
> Tax dispute hits CNOOC: Nigeria loan
> Sinopec, AED get JV approval…and Australia gets concerned
> Domestic dynamics: New LNG push; Offshore blocks open
> Monthly briefings: CNPC, PDVSA JV; Husky, CNOOC in Madura BD field; Sinopec, Total for Northern Lights; Iraq qualifies Chinese firms; Newfield strikes oil; Liwan field may cost $5 billion; China, Japan on oil extraction; China, Taiwan in oil co-operation; PetroChina plans heavy oil field; PetroChina buys CNPC assets; Tarim gas deal; PetroChina, Tulsa team up; PAPL receives CBM approval; PetroChina to expand Huabei; COSL plans onshore drilling market

The latest issue of our quarterly SAHARA FOCUS is now available.

It is written by Prof. Jeremy Keenan who has been working with indigenous peoples in the region since the 1960s. He is widely acknowledged as being one of THE world experts on what is really happening in the Sahara.

The latest issue includes the following:

COMMENTARY
Hostages, genocide, rebellion, denial and disinformation
The attack on Djanet:
- Got that straight, Lazarus?;
- Media disinformation
- What did happen at Djanet?

HOSTAGE CRISIS
Austrians taken hostage:
- Abdelhamid Abou Zaïd;
- DRS agents involved?;
- Vegetation identifies Mali;
- How did they travel?;
- Why go to Mali?;
- Demands of the hostage takers';
- Motives behind the hostage taking;
- The Swiss connection?;
- Deadlines or implications

NIGER AND MALI REBELLIONS
Linking the conflicts
UN notified of Niger genocide
Atrocities by FAN
Causes of rebellion:
- The Sahara-Sahel front;
- Niger government action;
- Foreign exploitation;
- Fear of ecological disaster;
- Abuse of indigenous rights
- The 1995 Peace Accord
National and external interest:
- France and AREVA;
- Algerian interests;
- The Niger government;
- Côte d'Ivoire's Ivoirianisation policy;
- US interests;
- Chinese interests;
- Libyan interests;
- The Malian government;
- Drug traffickers

ENDNOTE
- Uranium mining
- Widening the conflagration
- Questioning state and border legitimacy

Contact info@menas.co.uk for full details about how you can subscribe to SAHARA FOCUS or purchase the latest issue as a one-off report.

Following the results of this week's autonomy referendum in the wealthy department of Santa Cruz we have produced a special update of our fortnightly Bolivia Politics and Security reports (see attached).

To subscibe, or for further information about Bolivia Politics and Security please contact info@menas.co.uk