Nigerian Times

Political and Natural Events Strongly Impact Room Rates in First Half of 2011, Says new Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®) LONDON, September 13/PRNewswire/ — Hotel prices have experienced pronounced volatility as a result of political turmoil and natural disasters in the first half of 2011, according to the latest Hotels.com® Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®). The average price of a room around the world rose by just 3% in the first six months of the year but this masked some steep rises and falls in regions affected by the historic events. Other factors such as currency strength and supply of rooms also impacted average room prices across the world, although the report shows that overall these were just 6% higher than when the HPI was launched in 2004, representing outstanding value for travellers. Prices fell 6% in Asia Pacific year-on-year but rose in all other areas: 4% in North America, 2% in Europe and Latin America and 1% in the Caribbean. Counting the Cost of the Arab Spring The upri...

21 Apr 2008 19:01 Africa/Lagos Kenya's Crisis: Lack of Land Rights Contributes to Conflict in East Africa, Say Natural Resource Experts at Wilson Center WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lack of land and property rights are key factors in East African conflicts -- including the current political crisis in Kenya -- where ethnic rivalries are often rooted in battles over land. But securing access to land can help prevent violence and promote peace, as well as improve a country's environmental, social, and economic prospects. At the Wilson Center on April 23rd, Peter Hetz and Gregory Myers will examine land and conflict in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Sudan, with a special focus on Kenya. Peter Hetz, the vice president for technical operations at ARD, Inc., will discuss the relationship between property rights and conflict. Gregory Myers, a natural resource management specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development, will focus on natural resource manageme...