China tops global consumption of materials, UN report says

BEIJING: China, whose domestic material consumption is four times that of the US, is the world's largest consumer of minerals and fossil fuels, but this has lead to intense environmental pressures, a new UN report says.

Japan steps up efforts to crack untapped Myanmar economic market

NAYPYIDAW, Japan _ Myanmar has been billed as "Asia's final frontier," and its rich resources and cheap wage levels are increasingly catching the eye of Japanese companies and the government.