Late last year a major international environmental group pulled out of the so-called Kimberley Process designed to guarantee that diamonds do not come from conflict zones.

CNN: How diamonds fuel Africa's conflicts

According to Julie Major, of the International Biochar Initiative, a lobby group based in Maine, infusing savannah in Colombia with biochar made from corn stover (the waste left over when maize is harvested) caused crops there to tower over their char-less peers.

ECONOMIST: Biochar could enrich soils and cut greenhouse gases as well

Washington also pledges to support Russia's increased participation in major international economic organizations like the World Trade Organization and the Group of Seven industrialized nations.

CNN: Clinton And Yeltsin Agree To Disagree

Ross' company, International Textile Group has developed plans for several major initiatives that will target China's emerging middle class starting with a partnership with China Ting Group , a Hong Kong-based manufacturer and retailer of textile products.

FORBES: Ross: Billionaire Ventures Into Chinese Textile Market

The major tobacco stocks, notably Altria Group (MO), Philip Morris International (PM), British American Tobacco (BTI), Reynolds American (RAI), and Lorillard (LO), suffered some setbacks, to be sure, but they stayed close to their 52-week highs.

FORBES: Big Tobacco Stocks Among Healthy Standouts In Market's Turbulent Swings

The Director-General started by assembling an ad hoc group of UN agencies with substantive science portfolios and leaders of major international scientific bodies to provide advice.

UNESCO: Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Responses

The closing of this international meeting will result in a major cultural event during which a famous Afro-Brazilian percussion group will present a festive and dancing concert to thousands of Brazilians who will gather on a central square of Brasilia to celebrate the 23rd August, the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

UNESCO: All Events | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Major Yandex institutional shareholders include Tiger Global, Baring Vostok Private Equity Funds, Roth Advisors and International Finance Group.

FORBES: IPO Watch: Drafting Off LinkedIn, Yandex Looks To Price $1.1B IPO Monday