Full Coverage: International cooperation

28.04.2006 At least two sailors were killed and three STF personnel injured when suspected LTTE cadres exploded two claymore mines targeting the security forces in two separate incidents in Mannar and Jaffna.

28.04.2006 King Gyanendra reinstated the assembly on 24 April in a bid to end almost three weeks of nationwide protests in which at least 14 people died. But the swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala was delayed due to ill health.

28.04.2006 At least half a billion people in developing Asia are unemployed or underemployed and finding ways to provide them productive jobs should top economic agendas around the region, according to an ADB book.

27.04.2006 The United States Wednesday vowed to organise an international pressure campaign against the LTTE in the aftermath suicide bombing in Colombo. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said the State Department was in touch in Washington and abroad with other countries "to bring to bear whatever pressure we can on the Tigers to abandon this course of action" and to look for ways to support the Government of Sri Lanka.

27.04.2006 Thousands of people have fled their homes in north-eastern Sri Lanka as the military launched fresh air strikes on Tamil Tiger targets. Local officials said about 40,000 people were moving north to seek safety in the jungle.

20.04.2006 Developing countries - India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - will lower customs duty by 40 per cent in 2006 for the products originating from the least developed countries -? Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives - under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement

19.04.2006 Software giant Microsoft said that it would launch the latest version of its Office software suite by the end of the year and the company's India development centre has made a significant contribution to it.

19.04.2006 The World Bank approved two credits for a total of US$200 million for the National Agricultural Innovation Project. It is designed to assist the Government of India transform the agriculture sector from being primarily focused on food self-sufficiency to a more market-oriented approach in support of poverty alleviation and income generation

19.04.2006 Bangladesh has finalised a list of 1,017 products to try to get duty-free market access to the WTO member countries.It was agreed at the last WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong that 97 per cent of products from the least-developed countries (LDCs) would be allowed duty-free access to the markets of WTO member nations.

18.04.2006 The World Bank Monday gave out US$35,000 grant to six projects that will help youth development work in Sri Lanka. In its second consecutive year, the 2006 Small Grants Programme aims to build capacity and develop management skills among Sri Lankans within the ages of 18-30 years, the bank's Country Director Peter Harrold told reporters.

13.04.2006 World trade organisation director general Pascal Lamy felt the full weight of Indian civil society on a recent visit as he sought to get a sense of the stakeholders' views on the Doha development round of negotiations. From angry farmers to lucid economic experts, he heard the strong views of those who may ultimately be affected by the outcome of the current round of trade talks.

12.04.2006 The Centre for Democracy Foundation, in cooperation with the Government Office for Accession to the EU, presented the publication European Strategies and Policies in the Local Community.

12.04.2006 Software association Nasscom today said that the recent changes in the UK law to protect the interests of workers in outsourcing contracts, is unlikely to have an adverse impact on Indian businesses.

12.04.2006 Afghan President Hamid Karzai invited the Indian IT companies to sep up joint ventures in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

11.04.2006 On Wednesday, April 12, 2006, the NGO Support Centre – Kratovo will organize a debate (“Kratis” Hotel, 14:00 hours) to discuss the following topics: The process of association of the Republic of Macedonia towards the European Union and its perspectives; IPA – Instrument for Preaccession Assistance; and Cross-border cooperation programme – Bulgaria.

10.04.2006 ADB is hosting a meeting of major partners to discuss regional coordination to meet the threat posed by avian influenza in Asia and the Pacific.

10.04.2006 Upholding the date of birth entered in school records as admissible evidence under law, the Supreme Court has observed: "It may be true that an entry in the school register is not conclusive but it has evidential value."

09.04.2006 Over 100 million children wake up every day without the hope of being educated.5 million people came together in 2005 in the largest global campaign for universal primary education. How many will get involved in 2006?

09.04.2006 There is a shortage of 4.3 million health workers worldwide, particularly in the poorest countries where they are needed the most, according to the World Health Report, 2006 released.

08.04.2006 South Asia’s growth is expected to moderate to 7.3% in 2006 as a result of some slowing in India and Pakistan, but then rise slightly to 7.5% in 2007, according to a major ADB report. The region grew 7.8% in 2005.