Full Coverage: Development

31.12.2007 The Nepal government will spend US$ 1.1 million to set up a national science laboratory to carry out advanced research on biotechnology, biofuels and renewable energy. The laboratory, due to open in the beginning of 2010, will be managed by the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

27.12.2007 BAQUBA, Dec 27 (IPS) - The Iraqi government announcement that monthly food rations will be cut by half has left many Iraqis asking how they can survive.

27.12.2007 Voluntary labour helps transform barren lands of zero production value to amazingly fertile farms in villages across Nanded district in western Indian state of Maharashtra. Villagers are now witnessing a remarkable change in their fortunes.

26.12.2007 There are many countries in the world, which have done far better in terms of human development even without touching growth rates as high as India’s, says P. Sainath, rural affairs editor of The Hindu and recipient of Ramon Magsaysay Award.

24.12.2007 The trend towards the increased number of women and agricultural production appears to be linked with a variety of factors, such as male rural out migration, the growing number of women-headed households and the development labour-intensive cash crops, says Govind Kelkar of UNIFEM, South Asia, in her paper presented at a seminar on “Enhancement of Women Farmers’ Role in the Development of Rural Asia” organized by Food and Fertilizer Technology Center in Korea in October 2007.

19.12.2007 The Internet is set to play a critical role in poverty eradication efforts by providing unprecedented access to knowledge to the poor billions, according to experts gathered at a global knowledge conference. Hosted by the Global Knowledge Partnership, a multi-stakeholder platform by and for various sectors, the summit was a celebration of ten years of partnerships and the sharing of knowledge for the common goal of ICTs for development.

19.12.2007 Bangladesh government had sought almost US$ 2 billion in aid from the international community to rehabilitate people affected by the cyclone. The country is in urgent need of assistance if it has to recover from devastation.

17.12.2007 A free trade agreement launched last week between Peru and the U.S. "fails to deliver on its development potential and could further deepen poverty for Peru's poorest," writes an international humanitarian group.

06.12.2007 Earthquake of 2004 and the tsunami that followed had destroyed the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, a part of India in the Bay of Bengal. Tourists stopped flocking the picturesque islands out of fear. The worried government began promoting tourism by sending its employees for excursions granting them leave travel concession but this policy is now proving to be disastrous.