Full Coverage: Governance

30.04.2008 Transparency International’s new report calls on leading oil and gas companies for greater transparency in payments made to governments of resource-rich countries. Host governments need to enforce and enact regulations for an equitable exploitation of their oil and gas wealth to help fight poverty, the report adds.

30.04.2008 Telecentres can serve as an important source of information by connecting citizens with the government. A growing trend of commercialisation is however treating such entitlements as services and citizens as customers who pay service charges, writes research associate Vivek Vaidyanathan.

30.04.2008 Millions of volunteers will visit every household in the country in the coming years to gather information on changing demographics, in a census that will reveal how economic growth has affected its people. India’s population is expected to climb to 1.19 billion in 2011 from 1.13 billion in 2008, say officials.

29.04.2008 A comprehensive database, designed to track school-going children in Orissa in eastern India, has received the prestigious Prime Minister Award for Excellence in Public Administration for the year 2006-07. According to the state's Primary Education Project Authority, project ‘e-shishu’ will enable steps for universal education in the state.

28.04.2008 Nepal Maoists owe their impressive performance in the recently held elections to the support of the marginalised communities. It is now up to the former rebels to prove themselves and come up to the expectations of these people whose interests have long been ignored in the past.

24.04.2008 Even as UNESCO’s latest report pans India for lagging behind in the race for achieving education for all by 2015, experts gathered in the capital weigh up the nationally sponsored Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Exclusion and discrimination remain core challenges as millions of children remain outside its fold, is the verdict.

24.04.2008 BANGKOK, Apr 23 (IPS) - A rising star within the ranks of Burma's military regime is reported to have unveiled a plan to ensure the junta gets its way at the May referendum for a new constitution, according to information revealed to IPS.

23.04.2008 Come May 10 and Burmese citizens will vote to endorse a constitution that took a decade and a half to be drafted. The military junta, however, seems to have its own plans to swing the tide in its favour.

22.04.2008 WASHINGTON, Apr 22 (OneWorld) - Pennies a day. That's all it would cost the United States to significantly reduce the emission of gases that contribute to global warming. What's more, the cost to businesses, families, and overall economic growth would be minimal, according to a new study released this week.

22.04.2008 To counter human trafficking, Indian government with support from UN agency on drugs and crime has released a manual for Delhi Police. The manual guides policemen to deal strictly with the crime and also talks of bringing about an attitudinal change so as not to subject the victims to further indignities.

21.04.2008 SAN FRANCISCO, Apr 21 (OneWorld) - About 300,000 U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or major depression. Another 320,000 veterans likely suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI), a type of physical brain damage often caused by explosions from roadside bombs.

18.04.2008 ASUNCION, Apr 17 (IPS) - An indigenous woman has an excellent chance of winning a seat in Congress for the first time in the history of Paraguay, in Sunday's general elections.

17.04.2008 Bowing to the demands of people with disabilities in India, Karnataka’s Election Commission has decided to build ramps at all polling booths and provide Braille-equipped voting machines in the upcoming assembly elections. But this is the fulfillment of just one demand out of many.

17.04.2008 Ravaged by ethnic unrest and socio-economic deprivation, Karbi Anglong is the first district of Assam in north-east India to have implemented a quality management system for facilitating public services. Cooperative units for dairy processing and banking are a series of development initiatives aimed at freeing the district of its poverty tag.

15.04.2008 Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies is organising eIndia2008 from July 29-31, 2008 at New Delhi, India. The fourth annual ICT forum in the country will be a unique platform for stakeholders to share best practices and exchange ideas on creating a technology-enabled society.

12.04.2008 WASHINGTON, Apr 11 (OneWorld) - African development experts here are cautiously optimistic that Zimbabwe's election process, while still disputed, will bring about historic change for the country's 12 million people.

11.04.2008 In a landmark judgment, India’s Supreme Court has upheld the law that provides reservation in admissions in central government educational institutions to backward castes. With this the share of reserved seats will be close to 50%. However, the affluent sections from the disadvantaged groups will not be able to gain the preferential treatment.

10.04.2008 Nepal’s historic poll began early this morning. About 17.6 million eligible voters will have a choice to elect a Constituent Assembly that will decide the fate of the 240-year old Shah dynasty in the country.

09.04.2008 Despite India’s ambitious National Rural Health Mission in action, rural health services remain poor, lacking infrastructure, staff and essential medicines, with funds pouring into private healthcare. At a recent meet at the capital, policymakers, experts, activists and the media examined the lacunae and discussed future strategies.

09.04.2008 CARACAS, Apr 8 (IPS) - Trawl fishing is on its way out in Venezuela, amid demonstrations by artisanal fisherfolk who support the new law as amended by President Hugo Chavez.