Full Coverage: South Asia

31.08.2005 The UN has reported that an increasing number of people are disappearing in Nepal and this is being done by both - the government as well as the Maoist rebels. In another report, UNICEF has said that an estimated 2.4 million children and women are trafficked every year for prostitution, forced labour and mining work.

31.08.2005 After the hue and cry by relatives of prisoner Sarabjit Singh, an Indian facing death penalty in Pakistan, the governments of India and Pakistan have taken a decision to release all fishermen and civilian prisoners. There are more than 400 Indians and 700 Pakistanis in prisons in Pakistan and India respectively.

31.08.2005 With an aim to popularise rail ticket booking through the Internet, a Parliamentary Committee has asked the Railways to make available more payment options such as cash cards across a well spread out network.

31.08.2005 In a meeting with the Hon’ble President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Motorola demonstrated e-education project at Rashtrapai Bhavan through its wireless broadband solution.

31.08.2005 Dumping of second hand IT devices is in the agenda of the upcoming Indo-EU summit, going to be held on September 7 in New Delhi.

31.08.2005 Over three lakh students of 1,000 government high schools across Karnataka have learnt the basics of computer education under a project called "Mahiti Sindhu."

31.08.2005 A 15 months long “e-Health & Learning” (e-HL) project was deployed in January 2003 by Sustainable Development Networking Programme(SNDP), which was funded by the European Commission under the Asia IT&C programme.

30.08.2005 Launched in January 2005, BIOTIK is an initiative in biodiversity informatics looks at developing two knowledge bases of the tree species of Western Ghats, India and Northern Annamites of Lao PDR.

30.08.2005 Launched in January 2004, OSCAR looks at developing an open source weed identification software for the major weed species of Rice-Wheat crop systems which can be deployed on Simputers. The application will address extension workers, farmers/farmer groups, students in the Indo-Gangetic plains.

30.08.2005

30.08.2005 The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) expects the foundation for the information technology park in Coimbatore to be laid by the year-end.

30.08.2005 In just two months, each of the 12 municipalities, 37 mandals, 705 gram panchayats and 1,200 revenue villages in Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh will boast of broadband connectivity, with optical fibre cables (OFC) carrying voice, data and video signals at high speeds.

30.08.2005 Here is a list of publications - that deal with development issues, Churches, health and funding - from UK-based funding agency Tearfund. These can be obtained from the Christian Medical Association of India (CMAI).

30.08.2005 Panos south Asia is offering fellowships to print journalists from India to research the human rights and health issues of Dalit women. The fellowship begins from October 2005 - May 2006.

30.08.2005 Eleven young documentary filmmakers – eight women and three men - from eight countries in Asia met for a primary screening of their films on Voluntary Confidential Counselling and Testing (VCCT) for HIV/AIDS in New Delhi last week.

29.08.2005 A successful legacy of social reform, focussing on women's education, has been a motivating factor for women's formal and non-formal education promoted by the State government, private foundations and voluntary organisations in Maharashtra. Centres for women's studies in the universities in the State provide platforms for constructive dialogue to eradicate the hurdles in the way of women's empowerment through education.

29.08.2005 Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on his maiden visit to Afghanistan, has increased India's assistance to Afghanistan to $550 million. The visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 29 years, will also promote regional cooperation through trade and people-to-people contact.

29.08.2005 Equipped with knowledge and training, rural and tribal women in Andhra Pradesh have been able to make their presence felt in the marketplace. Women have been given access to the markets, eliminating middlepersons and overhead expenses and keeping profits within the community. Women are not only the collectors of forest produce and makers of different products but also sellers of these products in the market. This has changed equations between women and men in the village, as this report from UNIFEM and Women’s Feature Service shows.

29.08.2005 An Indian NGO plans to send two lakh emails to the Pakistani government as part of an appeal to release an Indian prisoner who has been sentenced to death. This comes on the heels of similar other appeals, petitions and requests to Pakistan for a pardon for Sarabjit Singh who is facing a death penalty for his alleged involvement in bomb blasts in Lahore.

29.08.2005 A census conducted amongst Afghan refugees in Pakistan finds that they prefer to stay back in Pakistan than go back to their home country even after 2005 - the date the Pakistan government wants them to return.