Full Coverage: Poverty

31.01.2006 A fresh round of research missions is set to probe the seafloor rupture that triggered the devastating tsunami of 2004. But when researchers arrive in the Indian Ocean, they will find some areas are off-limits. Geologists want access to Indian waters to understand the devastating seafloor earthquake in 2004.

31.01.2006 THE TALLY is growing. First it was confined to the frontline agricultural State of Punjab. But now the ultimate symbol of growing rural despair — putting villages up for sale — has spread to central India. Dorli, a sleepy village in Maharashtra's Wardha district, has sounded the bugle.

31.01.2006 International agency Oxfam has said that rich countries must change their attitude to world trade negotiations and show leadership to deliver reforms that lift people out of poverty. It wants the EU and US to stop making excuses for not reforming agricultural trade rules and to end their unreasonable demands for developing countries to open industry and services markets.

31.01.2006 Crops grown by small farmers are central to food security, health, economic growth, poverty reduction, and social stability in these regions. In determining how best to exploit the existing capacity for genome sequencing, therefore, we believe that crops essential to resource-poor farmers in developing countries should be given highest priority.

31.01.2006 A fresh round of research missions is set to probe the seafloor rupture that triggered the devastating tsunami of 2004. But when researchers arrive in the Indian Ocean, they will find some areas are off-limits. Geologists want access to Indian waters to understand the devastating seafloor earthquake in 2004.

30.01.2006 Tra le centinaia di seminari del V Forum Sociale policentrico che si è tenuto a fine gennaio a Caracas, la società civile latinoamericana ha affrontato anche il dibattito “dalla civilizzazione petrolifera alle civilizzazioni post-petrolifere sostenibili e le loro implicazioni con il debito ecologico”. Il Venezuela ispirato dal petropulismo può permettersi di lanciare anatemi contro il capitalismo e di fare la voce grossa con gli Stati Uniti, il paese che compra il 70 % del suo greggio. Ma nonostante l’irritazione della Casa Bianca, il Venezuela dei petrodollari continua ad attrarre i capitali americani. In base alla legge sugli idrocarburi, le multinazionali del petrolio potranno continuare a operare nel paese, quinto produttore mondiale, a patto che sottoscrivano accordi di “associazioni mista” con la holding energetica statale. Chavez ha fatto della questione energetica uno degli assi fondamentali del suo progetto politico per il continente e ha trovato un importante alleato nel neo presidente boliviano Evo Morales, che dovrà operare verso una nazionalizzazione dei giacimenti di gas impostagli dai movimenti indigeni, anche se trova una certa contrarietà da parte brasiliana. di Cristiano Morsolin

30.01.2006 That the first, second and third worlds coexist within India has long been known. A new academic report corroborates this but also speaks of a 'fourth world' left behind in this country of a billion people, that aspires to be a global leader. The country's first ever ‘Social Development Report' warns that, since the economy was liberalised 15 years ago, disparities and inequalities have sharpened and regional imbalances widened to a point where social instability has become a serious threat.

30.01.2006 Speakers at the seminar on ‘Access to Information and Development: Role of ICTs’ said that the targets of the MDGs and PRSP should provide more emphasis on mainstreaming ICTs for leveraging the potential of economy and society leading towards a knowledge society.

30.01.2006 Rregjistrimet për programin e parë radiofonik në gjuhën rome të caktuara për transmetim në Radion Publike të B & H, janë kompletuar nga Instituti i Medias në Sarajevë. Projekti Amaro Drom (Rruga Jonë) është përgatitur nga 10 të rinj e të reja romë të cilët mbaruan trajnimin 3-mujor në këtë Institut.

30.01.2006 ActionAid India's third country strategy paper of India is called Rights First. It will serve as the organisation's guide for the years 2005 to 2010 and will help ActionAid work on tribals, dalits and Muslims - which are the marginalised communities in India.

30.01.2006 SAFTA is aimed at reducing existing tariffs to less than 5 per cent within a stipulated time frame to boost trade among the SAARC member countries. India will have to allay fears of other members about its dominance

30.01.2006 Environmental activist Medha Patkar has asked Left parties to take a firm position against the machinations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Monitory Fund (IMF), World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) whose funding programmes "are aimed at changing our priorities and culture.''

27.01.2006 The country's shift to a market economy has been met by widespread protests over high inflation, rising living costs and now the government's decision to delay a 40% increase in basic wages, which it turns out only applies to employees of foreign firms.

27.01.2006 Nato alla periferia di Firenze, il Fondo Etico e Sociale della Comunità delle Piagge vuole essere una proposta concreta per rispondere ai problemi più immediati degli abitanti del quartiere e per finanziare progetti di promozione del territorio. Come? Attraverso il microcredito e l'autogestione, ma soprattutto, anteponendo la relazione umana e lo sviluppo del tessuto sociale al patrimonio e alle garanzie finanziare. Oltre 50 famiglie hanno versato 60mila euro. E in pochi mesi sono già stati erogati 33 prestiti. Dal 25 giugno del 2000 la Cooperativa Sociale "Il Cerro", in stretta collaborazione con la Comunità delle Piagge, ha dato infatti vita ad una raccolta di prestiti e risparmi presso i propri soci per la creazione del Fondo Etico e Sociale. A chiedere i prestiti sono tutte persone "non bancabili", cioè persone che mai riuscirebbero ad avere un prestito da un istituto di credito e che, senza un appoggio, non avrebbero un'alternativa e magari rischierebbero di diventare facile preda degli usurai. Il tasso d´insolvenza è zero: tutti coloro che prendono soldi a prestito li restituiscono regolarmente.

27.01.2006 The recording of the firts radio programme in Romani language intended for broadcasting on the B&H Public Radio Service, was completed at the Media Plan Institute in Sarajevo. The Amaro Drom Project (Our Way) was prepared by ten young Roma men and women who completed the three-month training at the Institute.

27.01.2006 We observe that poverty of nations instead of wealth of nations and simultaneous wealth of transnational corporations. The wealth of the world has increased -- multinationals are becoming wealthier, but the majority of the people of the world and most nations of the world, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), are becoming poorer. Mohammad Zakaria, ActionAid, Bangladesh, analyses the impact of globalization on LDCs and in particularly on Bangladesh. But the article represent south asia.

27.01.2006 After the tsunami, lives and livelihoods are threatened once again by war. The was has caused more disruption to daily life than the tsunami’s brief but tragic assault. Now there are frightening signs that the country is on the brink of a return to full-scale civil war.

27.01.2006 The Agriculture Development Ministry will promote Sri Lanka's export agriculture crops throughout the world with the assistance of Trade Commissioners serving in Lankan missions abroad. Through this move, the Ministry intends to obtain more foreign exchange earnings, Agriculture Development Minister Chamal Rajapakse said.

27.01.2006 A Sri Lankan robotics scientist leads an effort to get technology working for poor communities around the world. Read more on the project from Scidev.net.

27.01.2006 With mounting criticism of Greenpeace's opposition to arrival of French ship Clemenceau to Indian ship-breaking yard Alang, the organisation seems to have modified its stand on the industry. Read this press release by Greenpeace.