Latest news & blogs
ID cards to be issued in three years after Lords drops its opposition.
The House of Lords accepted the amendment that anyone applying for a new biometric passport before January 2010 could opt out of having an ID card. See the latest on campaigning against ID cards and databases in the UK.
Rural Zimbabwe facing mass hunger.
IWPR reports that people in the countryside can barely feed themselves as crops fail for the sixth successive year. The food security warning organisation, FSEWS, states that the overall food security situation in the country is expected to remain critical in 2006 due to the prevailing macroeconomic situation and poor food availability.
Nepal: Civilians at Risk as Conflict Resumes.
Increased international pressure is necessary to protect civilians caught in the armed conflict between Maoist rebels and government forces in Nepal and prevent the conflict from spiraling out of control. Read Human Rights Watch report 'Nepal’s Civil War: The Conflict Resumes'.
Ministers lack ‘political will’ on climate change.
Friends of the Earth has accused the Government of lacking the political will to combat global warming, in the wake of its Climate Change Review.
High-speed internet for all is now a European Commission priority.
In spite of the rapid broadband take-up across Europe in the past three years, the EU still needs to close a widening gap beween urban and rural areas. The report "Bridging the Broadband gap" (PDF) explains the issues.
Wikipedia study 'fatally flawed'.
Encyclopaedia Britannica has hit out at a study by the journal "Nature", which claimed that it and the Wikipedia were about as accurate as each other on science. See their full response (PDF).
Report urges: Improve water efficiency in farming.
Hundreds of millions of people in developing countries will remain trapped in poverty unless major changes are made to the way water is managed for agriculture. Read the full International Water Management Institute report.
Lords give green light to anti-terror bill.
The legislation means offenders could be jailed for up to seven years for encouraging or inducing terrorism under the clause. Critics say it will damage free speech. Read the text of the debate.
UN Review Conference on Small Arms (RevCon) - countdown has started.
It’s now 100 days until delegates arrive in New York. Find out more about these events.
Environment changes hit Europe's butterflies.
Seven in 10 British butterfly species are declining dramatically as a result of intensive farming, habitat loss and climate change, the largest survey of Europe's butterflies has revealed. Read the New Scientist survey.