And they are exacerbated by bad management, says Simon Long AS IT SCOURS the universe for signs of extraterrestrial life, NASA has a motto-cum-mission-statement: “Follow the water”. About 70% of the human
When economists, scientists and governments want to study the state of the environment, and reach sensible decisions, they have a problem. Most of the data available concern local areas or regions,
A pleasant town in a broad green valley in northern Peru, Cajamarca is the site of one of history's great betrayals. Some 200 yards from the main square, through a Spanish colonial doorway, stands a
What is the death toll from AIDS in South Africa? There is no easy answer. Graveyards and memorial pages in newspapers make it plain that young people, especially women, are dying in droves. Last
"The intermixing of science and politics is a bad combination, with a bad history.' So warns Michael Crichton at the end of his current, popular novel, "State of Fear'. He argues that wilful
A whole region struggles to recover from the aftermath of the biggest earthquake seen for 40 years. Early on December 26th, came the horror stories of western tourists spending their Christmas
One pertinent question in the wake of the earthquake near Aceh and the tsunami it generated is how much notice of an approaching wave can be given to vulnerable people without the risk of crying
Of the many promises made by India's governing coalition, led by the Congress party, in its "common minimum programme' last May, one stood out for its scope and ambition. This was the "immediate'
An irate bunch of villagers recently marched on the legislature of India's eastern state of Orissa, bearing reptiles. Earlier they had threatened to release 5,000 snakes into the halls of the state
Two particular tasks face the world's rich nations, argues Britain's prime minister in this article: sorting out Africa, and dealing with climate change. Britain takes over the presidency of the G8
