Tag: Development
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Vaccines deployed as Ebola strikes the Congo
Can we end the scourge of global pandemics? Dozens have died as a fresh Ebola outbreak hits central Africa. The lives of potentially thousands more depend on a new experimental vaccine.
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Extreme poverty slashed by half in 30 years
Can we end poverty forever? Despite the news that last year saw the biggest increase in billionaires in history, the proportion of the world’s poorest has tumbled to less than 10%
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TB, AIDS and polio on the verge of extinction
Is a world free from disease really possible? The news may be about superbugs and cancer but the deeper trends show that many of the great killer diseases are in long-term dramatic retreat
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Clash of the conservationists over new forest
Should we plant more forests? The UK government has backed a project to create a vast green band across England. Reforestation is popular with environmentalists, but it has its critics…
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UK government plans foreign aid overhaul
Is foreign aid a waste of money? The UK’s development secretary has threatened cuts in aid to countries failing to invest in their own people. Some want an end to foreign aid altogether.
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The year world hunger made a deadly comeback
Will the world ever be free from hunger? Last year, for the first time in over a decade, the number of people going hungry began to rise. And the problem is not just in developing countries…
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The tide of plastic waste engulfing the world
Will humanity ever manage to break its plastic habit? Western governments are taking steps to fight it. And now the UN has declared the levels of plastic in the oceans a “planetary crisis”.
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The British explorer lost in the wilderness
Should we leave remote tribes alone? A search is on for a British explorer who has not returned home from an expedition in Papua New Guinea. Some believe he should never have gone at all.
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How poor countries got hooked on junk food
Is cheap food doing more harm than good in the developing world? A shocking in-depth report by The New York Times reveals that there are now more...
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‘Build bicycle-only cities!’ says architect
Should we ban cars? It has been 200 years since the first ever bicycle was invented, changing human transportation forever. Now, one man is calling for a city called “Velotopia”…
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Mudslides wreak fatal havoc in Sierra Leone
Almost 400 people have been killed after deadly mudslides wreaked havoc near the capital of Sierra Leone. Some are now blaming the government, but was this all inevitable?
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Humans may be among ‘walking dead’ species
Scientists in the USA and Mexico say mankind is now responsible for the sixth mass extinction event in Earth’s history. If we all die, will those who come next miss us?
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Yellowstone grizzly ‘no longer endangered’
After decades of population growth, one of America’s favourite animals will be taken off the endangered species list. What does this mean? And why are conservationists unhappy?
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Emergency: the Great Barrier Reef is dying
Young Australians are protesting against the destruction of the Great Barrier Reef. As the world fixates on Trump and North Korea, why is this not the biggest news story in the world today?
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Climate change blamed for deadly landslide
This weekend, an “avalanche of water” caused a mudslide that destroyed the small city of Mocoa in Colombia. At least 250 people were killed. The president blamed climate change — is he right?