The United Nations world conference on small arms has collapsed without agreement — despite the majority of governments, including the European Union and many African and Latin American governments, backing tougher controls on the international trade in small arms and light weapons, Oxfam Great Britain said on Monday.
The semi-arid Sahel stretches across Africa just south of the Sahara. The region suffered severe drought during the second half of the 20th century, but there is disagreement between scientists on the reasons for the decline in rainfall — and on the Sahel’s future prospects of increased rainfall.
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/ 24 January 2005
A powerful international consortium set up to accelerate research into a vaccine against HIV/Aids has identified major barriers to the first generation of commercially available HIV vaccines — and ways to overcome these obstacles, says a Science and Development Network report.
In the long-term, nanotechnology — or the technology of very small particles — could generate big benefits for global society, such as cheap sustainable energy and better methods for disease diagnosis and treatment. But there is a risk that different capabilities to develop and exploit new technologies will create a "nano-divide" between rich and poor nations in the more immediate future.