Productivity on Russian farms remains abysmal-by one measure, a quater of that achieved by Chinese peasants working in identical conditions. Marketing and financial management are scarcely attempted:

You can do anything with a computer - even build an accurate working model of a human heart : a

Southern Sudan's famine, instigated by the government in Khartoum and made worse by the indifference and incompetence of the rebel movement, is growing more severe. But on July 15th, the rebels, the

If all had gone as intended, on July 1st Sweden would have celebrated the closure of a nuclear reactor name Barseback-1. But the plant's owner, Sydkraft AB, did not want to join the party. It visted

Across Europe environmental groups have been lobbying for bans on "soft PVC" in children's toys, arguing that, if chewed, it may cause cancer, kidney damage and other illnesses later in life. Many

Zoos are learning fast that their animals are in danger. At least 20% of the world's species will be lost over the next two decades. Today, damaged ecosystems and a shrinking wilderness mean that

After a sojourn in Washington, DC, the tobacco industry is now back in the courts. How well-manned are its defences? : a

According to recently repeated warnings from the Centres for Disease Control, the Department of Agriculture and even the egg industry itself in US, eating eggs in less than hard boiled state may make

The theme of the 12th World AIDS Conference, which has just taken place in Geneva was "bridging the gap" between the ways that the disease is dealt with in rich and poor countries. A lot of

The UK government's energy review was announced on June 25th. The purpose of the six month review was, in effect, to shore up what remains of Britain's dying coal industry. The government has bought

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