For foreigners it is a time honored image of Japan : a meditative soak in the mineral waters of a hot spring, preferably pondering jagged black volcanic rocks, a bough of cherry blossoms, or even for

As she prepared to receive the Nobel Peace Prize , the Kenyan environmental activist Wangari Maathai tried to defuse a controversy over African news reports that quote her as saying

In Nyeri, as in much of Africa and the developing world, water sources have dried up, the soil is parched and unsuitable for growing food and conflicts over land are common. As household managers in

The announcement that an experimental vaccine could provide good protection against a dangerous strain of avian influenza is an encouraging development. But it's also a reminder of how ill prepared

High in the Tien Shan Mountains, 180 kilometers from the Chinese border, most health professionals do not endorse the use of unrefined mineral supplements. Although people have been eating clay,

It might seem counterintuitive

Twelve years ago, the White House and Congress made an agreement with the pharmaceutical industry that seemed eminently reasonable at the time. The industry would suply substantial sums

Sugar exports from Thailand the world's second-largest supplier of the sweetener, may fall about 25 per cent in the year to next September as drought causes a greater than expected slide in the cane

For five months, Gao Lading and other angry farmers had occupied the walled compound of the Communist Party's village office. They had pitched tents, eaten rice and sweet potatoes, and waited. It was

Government ministers descended on this storied north Indian state capital to kick off an ambitious rural health initiative. The city's roads were freshly tarred, and banners hung along the main