UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will announce a new global initiative on Friday to eliminate more than one million deaths every year caused by malaria as quickly as possible. In his video message for a World Malaria Day event at UN headquarters, Ban said the initiative will offer indoor spraying and bed nets treated with long-lasting insecticide "to all people at risk, especially women and children in Africa" by the end of 2010. The video was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

Alas! Some respite for parents from scratching their heads, as no more they have to think about the places where they can take their children to play in the city. With a new garden project initiated by Raj Shroff, this park will surely be one of the best hangouts for the kids. Unlike the existing parks, this park has separate sections for kids belonging to different age groups. It includes zone for toddlers, for kids and so on. Also, not forgetting the special ones, this park will also have special games for the handicapped children.

THE World Food Program has begun to cut the provision of school meals to some of the world's poorest children as the global crisis over food prices worsens. WFP executive director Josette Sheeran said on Tuesday that the price of basic foods was rising so rapidly that a shortfall in financing for its food relief programs had grown from $US500 million ($A530 million) to $US755 million in less than two months.

Canada's decision to label as toxic a chemical that is used to make a popular form of plastic has created headaches for some makers of baby bottles, sports water bottles and other food and beverage containers. Sally McCoy, the chief of CamelBak, a sports bottle maker, switched plastics, even though the substitute costs more. But it may prove to be a bonanza for companies like Eastman Chemical, which makes a comparable plastic without the offending ingredient, as well as for makers of glass and food-grade stainless steel.

authorities failed to act when they became aware of a waterborne epidemic following the breakdown of water treatment facilities. The deaths occurred in the Eastern Cape province last October but have only come to light now after the leak of a report into the epidemic. Children died from diarrhoea and other complications but the exact disease which led to the tragedy is unknown as no stool samples were taken by the hospitals treating those affected.

Serious gaps in police investigation and the resulting lack of evidence combined with poor prosecution have allowed the court of district and sessions judge, West, to acquit a factory owner and others in the case where the dumping of highly toxic industrial waste in an open area was alleged to have caused the deaths of two children in Site town. Handed down on March 26, the judgment chided the police for having made misdirected efforts "for its own reasons' and for failing to prosecute the case properly.

UNICEF's post-tsunami three-year Re-Building with Children Recovery Plan, is fast nearing completion. Responding to a request of the Education Ministry, UNICEF committed to building 21 schools islandwide, to replace facilities damaged or destroyed by the tsunami.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney is urging the world to go vegetarian in a bid to fight global warming and is surprised more green groups don't promote it. In an interview with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), McCartney said the global meat industry was a major contributor to global warming. A transcript of the PETA interview was given to Reuters.

In entire Golaghat district, including Dhansiri, Bokakhat and Golaghat subdivision, thousands of child labourers are busy in the struggle for a livelihood by working in hotels, restaurants, garages, tea gardens and houses belonged to rich people.

ONLY George Orwell could have invented