developing countries

Stories 21 - 38 | << Prev 

How the US Became a Banana Republic
 How the US Became 
 a Banana Republic 
GLOSSIES

How the US Became a Banana Republic

America is a textbook IMF case—but one without a solution

(Newser) - As chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, MIT professor Simon Johnson saw a pattern in bankrupted countries from Argentina to Indonesia: "The powerful elites within them overreached in good times and took too many risks." The current US crisis, Johnson writes in the Atlantic, is "shockingly...

Bombed-Out US Economy Blasts Globe Into Recession

Developing nations hit especially hard in first world recession since World War II

(Newser) - The world economy is plunging into its first global recession since World War II, and sending 46 million people in developing countries back into poverty, warns a World Bank report. The global lender is urging leading nations to pledge a portion of their stimulus packages to stem the mounting crisis...

Glaxo to Cut Drug Prices in Developing World

No. 2 pharma firm will open 'patent pool' to outside scientists

(Newser) - GlaxoSmithKline’s new boss has proposed a radical rethinking of big pharma in developing countries: He plans to cut prices, offer portions of profits to hospitals, and loosen his firm’s grip on patents that keep prices up, the Guardian reports. “I think it's absolutely the kind of thing...

Summit Puts Off Thorniest Questions Until Next Year

(Newser) - Today's summit of world leaders may have found broad agreement on the need for bold reform of the global markets, but it left the toughest decisions to future meetings, the Wall Street Journal reports. The broad strokes include greater oversight of banks and credit-rating agencies, a review of executive pay,...

Toilet Summit Tackles Issue of 'Potty Parity' for Women

Organizations discuss worldwide sanitation in Macau

(Newser) - The World Toilet Summit began in Macau today, as UN agencies, civil-society groups and the World Toilet Organization discuss how to provide sanitation for the 2.5 billion who still lack access to a clean lavatory, LiveScience reports. The summit will also address the issue of “potty parity”—...

Eggbeater Helps Scientists Whip Disease

Harvard researchers fashion a household item into a diagnostic device

(Newser) - Centrifuges separate blood from plasma—but at considerable expense, in a bulky package. That leaves them beyond the reach of underfunded medical facilities that could use the help in diagnosing blood-borne ailments, such as hepatitis and other diseases. The solution, Discover reports, could be as close as the nearest kitchen....

World Bank Vows to Stand Behind Poor

Aid to developing nations must be maintained, bank president warns

(Newser) - The head of the World Bank cautioned yesterday that the economic crisis could hit developing countries the hardest, and pledged the bank’s support in helping those nations protect their poor, reports AP. Bank president Robert Zoellick warned that aid to impoverished regions must continue to flow even as the...

American Capitalism Is Dead. The Culprit? America
American Capitalism Is Dead. The Culprit? America
ANALYSIS

American Capitalism Is Dead. The Culprit? America

(Newser) - As Wall Street banks collapse like a house of cards, American capitalism isn’t just failing in practice; the very idea of unregulated, free-functioning markets has received a serious blow, writes Anthony Faiola in the Washington Post. Once the symbols of American economic might, there's a real possibility that many...

The Battle for India's Largest Slum

Developers see 'brand-new beautiful suburb' near Mumbai; residents beg to differ

(Newser) - With the Indian economy booming, developers have their sights on Dharavi, the vast Mumbai slum that sits at the intersection of two popular commuter train lines and conveniently close to the Mumbai airport. Visions of shanty houses and refuse-filled streets replaced by glass high-rise apartments and office parks—"a...

China, India Reject G8 Carbon Plan

Developing countries show impotence of conference

(Newser) - Neither China nor India agreed to adopt the G8's targets for cutting carbon emissions by 2050 at their joint meeting today. Asia's two big developing economies, joined by Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa, said carbon reductions would endanger their growth and exacerbate poverty, and that rich nations should clean up...

Recycled 'E-Waste' Can Be Toxic

Old TVs, PCs can pollute developing countries

(Newser) - Recycling old computers, cell phones, and TVs may sound like a good idea—but be sure you know the destination before you dump such material, USA Today advises. While such “e-waste” recycling programs are springing up everywhere these days, some pose a threat. Often, the materials end up in...

Global Econ Puzzle Awaits New President
Global Econ Puzzle Awaits New President
OPINION

Global Econ Puzzle Awaits New President

Kick-starting economy means looking abroad, write Goldman chiefs

(Newser) - Whether it's John McCain or Barack Obama, the next president will confront a global economic landscape unlike anything his predecessor confronted, write Robert Hormats and Jim O'Neill. In an op-ed for the Financial Times, the two Goldman Sachs executives explain that the new president's greatest challenge will be the rise...

Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer
 Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer 

Another Key Shortage: Fertilizer

Prices skyrocket, ingredients scarce as growing population demands more food

(Newser) - One of the less touted factors behind the global food crisis is a shortage in chemical fertilizer, which has helped boost crop yields dramatically and particularly benefited the developing world. But while growing demand is unlikely to be met for many years, the environmental impact of producing and using chemical...

Peru Distributes '$100 Laptop'
 Peru Distributes '$100 Laptop' 

Peru Distributes '$100 Laptop'

One Laptop per Child effort faces on-the-ground test

(Newser) - One Laptop per Child got a bumpy start, with the “$100 laptop” soaring to $188, for-profit competitors snatching customers, and developing countries hesitating to buy. But the true test for the nonprofit comes now, as Peru prepares to send 486,500 computers to its poorest schoolchildren. The country faces...

Child Nutrition Boosts Adult Income: Study

Guatemalan kids given supplement earn 50% more as grown-ups

(Newser) - Eating a nutritious diet as an infant has a significant effect on income later in life, a study published in the Lancet finds. Researchers looked at Guatemalan males over a three-decade period and found that those who had received a nutritious food supplement were earning close to 50% more per...

Plasma TV Back From the Dead
Plasma TV Back From the Dead

Plasma TV Back From the Dead

Finds niche in developing countries, but boom may not last

(Newser) - Plasma TV's rollercoaster ride continues as the technology given up for dead more than a year ago has made a booming sales comeback, Reuters reports. Demand in the developing world, especially in China, is driving the upswing. LCD technology seemed until recently to have trampled plasma, but it turns out...

Climate Reps at Odds Over Deforestation

Rich countries balk at paying poorer nations to stop hacking trees

(Newser) - The triumph of the Bali summit may be its plan to stop deforestation, but rich and poor nations are still clashing over details, the Washington Post reports. A dozen developing countries want incentives to stop tree-cutting, but some developed nations wince at paying them for actions not taken. "The...

Budget Batters FDA Oversight of Foreign Drugs

Commissioner to testify before Congress today

(Newser) - The federal Food and Drug Administration's spotty record inspecting foreign drug manufacturers will be even worse next year as its budget drops just as developing countries are flooding the market with new medications, reports the Washington Post. Foreign drug plants are inspected only once every eight to 12 years because...

Stories 21 - 38 | << Prev