Development : Use of ICT services grows despite global downturn (PRIV)
(Riaz K Tayob, Geneva)
Despite the recent global economic downturn, the use of information and communication technology (ICT) services continued to grow worldwide, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has said.

Health : Addressing pre-term births crucial to anti-poverty goals (PRIV)
(IPS, Washington)
Reducing the annual 13 million pre-term births and 3.2 million stillbirths should be a global public health priority, says a report released on 22 February which asserts that significant reductions in these numbers could be achieved by improving access to low-cost interventions in both low- and high-income countries.

Europe : Military technology to track down migrants? (PRIV)
(IPS, Brussels)
Arms manufacturers have been asked to advise an official European Union (EU) body on how their products can be used to stop asylum seekers entering the bloc's territory.

Sri Lanka : Halt in EU tariff scheme gives workers the jitters (PRIV)
(IPS, Colombo)
For garment factory workers like Anoma Piyaseele, the European Union's (EU) concessionary tariffs for imports from Sri Lanka meant little more than a vague term for policymakers to deal with - until news came that they would be suspended soon.

United States : Government sued over cell phone tracking (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
If you are a US resident who owns a cell phone, you should care about the outcome of a court case that "could well decide whether the government can use your cell phone to track you - even if it hasn't shown probable cause to believe it will turn up evidence of a crime."

Uruguay : A return to mud and straw (PRIV)
(IPS, Ciudad de la Costa)
More and more Uruguayans are keen on building ecological homes. The problem is that there is hardly any market or specialised labour for what is known as "bio-building."