Thanks to the use of these vaccines and other scientific advancements in the farthest reaches of the world, wild poliovirus cases dropped globally to 223 in just five countries in 2012, an all-time low and a more than 99% decrease from the estimated 350,000 cases in 1988.

Climate change must be integrated into the post-2015 agenda, as ignoring it may condemn many Africans to a life of poverty 1) Protect and invest in African ecosystems 2) Make adaptation and climate risk management core elements of post-2015 development agenda 3) Take advantage of mitigation opportunities 4) Promote Sustainable agriculture and provide support to expand sustainable agriculture methods 5) Manage water 6) Investment in climate smart infrastructures 7) Focus on knowledge and capacity development 8) Invest in information services

'Synthetic' vaccine can be produced and transported in poor countries, where foot and mouth is endemic, without refrigeration

UK aid programmes to support education in three east African countries - together worth more than £1bn - are failing to improve children's basic literacy and maths skills, according to a report published on Friday by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI).

India's rush for industrialisation may be stymied by a lack of power for its factories, but, barely noticed, solar electricity is being taken to thousands of villages in one of the most ambitious grassroots projects ever attempted. Five years ago an estimated 400 million people lived with rudimentary, low-quality kerosene lamps, providing poor, polluting and often dangerous light.

Human rights abuses in Ethiopia's Lower Omo valley are said to be rampant, with tribal leaders imprisoned, dozens of people killed and troops cracking down on dissent ahead of the building of a massive dam, which is forcing the relocation of some of the most remote tribes in Africa.