The Independent

One man in Boston has a plan that he hopes will bridge the world's gaping digital divide - and quickly.

As global warming melts the world's ice sheets, rising sea levels are not the only danger. Viruses hidden for thousands of years may thaw and escape - and we will have no resistance to them. By Kate Ravilious

The pharmaceutical industry is bracing itself for criticism when the film 'The Constant Gardener' opens next month. But Jeremy Laurance reports that away from the Hollywood script is a true story of how multinational drug companies took liberties with African lives with devastating consequences.

We are told that, to live sustainably, we need to reduce our CO emissions by two thirds. Is this really feasible? Absolutely, says Donnachadh McCarthy, who has transformed his London house into a low-carbon, climate-friendly home

Withdraw the 8,000 British troops in Iraq as soon as logistically possible, handing responsibility for law and order to Iraqi authorities.

If we think we can stave off climate catastrophe simply by raising public awareness, we are deceiving ourselves, says Mayer Hillman. The truth is, only urgent and ruthless government action will do

Bird flu threatens to cause a "catastrophic" economic crash in Britain and around the world, unprecedented in modern times, according to new research. By Geoffrey Lean

One billion dollars has been plundered from Iraq's defence ministry in one of the largest thefts in history

It is the great liberator that has changed the course of history. But it has brought misery as well as wealth, and the latest global convulsions triggered by this corrupting substance show how perilous is the world's dependence on it. By Adrian Hamilton

Cluster bombs are being offered for sale at an arms fair in London, The Independent has discovered, despite assurances by the organisers, that the weapon would not be marketed at the event. By Saeed Shah

British and American arms companies have been criticised for marketing weapons used in Iraq at Europe's biggest arms fair. By Terry Kirby

The UN aimed to mark its 60th anniversary with deep reforms. Instead, rows overshadow this week's huge gathering of world leaders. By Anne Penketh

Parts of the United States are as poor as the Third World, according to a shocking United Nations report on global inequality. By Paul Vallely

New Orleans Mayor orders 'forceful evacuation' as contaminated waters threaten an environmental disaster. By Andrew Gumbel and Rupert Cornwell

The Independent - like the Guardian, a newspaper with supposed progressive credentials - noted blandly in a recent editorial that "Global warming is given little coverage by the US media."

The worst has happened in New Orleans and not everyone is surprised. For years, specialists have warned that the city, built partly below sea level and in an area of radically depleted wetlands, was a natural disaster waiting to happen. By David Usborne

The human cost of the "Bra Wars" crisis between China and Europe can be revealed today.

The speaker of the fledgling Iraqi parliament has announced a 24-hour extension to talks over the country's new constitution on a day of renewed sectarian infighting that left at least 40 people dead. By Kim Sengupta

It seems that Israel wants to lock up Gaza and throw away the key

Charities in Britiain suffer loss of funding as Niger famine appeal is launched. By Maxine Frith

Turkey's hopes of starting EU membership talks in two months took a nosedive yesterday when Paris threatened to wreck negotiations unless Ankara first recognises Cyprus. By Stephen Castle

Hiroshima » Sixty years after the dawn of the Atomic Age, survivors look back amid fears their nation's postwar pacifism is at risk. By David McNeill

More than 3.5 million people in Niger are on the verge of starving to death, after a plague of locusts and a punishing drought destroyed last year's harvest

Almost 25,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed during the two years of war and insurgency that began with the US-led invasion in March 2003. More than a third have died as a result of action by allied forces.

One of Britain's richest landowners plans to boost his family fortune by drilling for gas in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the heart of Surrey's protected heathlands. By Robert Verkaik

G8 leaders will present a united front today after hours of negotiations aimed at striking a deal on the key issues of global warming, aid for Africa and fairer trade rules. By Philip Thornton

Tony Blair's hopes of a breakthrough to tackle climate change were dealt a blowwhen President George Bush made it clear that he would not help the Prime Minister to strike a deal on global warming at the G8 summit in return for his support on Iraq. By Marie Woolf

'A concert? Why is this one special?' By Meera Selva

Can America prevent the rich countries agreeing what to do about climate change? That's the other vital question at Gleneagles alongside Africa and its poverty and, last night, the omens did not look good.

Humans arrived in America 25,000 years earlier than previously thought - at least 40,000 years ago - footprints found near Mexico City have proved. By David Keys