Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi urged local governments to push for scientific outlook on development to boost progress of the country's central region.

Admitting corruption has hampered Shanghai's development, Mayor Han Zheng yesterday vowed to build a clean, efficient and transparent government.

Sustainable energy is a keystone for local development. That is the central message Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policy, will deliver at a conference on energy in Bari, Southern Italy, today. The conference, organised to develop Italy's regional development policy for 2007-2013, is entitled 'Sustainable, Competitive and Safe Energy'.

Country profile:

Size: 43 098 km².
5.4 million inhabitants; 53% live in rural areas.
Unemployment rate of 3.5% is among the lowest by EU standards.

Region profile:

Includes the convergence programme for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and the Competitiveness programme for lowland and upland Scotland.

Under the auspices of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and Science Times, a selection of China's 10 most significant developments in science and technology in 2007 was recently made in Beijing. Some 540 Members of CAS and CAE took part in the voting. Its results were released on Jan. 20.

Although much less public than the major media announcements of the world's largest corporations, GE and Wal-Mart, the real estate industry is quietly transforming by embracing sustainable business practices and green technologies.

On June 7th the World Bank approved a package of assistance worth US$451 million to help the Government of Pakistan improve education in Punjab and Sindh, enhance irrigation in Punjab, implement reforms in education and health in North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and eradicate polio throughout the country.

THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minnesota and AUSTIN, Texas, June 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- Digi-Key Now Stocking Luminary Micro Stellaris(R) Microcontroller Products

Luminary Micro (http://www.luminarymicro.com), creators of the award-winning Stellaris family of Cortex(TM)-M3-based microcontrollers (MCUs), and Digi-Key Corporation, a proven leader in electronic component distribution, announced today that the Stellaris family of MCUs and kits will be made available globally through Digi-Key.

World Bank finds donor nations lag on promises on greater aid, freer trade