Topic: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Report: Ethiopians could still go hungry despite economic gains

With its population of 91 million expected to double in the next 22 years, and a drier climate, Ethiopia will have trouble feeding its people, a new report says.

The Masters: 12 women candidates for Augusta National membership

The Augusta National Golf Club has steadfastly refused to alter its all-male membership. But circumstances may soon cause the gender barrier to break, and if it does there are several women who might be good fits for the club.

Bloomberg donates $220 million to anti-smoking efforts worldwide

The charitable foundation of Michael Bloomberg, the New York mayor and anti-smoking activist, is giving $220 million to aid anti-tobacco efforts in low- and middle-income countries, where nearly 80 percent of the world’s smokers live.

Downton Abbey and the kinder, gentler 1 percent

Downton Abbey's Lord Grantham is a kind father figure to his large working class staff. Should we introduce legislation to encourage the upper class to behave as they do in Downton Abbey?

Eight ingredients for a peaceful society

What makes for a peaceful society? Hot spots from Congo to the Middle East would benefit from such knowledge. But so would the United States, which, at home, isn’t always so harmonious and abroad, is still at war in Afghanistan.

Michael Shank, vice president of the Institute for Economics and Peace’s US office gives his take on eight ingredients America needs to build a peaceful society.

How genetically modified mosquitoes could unlock Africa's wealth

Ending malaria could lift African nations out of poverty by spurring education, market productivity, and economic growth.

Good Reads: On World AIDS Day, global relief funding stalls

The results from international public funding for AIDS treatment have been impressive, but the Global Fund has suspended new funding, and US papers give World AIDS Day a pass.

Climate change and chocolate

How will climate change affect cocoa production in West Africa?

On remote Tibetan plateau, a health-care program that could be a model for China

The Surmang Foundation is training community health workers on the remote Tibetan plateau, where small advances can mean the difference between life and death.

Warren Buffett gives $1.5B in stock to Gates Foundation

Warren Buffett donated 19.34 million Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock. Warren Buffett plans to transfer the majority of his wealth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and this gift represents the fifth installment.

America's biggest teacher and principal cheating scandal unfolds in Atlanta

At least 178 teachers and principals in Atlanta Public Schools cheated to raise student scores on high-stakes standardized tests, according to a report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

How is social media revolutionizing Africa?

At a recent conference on the use of social media in Africa, regional players gathered to discuss how social media was influencing everything from citizen engagement to aid to governance.

Human waste could be biofuel

Gates foundation is funding effort in Ghana to turn excrement into biodiesel and methane fuels.

Bill Gates: $4 billion vaccine pledge historic

Bill Gates calls it historic first that poor nations will get same child vaccines as rich nations. Bill Gates's foundation pledges more than $1 billion toward effort.

Africa's Green Revolution may be a long time coming

Africa needs the kind of Green Revolution that caused a huge leap in agricultural productivity in many parts of the world in the 20th century. But efforts to change how farmers work may take decades.

Fix aid delivery to India's poor

Too much of the aid money intended for India's poor is getting absorbed by the wrong people. Would another system work?

Villages leapfrog the grid with biometrics and mobile money

In low-tech villages, biometrics and mobile money can level market spikes and allow a way for people to bypass the grid and still eat.

Urbanization is good for the environment—but are megacities?

Too much population growth in megacities can be harmful to air quality and health.

Top 5 on Forbes rich list? Bill, Warren ... and Carlos!

Forbes came out with its annual ranking of the world's richest people Thursday. This year's Top 5 billionaires made their money in software, luxury goods, investments, and telecommunications. But the No. 1 has pulled far ahead of his rivals. Here's how the Top 5 stack up:

How can US schools reinvent themselves? Look at TechBoston, Obama says.

President Obama calls for high-tech education solutions while visiting TechBoston, a Boston secondary school lauded for its high graduation rate.

Want better students? Teach their parents.

Children of less educated parents often enter school unprepared for instruction – programmed for academic failure. But early coaching for parents with pre-school age children can change that trajectory. Why not include more of these cost-effective ideas in education reform?

Big Brother at Wyoming schools? Legislature considers filming teachers.

Wyoming lawmakers propose installing video cameras to help evaluate teachers' performance. But educators are concerned about privacy issues, among other things.

To help the poor, get rid of their cash

More than 2.5 billion people around the world today lack access to formal financial services – a major obstacle to building vital savings. But new mobile banking services are spreading in Africa, helping millions of people pull themselves out of poverty.

Charity donations: 17 more billionaries sign up to give

Charity donations pledged by the world's wealthiest are picking up as The Giving Pledge attracts new billionaires. So far, 57 have joined the Gates-Buffett effort.