Colombo, Dec.9 (ANI): During a UNDP meeting held here, experts have proposed a five-point action agenda to reduce inequalities within and between countries in Asia, which they say have contributed to social strife.

It was felt that while Asia and the Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world, the benefits of growth have been distributed unevenly, benefiting certain countries more than others.

A UNDP press release said that fourteen Least Developed Countries (LDCs) lag far behind the Asian 'economic miracle'. The unequal nature of growth within countries reveals itself in widening regional inequality and rising urban poverty and increasing conflict.

The experts were participating in a session on Regional Policy Dialogues on Inequality organized by the UNDP Regional Center here.

The dialogues focused on the policy implications of rising inequality levels in Asia, exploring development policy options to address the issue. Particular emphasis was put on deepening horizontal inequalities that could potentially be cause for unrest.

"Horizontal inequalities exist in many countries of Asia and they need to be acknowledged and addressed," said Frances Stewart, Professor of Development Economics and Director of the Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity, Oxford University.

The experts also noted that migration patterns in the Region send a clear signal to governments to manage the transition from rural to urban areas, particularly in light of growing urban inequalities.

Urban tensions have already exploded into ethnic conflict in several Asian cities. It was noted that conflict, both by state and non-state actors, is hampering development and destabilizing a number of countries. The experts called for human development strategies aimed at reducing these conflicts.

It was pointed out that an exclusively growth oriented policy was resulting in heightening inequalities. Sir Richard Jolly, Honorary Professor at the Institute of Development Studies emphasized the need for adopting policies that emphasize redistribution with growth.

Asia is home to the largest number of mega cities and urban slums. In 1970, only one in five people lived in an urban city and by 2000 one in every three was an urban resident.

Growing urban inequality throws a unique set of issues that need to be dealt with urgently to avoid further fuelling the social tensions between different groups living side by side.

"There is a direct relationship between growing inequalities and conflict. Urban poverty is on the rise. Hunger and maternal mortality continue to remain serious concerns. The Region has more than 900 million people living in extreme poverty, more than the population of Sub-Saharan Africa," said Omar Noman, the Head, UNDP Regional Centre for Asia Pacific in Colombo.

Proposing the following five point action agenda the experts said that the current financial crisis demonstrates the need for policy to have a good mix of market and state action, which is critical in reducing inequalities:

The economic slowdown and migration towards urban centers calls for generating employment, both in rural and urban areas, in addition to maintaining a strong focus on economic safety nets. Urban sustainability needs to be the cornerstone of any long-term development strategy.

There is a need for strengthening progressive fiscal systems in many countries in the Region.

In addition to urban development, public investment should also be targeted towards the rural sector where over 70 percent of the poor in Asia and the Pacific still live and work. Investments in agriculture, rural infrastructure, and education would help to reduce the rural-urban disparity.

Conflict, both by state and non-state actors is hampering development and destabilizing a number of countries. Regional institutional coordination and collaboration is needed. Conflict prevention should have a strong regional dimension as a growing number of conflicts are cross-border in scale and scope.

Asia is home to the largest number of megacities and urban slums. Strategies to reduce poverty in urban areas require a different approach as the issues span a wide range from controlling pollution and disease to issues of citizenship and other legal entitlements.

The multi-country dialogues on inequality held in honour of Professor Frances Stewart are based on research conducted by UNDP in Nepal, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste and had high-level participation from governments of these countries.

As part of its efforts to raise awareness and mobilize action around human development, UNDP Regional Centre also announced an annual award for young Sri Lankan social scientists in honour of Sir Richard Jolly. (ANI)

Melbourne, Dec 9 (ANI): Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke has urged cricket administrators to reduce player workload to safeguard family life for the national team.

Clarke endorsed skipper Ricky Ponting's claims that cricketers' calendars were too full, an issue which will dominate discussions for the new memorandum of understanding between the players and Cricket Australia.

"I think the major issue with the players at the moment is that because of the amount of cricket that is going - and that includes all forms of the game, Twenty20, Test cricket and one-day cricket, all the different competitions - guys' careers are not going to last as long as they used to," The Courier Mail quoted Clarke, as saying.

"That's the worrying factor, that the players feel they are playing so much of all forms of the game, plus, yes, we have appearances we need to do, not only for Cricket Australia but you have your own personal sponsors that you have to do appearances for. There is not enough time, the boys are saying, there probably is not enough time to spend with family back at home," he said.

"Like I say, I would never complain about our job because we are the lucky ones. We have a fantastic lifestyle, but in saying that, in the next 15 months the guys will be spending 10 or 11 months without seeing their wives and kids," Clarke added.

Clarke said that the demand is certainly not about us wanting more money for less work. "I think it's just about trying to come up with some sort of plan with Cricket Australia."

Worldwide players' association boss Tim May has long been critical of the crowded international schedule, regularly claiming it will drive overworked players to retire early.

While that remains to be seen, Clarke says it's unlikely players will help themselves by bypassing lucrative domestic Twenty20 tournaments, such as the Indian Premier League, to free up more time to spend with their families.

"I think at the end of the day the players will continue to play in whatever Premier League there is," Clarke told Sydney radio station 2KY.

The Australian Cricketers' Association is expected to ask for a greater share of overall revenue, which has risen in recent years because of lucrative television deals and the rise of Twenty20 cricket.

But the Australian players have expressed great concern over the number of public and sponsor appearances - up to 22 a year - they have to fulfill under their CA contracts.

Some players, such as Andrew Symonds, would like to cut their own deal with CA, even accepting a cut in pay for less public work, The Courier Mail reported. (ANI)

Skopje (Macedonia), Dec 30 (ANI): Archaeologists in Macedonia have uncovered 4,000-year-old writing, which is the first trace of the old Macedonian language in the country.

According to a report by MINA (Montenegrin News Agency), the 4,000-year-old signs, written on the lid of the clay artifact, are considered as a monumental discovery, first of its kind and very important for the paleolinguistics.

"Uncovered are the first traces of the old Macedonian language in the country," said Dr. Dushko Aleksovski, paleolinguistics professor and honorary president of the World Rock Art Academy.

"This is a very rare artifact, the name of the Goddess Vesta is written on it. However, the first written name is Bsefa, which later became Vesta. This is the oldest artifact written in the old Macedonian language discovered on our territory," he added.

The discovery was made in central Macedonia, the precise location is being kept secret by the Government so the area doesn't get over run by archeological poachers looking for treasures and artifacts. (ANI)