In The News

More Foreign Interns Seek Work in China

Xu Junqian and Duan Yan June 28, 2011
Adventurous graduates, facing a troubled job market in the US, turn to internships and work for free in exchange for experience. Spurred by publicity about the 2008 Beijing Olympics and then the global financial crisis, increasing numbers head to China, reports China Daily. The international program AIESEC, based in the Netherlands, arranges internships in 107 nations; China is now the most...

Foreign Dollars for an American Dream

Coeli Carr May 6, 2011
To create jobs, governments typically invest in local businesses. But Ecuador looked beyond its borders and invested in Runa, a small New York–based firm that markets guayusa, a caffeinated drink. The investment tackles numerous policy goals: The drink is made from leaves of holly, native to the Amazon; developing a commercial product could preserve rainforest and aid indigenous communities. Napo...

Today's Weather Affects Attitudes on Global Warming

Jeanna Bryner April 14, 2011
By far, most climate scientists point to evidence that human activity contributes to volatile weather, severe storms and droughts, melting polar ice and climate change. But it’s human nature to ignore long-term evidence and instead rely on day-to-day observations. Individuals check a weather forecast – if it’s chilly or snowing outside, that’s enough to reduce evidence of global warming for them...

Turning Old Oil Into New Mileage

David L. Chandler March 18, 2011
Interest in hunting garbage piles for any reusables – a common job in the developing world – has spread to wealthier nations, attracting attention and innovation awards from the world’s most elite universities. Students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology have taken the notion one step further. Working with catadores cooperatives in Brazil, a MIT biodiesel team started a project called...

Political Doubt Hits Zimbabwe Investors

Farai Mutsaka, Peter Wonacott March 7, 2011
Investments in struggling Zimbabwe have long carried risk, but new threats add to business uncertainty. A law promoting “indigenization” – companies with net asset value of more than $500,000 must transfer majority shares to local control – has been on the books since March 2010, report Farai Mutsaka and Peter Wonacott for the Wall Street Journal.. For enforcement, government officials target...

The Post-WikiLeaks World – Part II

Rebecca Wexler December 17, 2010
After WikiLeaks released secret diplomatic cables, the US government strives to apologize for sensitive breaches in confidences and punish all involved. Internet privacy is elusive for both individuals and powerful institutions, and this two-part series examines responses to leaks from governments and internet chat forums. The second article describes a motley group of strangers who apply...

Cigarette Giants in Global Fight on Tighter Rules

Duff Wilson December 1, 2010
Around the world, giant tobacco companies are increasing spending on advertising and fighting public-health initiatives to regulate the production and sale of cigarettes. As cigarette consumption falls in the West, the multinationals challenge ad limits, health warnings, cigarette taxes and prohibitions on displays throughout the developed world and invest millions into advertising in Asia and...