In The News

On a Tiny Island, Catchy Web Name Sparks a Battle

Christopher Rhoads April 5, 2006
Domain names ending in dot.nu – “nu” meaning “now” in Swedish – sell like hot cakes in Sweden. The rights to operate dot-nu domain names, accorded to the US-based entrepreneur Bill Semich in the late 1990s, have earned him financial success. Semich has applied some of his newfound profits to the impoverished South Pacific island of Niue, via the provision of free wireless internet to the citizens...

Xenophobia’s Threat to Prosperity

Charles Prince April 5, 2006
In the wake of the abortive acquisition of terminal operations at US ports by Dubai Ports World, Congress is considering more than thirty proposals to tighten the rules governing foreign investment in the US. Some of these proposals, writes Charles Prince, CEO of Citigroup, Inc., would spell disaster for the US economy – choking off the foreign investment that now fuels American economic growth...

Making American Money at Home in Mexico

Manuel Roig-Franzia April 4, 2006
In the classic story, Mexican migrants surreptitiously cross the US border in search of jobs. The treacherous journey requires long separations from family and friends, and proposed US legislation would increase restrictions for such hires. But tourism is increasing employment opportunities in Mexico. In the late 1960s, the Mexican government focused on turning the fishing village into a tourist...

IT Mergers Have Feds Flailing Against Tech Globalization

J. Nicholas Hoover April 4, 2006
The US Department of Defense aims to scrutinize any foreign entity that wants to buy US information-technology (IT) firms. Before Canada-based Nortel Networks purchased government-contractor PEC Solutions, it had to set up a separate subsidiary and allow the Defense Department to monitor e-mails. Election-year politics in the US could lead to more intense scrutiny. In particular, the government...

For People and Planet

Al Gore April 3, 2006
Current business practices take little account of environmental costs, and such neglect will impose huge costs and decreased standards of living for future generations. Too many businesses, investors and consumers continue to act as though natural resources – oil, minerals, clean water – are unlimited. Sustainable development could be the driving force of industrial and economic change over the...

A Carbon Cloud Hangs Over Green Fuel

Mark Clayton March 29, 2006
To save costs, some fuel refineries burn coal instead of using natural gas to turn corn into ethanol. The choice could nullify ethanol’s very purpose – to reduce environmental damage. According to David Hawkins, climate director for the National Resources Defense Council, if conversion plants unleash large amounts of CO2 into the air – the result of burning coal – that could erase the positive...

French MPs Say Song Downloads Must Work on Any Player

Angelique Chrisafis March 27, 2006
France has rejected any monopoly in the music download market, requiring that downloads be accessible to any type of digital player. The legislation would be a blow to Apple’s online music, ITunes, which dominates the global online music market and can only be played on the Apple iPod. The decision reflects a growing sentiment among French politicians against foreign domination of any sector of...