In The News

International Tension Isn't Good for U.S. or Mexico

Enrique Rangel May 28, 2003
When U.S President George Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox took offices in their respective countries, the U.S. and Mexico promised to have the friendliest relationship seen in years. However, the strain caused by differences on Iraq and Washington's focus on terrorism is worrying more and more people on both sides. Immigration issues have further worsened this relationship. Despite...

Human Rights: UN Envoy Cites Climate of Fear

Marisa Chimprabha May 27, 2003
A U.N. envoy recently completed a 10-day visit to Thailand to investigate human rights issues. She says she found increased concern about the government's interference in NGO activities in Thailand, including worries over government threats to block foreign funding of non-governmental organizations. According to the author of this article in Thailand's The Nation newspaper, a...

North Korea Is Said to Export Drugs to Get Foreign Currency

James Dao May 21, 2003
In order to increase the country's foreign currency reserves, North Korea has been exporting large quantities of drugs to foreign countries, a North Korean defector told lawmakers in Washington, DC. American intelligence officials believe that a big proportion of the money has been used to finance the country's nuclear programs, as well as production of traditional weapons, which...

Crimes Under Flags of Convenience

Michael Richardson May 19, 2003
The Sept. 11 attacks on the US may have awakened the world to the dangers of a passenger airliner being turned into a missile, but in malevolent hands a much more traditional mode of transport - a ship on the oceans - could be turned into dangerous tool. On the high seas, ships registered under flags of cash-strapped nations operate with very little oversight or regulation. As Singapore-based...

Is It Legal to Stop North Korea’s Nuclear Exports?

David E. Sanger May 18, 2003
As the first round of negotiations with North Korea ended without positive results, the US is considering other strategies to deal with the nuclear crisis in Northeast Asia. The hawks in the Bush administration have come up with the "quarantine" solution, which will put North Korea in an isolated position, allowing only food into the country. They also advocate interdictions of North...

Glaxo Will Further Cut Prices of AIDS Drugs to Poor Nations

Reed Abelson April 28, 2003
A serious hurdle in the global fight against AIDS has been the price of AIDS drugs, which is unattainably high for most of the disease's victims. Since AIDS disproportionately affects people in poor countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, the former price tag of US$1.70 a day for drugs was too high. GlaxoSmithKline is now promising to lower that price to 90 cents, in the hopes that...

SAS nabs N Korea drug ship

Ian Gerard April 21, 2003
Braving rough seas and bodily harm, yesterday members of Australia's special forces boarded a North Korean ship suspected of smuggling over 50 kg of heroin. Although the ship's flag showed it to be registered in Tuvalu, the first land-based arrests in the case included a Singaporean and two Malaysians, with the crew of the smuggling ship believed to be from North Korea. International...