In The News

Russia Plays the Oil Card with a Divided Europe

Shada Islam May 24, 2007
Britain is smarting from Russian refusal to hand over its citizen sought for murder charges in London. Russia's President Vladimir Putin and European Union leaders recently clashed over democratic freedoms at an acrimonious summit overshadowed by Moscow’s decision to ban Garry Kasparov, chess legend turned opposition leader, from traveling to Samara, the venue of the meeting. The Russian...

Solar Flashlight Lets Africa’s Sun Deliver the Luxury of Light to the Poorest Villages

Will Connors May 21, 2007
Items taken for granted in one country can be a life-changing force in poor nations. After learning that almost one third of the world’s population lacks access to lighting, Mark Bent, a former foreign-service officer, arranged design of a solar flashlight, manufacturing in China and distribution of more than 30,000 units to Africans in refugee camps and rural villages. The flashlights allow...

Asian Giants' Game of Chess in Indian Ocean

Anthony Paul May 16, 2007
Oil tankers, aircraft carriers, container ships crisscross the Indian Ocean daily – and both China and India have a vested interest in open and secure sea lanes. As a result, both nations compete to woo neighboring nations throughout Africa and Asia: China has sent youth groups to Seychelles to volunteer and engineers to help Pakistan complete a deep sea port at Gwadar for accessing Iranian oil...

Global Warming May Be Spurring Allergy, Asthma

Gautam Naik May 10, 2007
Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a result of global warming, is boosting pollen rates and exacerbating allergy and asthma symptoms. A study from a US Department of Agriculture researcher has demonstrated that ragweed plants grown in urban settings, typically warmer and containing more exhaust fumes, have five times the pollen of rural plants, reports Gautam Naik for “The Wall Street...

Dangers in Bangladesh: On the Front Lines of Climate Change

Matthias Gebauer May 7, 2007
With low-lying land nestled among a network of rivers, subject to the heavy storms and the floods of monsoon season, Bangladesh is most vulnerable to climate change. A centimeter rise in the sea level, considered inevitable by climate scientists, will wipe out the Char Bangla island of farmer Shahidul Mullah, writes Matthias Gebauer in “Der Spiegel.” Amid emerging reports that the pace of...

Agni-III Missile Test: Asia’s Latest Great Power Joins the Game

Gwynne Dyer April 24, 2007
Once a nation test fires a missile, all cities and countries within the weapon’s reach can’t help but take pause to mull all possible messages, intentions and relationships. India successfully tested a missile that could reach the Middle East or China’s major cities of Beijing and Shanghai, a capability that could insert more tension into Asian affairs. Journalist Gwynne Dyer speculates that...

How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor

C. Ford Runge April 24, 2007
With rising oil prices and growing demand for ethanol as an alternative fuel, US corn producers anticipate a huge boost in profitability. Any spike in corn prices caused by increasing ethanol consumption, however, could devastate the developing world. Billions of impoverished people depend on corn and other staples for their caloric intake, but higher corn prices would decrease affordability of...