In The News

Poorest of the Poor May be Halved in a Decade, UN Predicts

Terri Judd July 9, 2003
According to the recently released United Nations Development Program Report, reducing worldwide poverty can only be achieved by a global effort that addresses the un-abating HIV/AIDS epidemic, persistent civil war, accelerating rates of environmental degradation, limited integration in the global capitalist economy and deficiencies in human and social sector development. The report identifies...

Free Press Essential for Hong Kong's Success

Zhiwu Chen July 2, 2003
In the largest demonstration since Hong Kong passed over to Chinese control in 1997, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the street on July 1. While the protesters are against a planned anti-subversion law, the issue at stake is more than simply free speech - it is also about the continued economic prosperity of Hong Kong. Over the last few decades, Hong Kong has transformed itself into...

Debate on Freedoms Splits Hong Kong

Peter S. Goodman June 30, 2003
Hong Kong should be celebrating – SARS has been contained, and the island just signed a free trade agreement with mainland China. But Hong Kong's independence and freedom are under threat, worry some critics. Democracy advocates and businesspeople fear that a proposed new law, called 'Article 23', will undermine the openness that has long attracted investors and enabled Hong Kong...

Time to Trade

Anke Bryson June 27, 2003
Three years ago, Germany’s major stock exchange operator, Deutsche Börse, extended its trading hours until 8:00pm. The move, an anomaly in a country where all shops close every Sunday, was designed to appeal to a flood of new private investors who had no time to speculate during the regular work day. Now, after a market decline caused those investors to flee, Deutsche Börse will likely bow to the...

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...

NGOs Must Fight Against Govt Attack

May 15, 2003
The Thai Government has come under criticism from local media for attempting to prevent collaboration between local non-government organizations (NGOs) and their international counter-parts. A series of exchanges between the central government and Thai bureaucrats indicate the government has made repeated attempts to undermine local NGOs, which it criticizes as being motivated by self-interest...