In The News

Between Famine and Politics, Zambians Starve

Henri E. Cauvin August 30, 2002
The debate over the use of genetically modified foods in the developing world has reached a critical point of urgency – life or death. While 14,000 tons of corn meal sit untouched in Zambian warehouses, lodged between political and economic concerns, millions starve daily. The President of Zambia, Levy Mwanawasa, fears that the influx of GM corn will cause mutations in corn grown in the region...

Bid to Break Deadlock Over GM Food

John Mason August 28, 2002
The World Bank will launch an international biotechnology initiative aimed at opening up policy possibilities for the use of genetically modified (GM) foods. The global initiative sits against the backdrop of environmental, social, and economic concerns regarding the role of GMs. Economically, the biotechnology proposition has found European consumer opposition, creating rifts in trade with the U...

Brussels Refuses to Back GM Food For Africa

James Lamont August 22, 2002
As globalization extends its reach, the use of technology becomes an issue that affects both advanced and developing nations. The United States has been supplying southern African countries with genetically modified (GM) crops as famine relief. But some NGO’s believe that the US is trying to use southern Africa’s poverty to push for global acceptance of genetically modified food. Although the WHO...

Chinese Meals Are Tops When Britons Eat Out

Alfred Lee August 12, 2002
Britons now dine out more often at Chinese rather than Indian restaurants. And while a British politician acknowledged the popularity of Indian cuisine last year, Parliament has gone as far as to include Chinese and Indian meals in its catering service. Though foreign meals have won over the British palate, original recipes have been altered to suit Western tastes. Are common flavors the...

Sushi Comes Home, With Cream Cheese and Chili

Howard W. French April 4, 2002
The Japanese have eaten sushi for centuries, making it an important part of their traditional cuisine. Eventually, however, sushi made its way across the Pacific, landing on American plates as an exotic luxury. Once in the United States, sushi morphed to fit American tastes, and un-Japanese ingredients like avocados and cream cheese became staples in American sushi restaurants. This globalized...

Arise, Ye Prisoners of Starvation

Bill Keller February 23, 2002
In the uncertain days of communism's collapse, Russian farmers were unmotivated and struggling. When McDonald's decided to take a chance on them, enlisting Russians to provide beef, milk, and pickles for the new restaurants, the farmers were astonished. In the last decade, though, McDonald's has thrived in Russia, offering novelty, dependable jobs, and a clean place to eat for a...

Spread of AIDS in Rural China Ignites Protests

Elisabeth Rosenthal December 11, 2001
Chinese officials are suppressing open discussion of AIDS, hindering already limited efforts to combat the spiraling epidemic. Rural areas - particularly in central China - emerged as the epicenter of the HIV-AIDS epidemic as farmers were exposed to the virus while selling blood. For years, the infected farmers remained ignorant about AIDS because the government withheld vital information. Now...