In The News

Emily Wax June 11, 2007
In India, weaving saris is a common way to earn a living, second only to farming in terms of the country’s most popular occupation. “The father of independent India, Mohandas Gandhi, clad in his homespun loincloth, launched his nationalist movement to defy colonialism by encouraging Indians to stop wearing cheap British machine-made cloth in favor of Indian-made fabrics, partly as a gesture of...
Jill McGivering June 5, 2007
Criminal Chinese gangs are manufacturing counterfeit drugs on an industrial scale, according to reports from BBC News. The fake drugs are highly sophisticated and are sold throughout Asia, Africa and even Europe. “International health officials warn that anti-malarial drugs are just the tip of the iceberg,” reports BBC News. “There is also growing concern about fake antibiotics and fake anti-...
Rohini Nilekani May 31, 2007
Water is more vital for human life than oil – and environmentalists, corporations, communities and governments increasingly recognize its unequal distribution around the globe could lead to severe environmental degradation and intense conflicts in the years ahead. Anyone who cares about water should observe the management of oil during the past century and not repeat the mistakes, argues Rohini...
Gagandeep Kaur May 31, 2007
Physicians first relied on surrogate wombs to assist women who, for health reasons, could not bear children of their own. But healthy career women from Singapore and India, who did not want to take any time off from their work, have also turned to surrogates as well, reports Gagandeep Kaur in the Hindu Business Line. Many doctors reject such requests, but with the number of inquiries on the rise...
Rick Weiss May 24, 2007
US inspection records are showing that imports from China are unfit for human consumption.The US Food and Drug Administration has detained more than one thousand shipments at ports containing tainted Chinese dietary supplements, toxic cosmetics and counterfeit medicines. Consumer activists and politicians, upset about contaminated food products, are demanding action. With the numerous pet deaths...
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...
Katia Cortes May 17, 2007
Brazil’s president signed an order to override the patent of Merck and Company’s signature AIDS drug, thereby opening the field to lower-cost producers to sell generic versions of the drug. Citing a 2001 World Trade Organization ruling permitting countries to overrule drug patents in cases of national health emergencies, Brazil rejected Merck’s offer to reduce the price of Efavirenz, part of an...