In The News

Germany Topples EU Immigration Policy

Carola Schlagheck July 11, 2003
Refugees and migrants seeking work in Europe will be welcomed by some countries and rejected by others. In a last minute effort before the completion of the draft EU constitution, Germany successfully prevented the European Union from pursuing the harmonization of immigration policy throughout Europe. Instead, individual national governments will decide whether to allow non-EU nationals to...

Bush, in Africa, Promises Aid but Offers No Troops for Liberia

Richard W. Stevenson July 9, 2003
As his first trip to Africa commences, US President Bush is promising to promote democracy, fight AIDS, and increase trade with the continent, but he is offering no immediate assistance in the current bloodbath in Liberia. This reluctance to commit troops to the war torn country belies the emphasis Bush will be placing on the problems plaguing failing states like Liberia over the course of his...

Bush May Send Peace-Keeping Force to Liberia If Taylor Quits

Rupert Cornwell July 4, 2003
In a twist of international affairs, the United States is being pressured to send troops to a foreign nation. This time, however, the regime in need of change is in Africa. After several years of strife, Liberia's president, Charles Taylor, has been charged with war crimes and supporting rebel insurgencies in neighboring Sierra Leone. In the capital, Monrovia, local people are reported to...

U.S. May Cut Aid Over Court Immunity

Peter Slevin July 1, 2003
Washington has threatened to cut off military aid, including military equipment and training programs, to countries that refuse to grant US citizens immunity from prosecution in the newly formed International Criminal Court. The Bush administration is demanding a written promise, known as an Article 98 agreement, from countries such as Croatia and Lithuania that "no Americans charged in the...

Mass Protests Held in Hong Kong over Rights

Angela Mackay July 1, 2003
In scorching heat, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong demonstrating against a pending anti-subversion law. The proposed 'Article 23' legislation would give the government the power to ban organizations deemed unfriendly to China or Hong Kong, permit police to search without a court warrant, and give a life sentence to those convicted of treason or...

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...

Millions Celebrate Pride Around the World

June 30, 2003
This year, the annual gay pride celebrations taking place in major cities throughout the United States had an additional reason to celebrate: The US Supreme Court passed a landmark decision decriminalizing private, gay sex between consenting adults. Public officials present at the gay pride parades lauded the landmark decision. In New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Chicago and Seattle alone,...