In The News

Cellphones Catapult Rural Africa to 21st Century

Sharon LaFraniere August 25, 2005
In areas where electricity and indoor plumbing are rarities, a surprising trend is taking shape. Despite infrastructure shortcomings and widespread poverty, Africa is now the world's fastest-growing market for cellphones. Mobile technology is drastically changing business and daily life – speeding up communication and allowing for previously impossible interactions – in rural areas where...

Catering for Globalization

Salil Tripathi August 24, 2005
The firing of 670 workers employed by Gate Gourmet at London's Heathrow Airport has intensified an already heated labor environment. The company is owned by a US investment firm, and union officials hold "mean-spirited capitalists" responsible. According to this Guardian commentary, however, the company's decision was primarily a response to current economic realities. Gate...

Airlines Outsource Upkeep

Sara Kehaulani Goo August 23, 2005
The struggling airline industry, continually seeking ways to cut costs, has seen a rise in outsourcing of maintenance services. According to The Washington Post, more than 50 percent of all service tasks are performed by contractors – many of whom are outside the United States. For many, this trend has brought about safety and security concerns, given the difficulty in assuring contractors...

The Breaking Point

Peter Maass August 22, 2005
As world oil prices continue to surge past $US60 per barrel, and as Chinese companies aggressively pursue acquisition of energy assets, anxiety is growing in many quarters about global energy security. Focusing his inquiry on the world's largest exporter, Saudi Arabia, Peter Maass uncovers some unsettling realities about the global oil supply. Maass reports on the difficulties in...

World Is Heading for Oil Price Shock

George Magnus August 16, 2005
Global oil prices have been gradually approaching record levels. While many analysts believe the implications of this increase are minor, there may actually be cause for concern. Increasing demands for energy, particularly from China and India, highlight a growing supply problem. The global supply of oil is not going to run out, per se, but producers will likely struggle to meet the increased...

To Soothe Anger Over Subsidies, US Cotton Tries Wooing Africa

Scott Kilman August 5, 2005
Jim Butler, deputy undersecretary at the US Department of Agriculture, was greeted with fanfare when he visited Mali, pledging US support to help increase the productivity of cotton farming there. The United States has recently taken an interest in "helping" West African cotton farmers produce more effectively, but the motivation may be more just benevolence. As developing nations...

Why "Made in China" Is Good News for the US

Andrew Leonard August 5, 2005
US trade with and investment in China continue to rise, along with the American trade deficit. One of the few areas in which the US still enjoys a trade surplus with China is the microchip industry – traditionally a Silicon Valley specialty. However, China, intent on catching up, is training engineers and providing incentives to foreign investors in hopes of developing a strong microchip industry...