In The News

Gay Bombay Comes Out

Zubair Ahmed June 19, 2003
In the last decade, Indian gay men in cosmopolitan cities like New Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta have established international social networks, organizations and Internet forums to create a modern and global gay community. The publication of The Boyfriend, a love story between two men, one openly gay and the other unable to accept his homosexuality, typifies the increasingly unapologetic public...

Women’s Fate

Rasha Saad June 19, 2003
After decades of dictatorship, sanctions, and war, Iraqis are infused with a feeling of hopelessness. The current chaos after the US-led war against Saddam Hussein’s regime has only exacerbated the sense of despair. With the country’s infrastructure in shambles and uncertainty about Iraq’s political destiny, the sole goal of many young people is to leave the country. However, seeing the chaos...

Easterners Fight for Shorter Working Hours, but 35-Hour Workweek is a Myth

Heidi Sylvester June 13, 2003
The already tight labor market in Germany receives yet another squeeze – but this time it's from within. East German steelworkers will enjoy western Germany's regular 35-hour workweek by 2009, but this concession has encouraged workers in other East German industry sectors. Metalworkers and electrical engineers seeking the same treatment have now resorted to strikes. This labor unrest...

Push for Rights of Singapore Women's Foreign-born

Chuang Peck Ming June 12, 2003
The proactive, modern women of Singapore are still shackled by obsolete policies, says the government-supported 'Remaking Singapore Committee'. Women and their children are subject to a vast array of double-standards that, they say, are born in the delivery-room and go on to thrive in society. These policies perpetuate the perception that women from Singapore are lesser citizens than...

India Fears Impact of Bid to Curb Jobs Exports

Edward Alden June 4, 2003
Following the lead of many other American and British firms, the British insurance company, Prudential, is planning to export jobs from the UK to India. Outsourcing to low-cost offshore centers is saving companies billions of dollars a year, since it allows them to set up shop where labor is plentiful and cheap. Though company executives maintain that outsourcing merely follows economic law and...

Sharm El Sheikh & al-Aqaba: New Emperor to Reap Conquest

Kareem M. Kamel June 2, 2003
This article by Kareem Kamel on Islam Online maintains that the upcoming summits at Sharm El Sheikh and al-Aqaba will deal only with furthering US diplomatic aims in the region. Amidst continuing resentment over Iraq and powerful tensions between Palestinian and Israeli leaders, current diplomatic moves by the US will result in continued polarization between pro-US Arab nations and anti-Israeli-...

Eastern Germany to Stay Aboard EU Subsidy Train

Carola Schlagheck May 9, 2003
Economic integration on a scale the size of Europe is not easily accomplished. A plan to bring in another 10 member states expands the possibilities for regional cooperation, but it has also threatened to harm the economy of the former East Germany. After some deliberation, the European Commission agreed this week to continue subsidizing eastern Germany for the next few years, even though...