In The News

U.S. Troops Fire on Iraqi Protesters, Leaving 15 Dead

Ian Fisher April 29, 2003
Violent clashes between American troops and Iraqis continue even as the United States moves from a military offensive to a humanitarian and reconstruction phase in Iraq. According to a US official account, a group of mostly armed Iraqis began unprovoked fire at the US troops who were stationed at the US Army headquarters in a largely Sunni neighborhood. US troops returned fire in self defense...

American Power Moves beyond the Mere Super

Gregg Easterbrook April 27, 2003
US success in Iraq shows US military supremacy that is virtually unmatched in the world today. The US has highly sophisticated weapons technology, superior reconnaissance satellites, and the highest military spending of all NATO countries combined. Recent battles in Iraq and Afghanistan serve as both, learning opportunities for US troops and also testing grounds of new US technology....

Fight Against SARS: Government to Seek Exit Checks

April 24, 2003
The Public Health Ministers of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are scheduled to meet in Malaysia to discuss specific proposals for regional cooperation to combat further spread of SARS. Thailand’s proposals include the screening of all departing passengers, the establishment of a regional website to share SARS related information, and the exchange of medical professionals...

If Nike Defends Itself, Is That a Commercial?

Linda Feldmann April 23, 2003
Nike Inc. is the world's largest athletic footwear company. Nike, with its 900 factories in 51 countries and more than 600,000 employees, is currently embroiled in a Supreme Court case in the US. This case stems from a 1998 lawsuit, in which San Francisco activist Marc Kasky charged that Nike had made false statements about sweatshop conditions in its Asian factories. Mr. Kasky asserted...

Human Trafficking Casts Shadow on Globalization

Michele A. Clark April 23, 2003
Women and children have been among the biggest losers in this era of globalization, if we consider the massive increase in human trafficking in recent years. Cheated or sold into a life of sexual slavery or indentured servitude, the victims of human trafficking and their stories reveal the dark underside of increased international mobility. With the demise of socialist states, in particular,...

France Urging U.N. to Suspend Iraq Penalties

Felicity Barringer April 23, 2003
The French ambassador to the UN called for the suspension of non-military trade with Iraq today, offering what some see as an olive branch to the US. Since taking control of Iraq, Washington has sought the complete lifting of sanctions on the country. France's latest move may be a way to ensure it isn't completely frozen out of a role in Iraq's post-war reconstruction, but the...

French Islam Wins Officially Recognized Voice

Elaine Sciolino April 14, 2003
As part of a national project to create what Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has called "an official Islam of France," delegates from mosques throughout the country voted for members of a new council that would officially represent France’s five million Muslims. Mr. Sarkozy said that organizing France's Muslims is the way to fight "the Islam of cellars and garages that has...