In The News

Google Adds 1 Billion Pages to Stay Ahead

February 19, 2004
Google, the popular internet search engine, has added a billion pages to remain competitive. It currently hosts 35% of all internet searches. But Yahoo and MSN are clipping at Google's heels and hope to overtake it as the leading search engine. Part of Google's success lies in its proprietary algorithm that aids and ranks search requests. In a race for superiority, both Yahoo and...

China: Controls Tighten as Internet Activism Grows

January 28, 2004
Human rights watchdog Amnesty International says that the world's most populous country is fighting a shameful battle against its own people. The Chinese government has implemented some of the most restrictive internet regulations in the world, banning Chinese web users from visiting certain foreign websites, and even suppressing speech and dissent on China-based websites. In less than a...

Seoul Unfazed by U.S. Move Against Piracy

Kim Min-hee January 10, 2004
Washington's efforts to protect the intellectual property rights of Hollywood and the American music industry have yet to meet with success in South Korea. Claiming that South Korea's government has not done enough to prevent copyright infringement, the US government has placed Korea on its Priority Watch List. South Korea's high internet saturation has meant that millions of...

Tailored Study Abroad Programs Boom

Choe Yong-shik December 17, 2003
With thousands of South Koreans studying abroad each year at all levels of education, the market to arrange such overseas ventures is formidable and competitive. Some Korean agencies provide guardian-like services for younger children studying in countries like New Zealand and Australia, or even combination English and golf instruction for aspiring professional athletes. More attractive,...

Seeing the Funny Side of Islamic Law, and Not Seeing It

Neil MacFarquhar November 24, 2003
For the past 11 years, a Saudi television show has aired during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly pokes fun at the Saudi regime and the religious bureaucracy. Muslim leaders call the show religious blasphemy, while the show's avid viewers consider it a light-hearted portrayal of the truth of everyday life. A particularly controversial episode...

Appreciating Resistance

Gihan Shahine November 14, 2003
As Iraqi resistance to US occupation becomes more intense and more deadly, people in Egypt are applauding the attempts of their fellow Arabs to oust the American invaders, says this report in Egypt's Al-Ahram Weekly. People have also become increasingly angry towards America's support of Israel. "Killing an American soldier has become synonymous with killing an Israeli soldier,...

Asia's Elite Corps

Suzanne Sng November 6, 2003
Is there a global 'face' for female beauty? If so, it isn't Asian, say the heads of several Asian modeling agencies. As the Elite modeling agency gears up for its talent search in Singapore this weekend, only about one-fifth of the contestants are Asians. "There may be more and more Asian models," in the future, says the managing director of Carrie Models, which has...