In The News

Dole Blues

David Gow March 23, 2006
About one out of every four young adults in France – and one out of two in some parts of France – can’t find a job, and so the government has attempted reforms that would make youth more attractive for employers and decrease unemployment rates. The proposal would allow large companies to fire young workers, without question, within two years. A similar plan for small- and mid-sized companies went...

Big Water Companies Quit Poor Countries

John Vidal March 22, 2006
Multinational water companies are fleeing risks in developing nations that desperately need the services, reports the UN second world water development report. The report was released today with the close of the World Water Forum, which aims to raise awareness on water issues and influence policy at the global level. Companies complain about not making profits in the poor countries and...

Insurance Industry Feels the Heat of Global Warming

Derrick Z. Jackson March 22, 2006
Severe droughts and floods, fires and blizzards, batter properties worldwide along with the insurance industry. As a result, a task force for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners will assess the impacts of climate change on the American insurance industry. This follows up on discussions in Europe, where insurers have warned about “massive financial losses from storm patterns...

West Urged to “Tell Truth on Globalisation”

John Thornhill March 20, 2006
Western governments must stop blaming China and other developing Asian countries for trade woes and failing to tackle their own economic problems, suggests Chinese diplomat Long Yongtu, speaking at a conference in France. His comments, urging western politicians to tell the truth about the inevitable process of globalization, responded to EU and US criticisms of China’s trade practices,...

Tit-for-Tat Protectionism

March 20, 2006
Western powers have lost their competitive edge in the global marketplace and are responding with a wave of protectionism. Excuses range from protecting “sensitive” industries to economic “patriotism,” but global investment is under attack. One reason could be that the West has lost a competitive edge, suggests this editorial from a Singapore newspaper. Internal friction among EU member nations...

A Win-Win Partnership

Henry A. Kissinger March 17, 2006
The US and India can only benefit from a new spirit of cooperation and interdependence. But for the emerging partnership to flourish, both nations should understand their differences and common goals, writes Henry A. Kissinger, US secretary of state during the Nixon administration. The US embraces as its responsibility the spread of democracy, whereas India is more pragmatic and focuses on its...

Hacking Made Easy

Brian Krebs March 17, 2006
Russia has a work force that is technologically skilled and underemployed. As a result, some savvy tech workers turn to crime, creating web sites and software aimed to collect financial details from unsuspecting victims in the US, Europe and South America. The Russian internet is home to sites that can break into computers abroad through a security hole in Microsoft's Internet Explorer web...