In The News

Third World Gets Help to Help Itself

Doreen Carvajal May 6, 2005
A late-1980s campaign to help small coffee growers has blossomed into a US$500 million industry. Fairtrade goods, from bananas to cotton, aim to appeal to Western consumers' consciences by supporting above-market compensation for third-world growers. Though the industry has indeed flourished in the past few years, as the International Hereald Tribune writes, "the business of...

Burying China's Complicity in the Killing Fields

Jehangir S. Pocha May 5, 2005
Only weeks ago, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao uttered the now famous words, "Japan needs to face up to history squarely." China has adamantly demanded that Japan come clean about its past war indiscretions, an issue that has provoked lively public debate. At the same time, Beijing has remained mum regarding its support for Cambodia's Khmer Rouge in the mid- to late-1970s. Today,...

Brazil Spurns US Terms for AIDS Help

Sarah Boseley May 4, 2005
Washington's "global gag" – its refusal to fund any foreign-based organization with links to abortion – has caused a great deal of controversy in the international community. Brazil recently became the first country to publicly refuse to accept US funding for AIDS prevention and treatment programs, on account of the perceived strings attached. "I would like to confirm that...

Inglish as She's Spoke

Gurcharan Das May 3, 2005
The worldwide spread of English has seen a rise in colloquially "blended languages," from Franglais (French and English) to Spanglish (Spanish and English) to Taglish (Tagalog and English), and so on. This Outlook India piece suggests a new addition: Inglish (Hindi and English). As the author writes, English is the ticket to a good job and middle class status in India. It unites...

Business: A Jack Welch of Communists

Sarah Schafer May 3, 2005
While China is already a world economic powerhouse, it has produced virtually no global companies. Haier, arguably China's most respected business leader, aims to change this. With over US$10 million in debt in the early 1980s, the firm started from humbled beginnings. Today, though, Haier is one of the world's top five producers of household appliances, with 30,000 employees and more...

India's IT Prodigals Return Home

Harsh Kabra May 2, 2005
"Brain gain" is booming in India as highly-skilled expatriates are returning home. A recent mini-migration of some 25,000 engineers, software designers, managers, and other professionals has taken place between the United States and India in the past four years. The numbers are still growing. The decision to uproot after decade or more of life in the US is motivated by a new land of...

Don't Tell Liz, but the Sari's So Out

Amelia Gentleman April 29, 2005
When British actress Elizabeth Hurley donned a sari recently in New York, she unknowingly committed a fashion faux-pas: The sari is the last generation's fashion. India's growing urban elite is fast abandoning the national dress for more comfortable clothing, like jeans. "It requires a lot of maintenance," says Hindol Sengupta, author of Indian Fashion. "Modern women don...