In The News

Lawsuit Looms Against Germany Over Cucumber Scare

Gregg Benzow, Sarah Harman June 2, 2011
The scramble to identify a deadly food-borne illness can quickly ruin reputations. At least 10 nations have reported hundreds of cases of an infection by a deadly mutation of E. coli to the World Health Organization, raising fear, confusion and speculation about the source. Hamburg, Germany, initially blamed Spanish cucumbers, before conducting tests and backing away from the claims days later...

India Must Tread Carefully in Africa

James Lamont May 31, 2011
Since the mid-17th century, spurred by colonialism, Indians have crossed the Indian Ocean for jobs and trade in the nations of eastern and southern Africa. Yet once-isolated China quickly caught up during the past two decades, forming deep connections over commodities trading, economic development and political summits, explains James Lamont in the Financial Times,. During a May trip to Ethiopia...

Nation of the Forest

Cathy Shufro May 30, 2011
Urbanization’s many pressures make it easier for people to alter long-held customs. For example, in Bhutan, city dwellers didn’t protest a rule aimed at protecting forests by reducing the number of prayer flags to mourn a loved one’s death, explains Cathy Shufro in an article for Yale Alumni Magazine. “Bhutanese have formulated guidelines, infused with Buddhist values, for how to reconcile old...

Emerging Economies Catching Up Faster Than You Might Think

Don Cayo May 24, 2011
Six emerging economies could account for half of all global economic growth by 2025. As a result, global wealth and power are shifting fast, concludes a World Bank report, and new financial structures and regulations could follow. The report, described by Don Cayo of the Vancouver Sun, points to trend for emerging economies: Trade has expanded among them and their share in trade has climbed to...

Bursting Melons Add to Food Woes

May 23, 2011
Chinese television reports of watermelons exploding like “land mines” quickly went global, raising concerns about dyes, growth regulators and pesticides in the food supply. Competitive farmers try to make crops more attractive for market, but learn there can be too much of a good thing. Some of the melon farmers reported using the growth regulator forchlorfenuron, also used in the US. The...

From Chiquita to Nike: Labor Activists Drive Corporations Bananas

John Lasker May 19, 2011
Labor activists try to devise innovative campaigns to catch attention of global consumers, exposing the source, labor and procedures behind popular products. Campaigns can range from stickers that explain the labor process to high-profile lawsuits on workers rights. An “effective tactic for supporting workers toiling at the roots of the global supply chain is simply gaining an understanding of...

Desperate Americans Buy Kidneys From Peru Poor in Fatal Trade

Michael Smith May 17, 2011
With organ transplants, technological capability outpaces supply. Selling organs is illegal in virtually all nations, but the laws do not deter desperate parties. “In the illegal organ trade, brokers scour the world’s slums, preying on the poor with promises of easy money and little risk in exchange for a kidney,” writes Michael Smith for Bloomberg. Kidney donors sign documents that no payment is...