In The News

Nepal Earthquake: Prelude to Bigger Disaster?

Alark Saxena June 2, 2015
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, killing 8,800, injuring thousands more and leaving many homeless. The quake and series of aftershocks also left property damage and devastated communities. International relief agencies rushed to the scene, but researchers warn that such disasters are inevitable for the entire Hindu Kush Himalayan region with the continuous sinking of the...

American Universities "Addicted to Chinese Students”

Matt Schiavenza June 1, 2015
About 3 percent of Chinese students attending US colleges and universities may have been expelled during the 2013-2014 academic year, most for failing classes or cheating; more than 270,000 students from China enrolled in US institutions that year. “Over 60 percent of Chinese students cover the full cost of an American university education themselves, effectively subsidizing the education of...

FIFA Caught Offside as US Tackles Global Graft With Penalties in Mind

Tom Kutsch May 28, 2015
The United States demonstrated its global legal reach with arrests of international officials and announcement about efforts to stamp out cross-border bribery and financial corruption in soccer. Nine soccer officials and five marketing executives were named in the probe on racketeering, kickbacks, bribes and money-laundering. “This is a global investigation, and we live in a global marketplace,”...

The War on Big Food

Beth Kowitt May 27, 2015
Global consumers are picky eaters, examining labels and prompting food manufacturers to reassess what goes into their products. “The idea of ‘processing’ – from ancient techniques of salting and curing to the modern arsenal of artificial preservatives – arose to make sure the food we ate didn’t make us sick,” explains Beth Kowitt for Fortune. “Today many fear that it’s the processed food itself...

Muslims in Texas Walk a Fine Line After Garland Shooting

Manny Fernandez and Laurie Goodstein May 18, 2015
Muslim leaders in Texas pointedly ignored plans for a Dallas exhibition of Prophet Mohammed cartoons, but worried how free speech could devolve into hate speech that incites violence. Sure enough, two men storming the event with guns were shot and killed. An article in the New York Times describes how one leader pondered a “response that would walk a fine line: clearly condemning the extremists...

California Drought: Almond Growers Fight Back Over Reports They Are Causing Chronic Water Shortages

Tim Walker May 15, 2015
The almond – and popular products like almond milk and almond butter – have become a target of austerity measure as California officials scramble for ways to conserve water and ease the state’s severe drought. Tim Walker reports for the Independent: “California grows 80 per cent of the world’s almonds, but it is two other widely reported statistics that have caused controversy: cultivating a...

The Saudi Connection: Wahhabism and Global Jihad

Carol E. B. Choksy and Jamsheed K. Choksy May 14, 2015
The United States and Saudi Arabia, once strong allies, disagree over how to handle multiple challenges in the Middle East. The royal family condemns terrorism to western diplomats, but promotes a fundamentalist ideology: “the Saudis have been the most persistent source of support for global jihad by spreading Wahhabism abroad to radicalize foreign Muslims and then giving financial support to...