In The News

Internet Extends Reach of Bangladeshi Villagers

Kevin Sullivan November 29, 2006
The developed world takes for granted the internet and its limitless spectrum of resources. Until recently, such access was unimaginable for the poor people of Bangladesh. Cellular phone technology has brought internet access to more than 100 Bangladeshi villages, with hundreds more internet centers expected to open by the end of the year. With the help of GrameenPhone, a branch of the Grameen...

US Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Primer

William J. Broad November 3, 2006
Intent on proving that Iraq was pursuing weapons of mass destruction before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Republican politicians in the US demanded release of an archive of Iraqi documents, and President George Bush gave the nod. Weapons analysts, from agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, now describe the release as a...

Spy Agencies Now Share the Wikipedia Way

Greg Miller November 2, 2006
Typically, the US intelligence agencies and the Department of Defense invent gadgets that often find their way into daily American life. But aiming for better teamwork, US spies have turned to open-source software as invented by Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia where anyone can propose, write or edit entries. US Intellipedia, not open to the public, will allow staff of 16 intelligence agencies...

Google Defiant Over Censorship in China

David Smith November 1, 2006
Defenders of free speech reject any controls over the internet. This issue and others were debated by more than 90 countries attending the first Internet Governance Forum in Athens. Companies like Google do business in China despite some censorship, and Google maintains that simply providing a connection is a major first step to creating an open society. To deny access to restrictive regimes only...

Skills Gap Hurts Technology Boom in India

Somini Sengupta October 23, 2006
India’s universities produce many engineers, but only one in four is ready for the global market, reports a study commissioned from the National Association of Software and Service Companies, based in India. Many engineering graduates lack technical skills or English – and the labor shortage comes at a time when countries around the globe increasingly demand India’s low-cost software and...

Bush Sets Defense as Space Priority

Marc Kaufman October 18, 2006
The US might be the most powerful nation on the face of the earth, but much of that power depends on a vast array of satellites orbiting high above the planet. Now, President Bush has signed a new National Space Policy declaring that control of the interplanetary void is “as important to the United States as air power and sea power.” Supporters hail the policy as a necessary step toward...

Time for the N word

Amira Howeidy October 9, 2006
Two decades ago, after the Chernobyl disaster, Egypt abandoned its nuclear program. But oil prices are on the rise and the government offers generous subsidies for its citizens. So, the government explores options and reports the country could have a nuclear power plant online in 10 years. Some analysts suggest that the government is in a hurry to proceed with nuclear development and does not...