In The News

Terrorism and the Computer

Mohamed Sid-Ahmed April 26, 2005
This month's bombing in Cairo's Islamic Al-Azhar quarter illustrates the degree to which technology and terrorism are growing in concert. The man who detonated the bomb, Hassan Raafat Basha, was an engineering student who spent hours on his computer, a member of a generation that is no stranger to technology. Bashandi's attack may well have been ordered by a hidden terrorist...

Untapped Potential: US Science and Technology Cooperation with the Islamic World

Michael A. Levi April 19, 2005
The US relationship with the Islamic world, particularly the problem of terrorism, is a crucial issue. In order to combat terrorism, says this Brookings Institution report, the US must enact policies that address the causes of radicalism, improve the perception of the US in Muslim eyes, and drain support for terrorists in Islamic society. Although there is widespread hostility towards the US in...

China Soups Up Internet Censoring Filters

Anick Jesdanun April 14, 2005
According to a recent US study, China is the most successful country in the world – that is, in terms of Internet censorship. The Chinese government uses a multilayered approach, employing thousands of public and private censors to remove online content deemed too sensitive. The system is so advanced that while references to Tibetan independence are entirely removed, for instance, general...

Your Family Tree Is About to Grow

Simon Avery April 13, 2005
All humans share genetic markers with indigenous peoples around the globe. Geneticists, like Spencer Wells, are able to map these connections as a result of small genetic mutations which occur as a gene is handed down from generation to generation. Now, in partnership with the National Geographic Society and IBM Corp, Wells has started the Genographic Project, which will solicit genetic data from...

China-IBM Computer Deal Marks a New Era

Jean-Pierre Lehmann April 1, 2005
The recent Chinese acquisition of the IBM PC division does not illustrate China's rise at the expense of the US. Rather, it signals a deeper shift in the information technology (IT) business, which has been changing the global economic landscape. Jean-Pierre Lehmann contends that the shift arises from the emergent IT stars – China, India, and the United States – adapting to the realities of...

Brazil: Free Software's Biggest and Best Friend

Todd Benson March 29, 2005
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has surprised many of his conservative critics by adopting some of the free-market policies that he once opposed. But foreign business leaders – especially those at Microsoft – have been less pleased with da Silva's support for free software. Under the President's orders, all government agencies must gradually shift from Microsoft's...

Pan-Asian Biotech Federation Formed

February 23, 2005
The global technological center of gravity seems to be slowly shifting away from the developed world towards Asian countries like India. Recognizing that their scientific prowess commands increasing respect on the world stage, leading biotech associations across the continent joined together this month to accelerate Asian scientific development. At the recent BioAsia 2005 conference in Hyderabad...