In The News

'Global warming real' say new studies

Reuters February 18, 2005
The Kyoto Protocol, part of an international effort to protect the earth’s climate, came into force this past Wednesday. A day later, a team led by Tim Barnett of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography unveiled fresh evidence detailing the very real effects of global warming. By focusing on ocean temperatures rather than the atmosphere, scientists have found what they claim is indisputable...

Japan's Nuclear Nightmare

Eric Johnston January 19, 2005
A recent fatal accident in a nuclear power plant in Mihama highlighted many often neglected aspects of nuclear plant safety and power regulation in Japan. Plants are now older and inspections less thorough, as utility companies seek to maximize operations and minimize costs in an age of deregulation. Scandals and accidents throughout Japan's nuclear history have been serious problems that...

Chinese Cell Phone Breaches North Korean Hermit Kingdom

Rebecca MacKinnon January 17, 2005
International interest in Northeast Asian affairs has focused primarily on the stalemate between Pyongyang and Washington. Across North Korea's northern and southern borders, however, business and technology - particularly in the telecommunications industry - are booming. With Chinese telecom companies setting up relay stations near the border, an increasing number of North Koreans may now...

Rethinking Science Aid

Keith Bezanson January 10, 2005
As the UN prepares to revisit its Millennium Development Goals in September, the topic of international development is on the minds of many. According to this SciDev.Net opinion piece, science and technology aid can play a crucial role in economic development - if used wisely. The authors push for an approach that encourages public-private partnerships that foster innovation, tailoring aid...

US Visa Rules Deter Chinese researchers

Catherine Brahic December 14, 2004
Heightened security measures surrounding US visa applicants have weakened the collaborative relationship between American and Chinese scientists, as a recent opinion poll of graduate students in China showed. Stricter rules regarding research in the United States have produced a climate in which foreign admissions to graduate schools have decreased greatly, with the largest drop among Chinese...

The Patent Controversy

Rajeev Dhavan December 10, 2004
As India's Parliament rushes through the Third Patents Amendment, the important social justice and equity issues are being ignored, says the author in India’s newspaper, The Hindu. The pressure to pass this law before January 1, 2005 came from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the US, which hold the implicit threat of retaliation and non-compliance under WTO provisions. However, argues...

Asian Nations Seek Private Funds for "Virtual Institute"

Mary Charlotte Fresco December 6, 2004
Science and technology ministers from ASEAN member nations have decided to seek private funding for the Virtual Institute of Science. Originally funded by the ASEAN Foundation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the program has struggled to maintain momentum since its launch in May 2004. The Institute could potentially become an important method of pooling...