In The News

EU Agrees Radical Farming Reforms

Tobias Buck June 26, 2003
The European Union (EU) has ended year-long negotiations on its common agricultural policy but the world has yet to see its implications. Although the original proposal, drafted by the pro-reform EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler was heavily diluted, he did achieve part of its goal to overhaul Europe's stronghold on billions of Euros in subsidies. France, the biggest beneficiary of the...

Hundreds Rally in Aceh Gasfield to Demand Extension of Contracts

June 25, 2003
Residents of Indonesia's Aceh province now fear unemployment in the midst of war and military rule. Oil giant ExxonMobil, which employs about 3000 people in the rebel province, announced that it will not be renewing contracts with up to 1200 workers "due to declining gas production and substantially reduced activities." Amidst the instability of military activity and martial law...

Citizenship Doesn't Entitle You to a Job

Chua Lee Hoong June 25, 2003
In recent years, more and more multinational companies have relocated their factories to countries that provide cheap blue-collar labor. However, as the competition for jobs becomes fiercer in countries experiencing recession, white-collar jobs are also being exported. In Singapore, those affected by this new trend include airline pilots, lawyers, engineers, and accountants. In this article in...

Jury Still Out on Kuala Lumpur's Drive to Free Manufacturing Sector

Eddie Toh June 24, 2003
As China rises up to become the most attractive location for foreign direct investment (FDI), many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are seeing declines in FDI. In response to the sharp fall, Malaysia has decided to fully liberalize its manufacturing sector by allowing foreigners to own 100% of their new operations. Through this new policy, Kuala Lumpur hopes to prevent some multinational...

Mistakes Aplenty Over Gas Pipeline

June 24, 2003
The construction of a Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline has caused numerous clashes between Thai police and protestors. The protestors, many from Muslim villages affected by the construction, claim that the pipeline is unnecessary because demand for natural gas will not be high enough unless new heavy industries are developed in the region. But any such development, they say, would place a heavy burden...

The Homes of Argentines Are at Risk in I.M.F. Talks

Larry Rohter June 23, 2003
In an echo of the harsh economic policies prescribed by the IMF in Southeast Asia after the 1997 Asian Crisis the organization is asking the crisis-ridden Argentina to adopt severe belt-tightening measures. For homeowners across Argentina, the prescribed cure for financial crisis may prove more devastating than the economic disease. In a country still reeling from months of economic chaos, the...

Europe Snubs World's Poor

June 23, 2003
The European Union’s (EU) continued reluctance to reform its agricultural subsidies is criticized in this New York Times editorial. After a host of high-profile summit meetings and private conferences, it says, reform plans for Europe's agricultural policies will be "watered down as to virtually meaningless." One of the proposed plans is to reform the subsidy on Europe's cows...