In The News

Money Trickles North as Mexicans Help Relatives

Marc Lacey November 23, 2009
Mexicans immigrants in the US have long sent money back to their families, providing a vital source of capital to a country where almost half of the population lives in poverty. The global recession, and the consequent lay-offs has left many Mexican immigrants unemployed, leading to a 13.4 percent drop in remittances. Mexico is suffering too. But Mexican families are now combining funds to...

Forest Clearances Sealed Ancient Civilisation's Downfall

November 17, 2009
New evidence involving plant remains and pollen samples from areas in Peru formerly inhabited by the Nasca civilization has led a team of archaeologists to conclude that the fall of the Nasca society was triggered by human intervention in the delicate ecosystem on which it depended. The evidence collected suggests that as the Nasca intensified maize and cotton cultivation around 1,500 years ago,...

Brazil Flexes Muscles over Honduras Crisis

Jens Glüsing October 12, 2009
For nearly all of Brazil's history in which quiet diplomacy has been its tradition, the central government has favored a quiet diplomatic approach. Now, the country’s emerging economic clout and the popularity of President Lula's regime has freed the government to push its will in foreign affairs. With the political strife in Honduras and ousted Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya seeking...

Tyre-some Efforts

Nayan Chanda September 29, 2009
Amid worries of protectionism, Obama’s tariff on China’s tires is almost insignificant in terms of size. Moreover, it is supported by the WTO agreement that allows countries to seek relief, albeit temporary, from the damage Chinese imports can cause to local industries. What most critics seem to be missing about the tariff is that even if is small and will not improve unemployment, it did provide...

Doctors in Cuba Start Over in the US

Mirta Ojito August 7, 2009
Within the last six years about six thousand medical professionals have left Cuba. The numbers escalated in 2006, aided by the Department of Homeland Security’s program to welcome to the US, Cuban medical personnel studying or working in a third country under the auspices of the Cuban government. Over two thousand Cubans have escaped to the US under this parole program. While the outflow of its...

US Immigration Policy Likely to Boost Population

Joseph Chamie July 30, 2009
Demographic trends, often ignored by policymakers, are clearly linked with the US’ immigration policy. If Congress and the Obama administration plan to implement an effective immigration policy, they need to understand how over time it will affect the country’s population figure. As demographer Joseph Chamie notes, policy makers should start by asking how large should the US’ population be....

Oil or Trees? Germany Takes Lead in Saving Ecuador's Rainforest

Jess Smee July 1, 2009
Yasuni National Park protects the Ecuador’s rainforest and is one of the most bio-diverse places on earth. Ecuador’s largest known oil reserves, worth an estimated $6 billion, also happen to lie underneath the park. Oil is a key product for Ecuador, producing around a third of the nation’s income. The Ecuadorian government has pledged to leave the oil untapped if the international community...