In The News

Indonesian Muslims Can Consume GMO Foods

July 7, 2003
Muslims in Indonesia are now free to consume genetically modified organism (GMO) foods. Though there has been no official statement, the highest Indonesian Muslim body authorized to approve and make religious rulings on processed foods distributed within the country, the Ulemas Council (MUI), has implicitly approved the products by not issuing a fatwa (legal advice). Without a fatwa, Muslims...

Where Have All the Chinese Gone?

Sunil Jain July 7, 2003
Multinational corporations aggressively courted China, the world’s most populous nation, in the hope of tapping into what they hoped would be the largest consumer market. However, as an Indian journalist notes, increasingly MNCs are discovering that China’s population does not necessarily translate into a consumer market. For one thing, rural Chinese – a substantial percentage of the population...

Foreign Influence Growing in Telecom Sector

Yang Sung-jin July 3, 2003
In South Korea, foreign investment firms are putting pressure on the government to allow greater foreign ownership of telecommunication companies. South Korea is one of the leading East Asian countries in deregulation, allowing foreign investment and market forces to have a considerable degree of influence. While the telecommunications sector is currently in much need of capital, some of the...

Free Press Essential for Hong Kong's Success

Zhiwu Chen July 2, 2003
In the largest demonstration since Hong Kong passed over to Chinese control in 1997, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the street on July 1. While the protesters are against a planned anti-subversion law, the issue at stake is more than simply free speech - it is also about the continued economic prosperity of Hong Kong. Over the last few decades, Hong Kong has transformed itself into...

C.I.A. Said to Find North Korean Nuclear Advances

David E. Sanger July 1, 2003
For months, the US has been trying to convince Asian nations like China and South Korea that the threat from North Korea is urgent and necessitates a unified diplomatic effort. Now, American intelligence officials claim that within a year North Korea will have the ability to attach small nuclear warheads to its extensive missile arsenal. If the allegation is true, it will bolster US claims that...

Mass Protests Held in Hong Kong over Rights

Angela Mackay July 1, 2003
In scorching heat, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong demonstrating against a pending anti-subversion law. The proposed 'Article 23' legislation would give the government the power to ban organizations deemed unfriendly to China or Hong Kong, permit police to search without a court warrant, and give a life sentence to those convicted of treason or...

Debate on Freedoms Splits Hong Kong

Peter S. Goodman June 30, 2003
Hong Kong should be celebrating – SARS has been contained, and the island just signed a free trade agreement with mainland China. But Hong Kong's independence and freedom are under threat, worry some critics. Democracy advocates and businesspeople fear that a proposed new law, called 'Article 23', will undermine the openness that has long attracted investors and enabled Hong Kong...