In The News

EU Globalization Fund Questioned

George Parker July 5, 2007
The EU created a fund to assist those who have lost jobs due to global competition. But the fund has received a mere two requests for aid, prompting speculation about whether global competition really harms European jobs, reports The Financial Times. France was the most enthusiastic supporter of the fund and so far is the only country that has applied for funding. France wants money to retrain...

Brilliant Student, Doctor – and Now a Terror Suspect

Ian Herbert July 3, 2007
Physicians worldwide have long shared the motto, “First, do no harm.” Reports suggesting that the suspects in failed car bombings throughout the UK are physicians from the Middle East, Australia and India are unsettling – and make the job of combating terrorism all that more difficult. Analysts have long assumed that soft-power tools, education and economic development, take time, but worked...

Norway Looks After its Elderly – In Spain

Dale Fuchs July 3, 2007
Norway sends some of its elderly who require medical treatment to Spain. Five medical centers are run and staffed by Norwegians, many of whom are willing to take pay cuts to work in Spain. The sunny climate benefits the patients, and lower costs of living and land prices save Norway money. This trend goes beyond “health tourism,” with Norwegian doctors approving patient visits to Spain. Once...

In Ukraine, Illegal Mines Beckon the Jobless

Andrew Matheny June 21, 2007
Under communism, miners in Ukraine earned three times the national wage average, and mining jobs included perks like an apartment and early retirement. The transition from communism to capitalism has not been easy for Ukraine’s state-run mines, since the nation gained independence in 1991. Independence brought new competition from competing energy sources, mostly gas and oil from Siberia. The...

Sarkozy's Victory; Ca Y'est, C'est Fini!!!

June 5, 2007
Nicolas Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant to France, campaigned for the French presidency on promises to restrict immigration. Sarkozy policies would limit benefits for immigrants and discourage applicants who cannot provide “qualified labor,” reports this editorial from the Daily Trust in Abuja, Nigeria. After his election, Sarkozy also promised to serve all of France and selected a...

Lack of Women in Eastern Germany Feeds Neo-Nazis

June 1, 2007
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, many East Germans left their communities in search of education, jobs and other opportunity. But the Berlin Institute for Population and Development reports that most of the emigrants have been young women – with some communities in East Germany losing up to 25 percent of their young women. East Germany has the distinction of leading Europe with such a gender...

Trading Civil War for Small-Town Sweden

Charles Hawley May 29, 2007
Almost 4 million Iraqis have left their homes, fleeing sectarian violence in Iraq. Millions of refugees have fled to neighboring countries of Jordan and Syria, but growing numbers look to the stability of the West. Iraqi security, language and computer workers who assisted US troops shortly after the invasion in 2003 quickly became targets for assassination. Asylum policies vary widely...