In The News

Germany Sells Vision for “Green Toys” to World

Melissa Eddy February 9, 2011
Germany leads the world in developing a range of renewable-energy products – and its toymakers are no exception. They are creating products to prepare children for a future requiring new energy sources. Designed to direct children’s focus on energy conservation and sustainability, the green toy “make up only a sliver of the nearly $84 billion international toy market, but their share is growing,...

Irish Pubs Close in Droves

Conor O’Clery February 4, 2011
Replicas of traditional Irish pubs are thriving around the world, but tourists could soon have trouble finding the real thing in Ireland. The original pubs, some centuries old, are putting out the last call and closing doors, as they confront a declining customer base. The culprits: rising unemployment, tied to the global recession, and declining disposable income for Irish citizens, whose taxes...

China and the EU: Building a Reciprocal Relationship

Doug Saunders January 21, 2011
A three-nation European tour by the Chinese vice-premier underscores China’s critical role for the continent’s economy. “China, in short, has become Europe's rescuer,” writes Doug Saunders for the Globe and Mail. China easily directs its reserves to buy up bonds from countries in shaky financial condition. In return, China wants the European Union to open its markets to Chinese exports. It...

A Walled Wide Web for Nervous Autocrats

Evgeny Morozov January 13, 2011
The philosophy of the open-source software movement maintains that the internet is a vehicle for free speech, too essential for proprietary ways. Suspicion that US law enforcement officials have requested backdoor access from US software producers has alarmed governments and users around the globe. Moving to end dependence on US products, Russia will require public institutions to rely on open-...

China Extends Help to Tackle Euro Crisis

Jamil Anderlini December 31, 2010
The EU is China’s biggest export market: Trade for 2010 is up by more than 30 percent over 2009 levels. China, not wanting its huge customer base to struggle, purchases European bonds and assists in financial stabilization. “China classifies the composition of its foreign exchange reserves as a state secret and European and US officials say it is often very hard to determine the true scale of...

UK Snow

David Millward December 22, 2010
Fast, low-cost travel fuels modern globalization. During the busy winter holiday season, schedules are tight and seats few. So a few inches of snow, unusual for Europe, have paralyzed travel in the United Kingdom and some neighboring nations. Reports suggest that Heathrow Airport – managed by BAA, controlled by Ferrovial, a Spanish firm – has a need for additional snow plows and de-icing...

Europe's Last Dictatorship Shows Violent Side

Benjamin Bidder December 20, 2010
Dictator Alexander Lukashenko claims to have won re-election in Belarus, a landlocked country of 10 million in Eastern Europe, with 80 percent of the vote. But opposition candidates claim election fraud, thousands turned out to protest and the nation’s security forces hit back hard. “The police and intelligence services in Belarus are focused primarily on the protection of one person: Lukashenko...