In The News

Business Key to Internet Use in Poor Nations

Frances Williams November 18, 2002
Regional and global supply chains need to be linked in order for business-to-business internet commerce to expand. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Unctad, reported that poor countries lack the needed infrastructure and skilled labor to establish and expand the business-to-business sector worldwide. Although Africa and Asia enjoyed internet use growth rates of almost 46%...

North Korea Admits Nuclear Arsenal

November 17, 2002
orth Korea’s disguise of its nuclear capabilities has always served as the rogue state’s only playing card in negotiations with the US. Today, the state publicized its possession of “powerful military counter-measures, including nuclear weapons" for the first time, possibly in reaction to the recent conditional halt of fuel aid by the US, South Korea, the European Union, and Japan. Pyongyang...

Emptying the Oceans

Michael Richardson November 17, 2002
World fisheries are suffering. With huge fishing fleets subsidized by governments, ineffective or non-existent multi-lateral agreements to control overfishing, and rampant piracy, the world’s oceans are not merely overfished, they are being laid bare. Add new technology that allows fishers to trawl in waters previously unsafe, and supermarkets that offer big payouts for uncommon fish, and the...

Here’s Your Leaders, Thanks for Tuning In

Max Woodworth November 17, 2002
While the Chinese national media only managed a broadcast of 10 minutes on the transfer of national power, foreign media such as CNN went into detail, analyzing the implications of the change. Because of China’s one party authoritarian system, political debate is discouraged, and thus the national media felt no need to go into much depth on the subject. When domestic media proves inadequate,...

Tainted Soybeans Raise Fears About ‘Biopharming’

Mike Toner November 17, 2002
The discovery in a Nebraskan grain elevator of genetically modified crops for chemicals amongst crops meant for the nation’s food supply has led to the quarantine of a half-million bushels of potentially contaminated soybeans. This is the latest in a series of incidents in which the government has been forced to take drastic measures against the potential contamination of the nation’s food...

Will de Soto’s ideas work in Thailand?

Nophakhun Limsamarnphun November 17, 2002
In the age of almost instantaneous information exchange, ideas can travel around the world with only the click of a mouse. From South America to Southeast Asia, poor people around the world face similar problems. Now Thailand's Prime Minister is considering taking up an anti-poverty scheme developed by the Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto. If his idea proves as effective as it promises...

Malaysian State to Whip 400 Illegal Immigrants

November 15, 2002
After a four-month amnesty has expired for all illegal immigrants in Malaysia, one southern state is beginning to crackdown on stragglers. Over 400 illegal immigrants will be whipped for their failure to depart. These punitive measures have been decried by Indonesia and the Philippines. Yet along with such cruel and unusual punishment, Malaysia also seems to be biting the hand that feeds it....