In The News

Arab States See Resolution As Way to Avoid War

Roula Khalaf November 10, 2002
The UN resolution calling on Iraq to disarm has been marked by an unusual unanimity of the Security Council, but that may not last long. Diplomats quoted by the Financial Times say the ambiguities could shatter the unanimity of the Council if Iraq plays by the rules for a while and inspectors report 80 per cent compliance. "If Iraq makes sufficient progress most members of the Security...

Behind the Veil: A Muslim Woman Speaks Out

Marlise Simons November 9, 2002
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 continue to impact public sentiments around the world. European attitudes toward Muslims have shifted; over 70 mosques in the Netherlands, for example, have been attacked in the month following the attack. In light of such circumstances, the Dutch Muslim community has condemned Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Dutch Muslim woman of Somali origin, and forced her to...

McDonald’s to Close Restaurants Amid Restructuring

Associated Press November 8, 2002
Faced with falling profits, the US-based McDonald’s Corp. has found it necessary to restructure the corporation by slowing down expansion and overhauling U.S. restaurants. McDonald’s also plans to pull out of or restructure in at least seven nations, all located in the Middle East and Latin America. In addition, the corporation will cut individual struggling franchises in at least ten other...

North Sea Cod Crisis Brings Call for Nations to Act

Craig S. Smith November 7, 2002
For the fisheries in ports and towns that depend on the North Sea cod, even more restrictions—or even a ban altogether—will soon follow the release of a scientific report outlining the perilous number of North Sea cod. The seemingly interminable discussions of the European Union’s fishing ministries on the matter have only let the cod stock dwindle. Other leaders, like the European Commissioner...

Scorched Earth: Environmental Legacy of Tropical Peat Fires

November 7, 2002
Researchers say that events such as wildfires, occurring on a tiny area of the globe, can have a huge impact on the global carbon cycle. They cite the example of fire in Indonesia in 1997 started to clear forest for agriculture. – YaleGlobal

U.S. Raids Foil Plots to Send Arms to Al Qaeda and Others

Eric Lichtblau November 7, 2002
The DEA and the FBI now, more than ever, share a common enemy: terrorism. Federal agents recently thwarted two deals that included the exchange of drugs for weapons believed to be destined for Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. In the first deal, two Pakistanis and an American were in the process of exchanging heroin and hashish for four Stinger antiaircraft missiles that were allegedly...

War and Politics: Islamists Gain Votes as U.S. Acts

Neil MacFarquhar November 6, 2002
Democratic elections, like the ones recently held in Bahrain and Turkey reflect a turn away from American influence and towards religious leadership. The public interpretation of the US war against terrorism as a war against Islam and Arab culture has been exploited by religiously-oriented political parties to bring about recent victories in the Middle East. Some observers argue that voters in...