In The News

Gene-Mappers Take New Aim at Diseases

Nicholas Wade October 30, 2002
The human genome project, which mapped every gene in the body, will soon have a new and improved counterpart to guide genetic researchers. The International “HapMap” project will chart the location of large blocks of unchanged DNA in an attempt to track down variant genes that cause common diseases such as cancer, asthma, and diabetes. The global implications of the mapping project go beyond a...

The Greatest Threat

Nicholas D. Kristof October 29, 2002
In the fire-breathing style that has become the hallmark of North Korean propaganda, an unofficial spokesman of the country threatened retaliatory attack on the US mainland if Washington decided to hit its nuclear reactor. Not that the US is planning to do that but the danger is that an effective annulment of the 1994 agreement by stopping the supply of fuel oil to North Korea may set in...

Leftist Brazilian Victor Moves to Calm Nervous Markets

Larry Rohter October 29, 2002
Brazil is suffering a severe economic crisis. In the past year, the value of Brazilian currency has fallen by 30 percent, and the people are hungry and frustrated. Many now look to President-Elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to guide their country out of dire economic straights. da Silva ran a campaign full of populist rhetoric – inspiring to Brazilians, but frightening to foreign investors who...

A Damaged Brand

Moisés Naím October 27, 2002
Privatization, trade liberalization, and deregulation were the buzzwords of the early 1990s. Developing countries happily adopted these terms, but in many cases their actual economic policies differed sharply from the formula. Both the formula and the local policies used in its place have failed, and as a consequence, developing countries have renounced globalization completely. This is tragic...

A Fight Over Farms Ends, Opening Way to Wider Europe

Elaine Sciolino October 25, 2002
One of the most contentious issues for the European Union as it prepares to admit 10 new members are the farm subsidies to the Eastern European economies. The question of who should foot the bill generates the greatest wrangling. Yet, much of the disagreement has suddenly disappeared now that France and Germany have negotiated a scheme in which subsidies to French farmers will be slowly reduced...

Occupancy Rates Plunge to Only 11 Percent in Bali

A’an Suryana October 25, 2002
Recent terrorist bombings in Bali have pushed the island to the brink of an economic crisis. With an occupancy rate of 11 percent in the 1,400 hotels, tourism is almost non-existent. Bali derives about 40% of its income from tourism and side services that cater to tourists. But there seems to be little the island can do. Most of the countries from which the victims of the bombing hailed have...

Moscow Siege May Have Wider Terror Link

Andrew Jack October 24, 2002
Men and women claiming to be Chechen rebels have taken hostage 700 people in a theater in Moscow. These same rebels were shown on the Al-Jazeera television network affirming their willingness to die, which suggests a link between the rebels and other terrorist organizations. The Russian president Vladimir Putin has already argued that such a link exists. Putin’s promise to deal with Chechnya...