Emad Mekay

POLITICS: Activists Tackle Bulldozer Maker, US Aid to Israel

Still angered by the death of Rachel Corrie, a U.S peace activist who was run over and crushed to death by an Israeli Army bulldozer, peace campaigners here are urging U.S. legislators to investigate the death of the 23-year-old activist.

TRADE-U.S.: Senators Want Mideast Commerce Tied to Reform

By Emad Mekay

A group of U.S. senators is trying to forge changes in the Middle East and South East Asia via a new trade programme that would open those markets to U.S. goods and agricultural products, while rewarding nations that support the Bush administration's "war on terrorism".

ECONOMY: Global Supermarkets Elbow Aside Small Farmers

By Emad Mekay

Large supermarket chains from rich nations that are mushrooming fast in Africa, Asia and Latin America are locking small farmers out of their supply chains, a situation that threatens to put millions of already impoverished small-scale producers out of business, says a think tank here.

DEVELOPMENT: Agricultural Subsidies Lock-In Coffee Farmers – Report

By Emad Mekay

The World Bank is blaming over-supply from coffee producing countries and protectionism in rich nations for complicating a worldwide coffee crisis that has dealt a blow to some 20 million farmers globally.

FINANCE: IMF Rewards Argentina for Engaging Private Creditors

By Emad Mekay

The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday it plans to give Argentina another three billon dollars in what appears to be a reward for the country's decision to repay an earlier debt and for dropping its reluctance to talk with private creditors.

POLITICS-U.S.: Conservatives Use Oil to Keep Heat on Mideast

By Emad Mekay

With threats of a Venezuelan oil blockade helping to push petroleum prices higher, neo-conservative politicians and analysts continue to insist the biggest threat to U.S. energy supplies is Washington's reliance on Middle East oil.

SUSTAINABILITY: Water ‘Scarcity’ Can be Fixed – Report

By Emad Mekay

Despite a worldwide rise in consumption, there would still be adequate water on planet Earth for everyone if waste was ended, says a new report by an independent research group.

FINANCE: IMF Chief Resigns, Democracy Deficit Lingers

By Emad Mekay

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Horst Koehler resigned Thursday following his nomination for the German presidency, and groups monitoring the institution say his exit is a chance to highlight the lack of democracy at one of the world's most influential financial bodies.

TRADE: U.S. Sets First Piece of Mideast Trade ‘Mosaic’ in Morocco

By Emad Mekay

Building on a spree of "free" trade deals across the world, the United States has announced an agreement with Morocco that it says could be used as a model for the proposed U.S.-Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA).

U.S.: "Free" Trade Bites Back at its Biggest Booster

By Emad Mekay

Business and its political allies here are scrambling after Monday's news that the European Union (EU) is imposing four billion dollars worth of trade sanctions to retaliate for the U.S. failure to conform with a ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

ECONOMY: WTO Chief Reassures U.S. on Benefits of Free Trade

By Emad Mekay

The chief of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) defended the body's role in the global economy Thursday, and argued for free trade in the United States, a country witnessing an unprecedented debate over the "export" of U.S. jobs overseas.

IRAQ: Groups Want Heavyweights to Join Halliburton Contract Probe

By Emad Mekay

U.S. President George W. Bush and Congress should join Pentagon and State Department probes into allegations that construction giant Halliburton overcharged the U.S. government for its work in Iraq, to ensure accountability of other military contractors, watchdog groups here say.

EGYPT: Nascent Activism Scores Rare Win

By Emad Mekay

In a rare show of resistance against commercial interests, a newly formed group of anti-corporate globalisation activists in Egypt has forced two of the world's largest mobile phone companies to back down on recent prices hikes.

ENVIRONMENT: U.S. Buyers Spur Rainforest Destruction – Report

By Emad Mekay

A leading environmental group accused several U.S. companies Thursday of fuelling violence and the possible destruction of millions of animals and plants in the sensitive Brazilian Amazon by doing business with a controversial local logger.

ECONOMY-U.S.: Job Creation Tough Work for Bush

By Emad Mekay

The wealth gap between the rich and poor and the sluggish job market in the United State are looming as major problems for President George W. Bush as he campaigns for another term in office, analysts here say.

TRADE: U.S.-Australia Deal Could Fuel Protectionism

By Emad Mekay

A "free" trade deal signed last weekend between the United States and Australia does not appear to live up to its name, and could set a negative precedent for countries that want a truly free deal, say analysts here.

ENVIRONMENT: A Not So Golden Gift for Valentine’s Day

By Emad Mekay

If you are planning to give your loved one a golden gift for Valentine's Day this year - think twice, suggest pressure groups fighting for a cleaner environment and higher social standards. Gold is dirty, they say.

IRAQ: U.S. On Track for Market Economy

By Emad Mekay

The United States is reporting success in installing a free-market economy in Iraq but the changes have not improved the lives of most Iraqis, many of whom remain unemployed and without basic services, according to one expert.

FINANCE: Critics Turn to World Bank President to Back Reform

By Emad Mekay

Whether the World Bank adopts the advice of an independent review that it withdraw hundreds of millions of dollars from mining and oil industries worldwide looks to be a decision increasingly hinged on one man - Bank President James Wolfensohn.

HEALTH: Female Genital Mutilation Continues, Says Report

By Emad Mekay

The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is still widespread in many African countries despite intensified efforts to fight the procedure, said U.S. officials and women's rights activists Friday.

HEALTH: Female Genital Mutilation Continues, Says Report

By Emad Mekay

The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is still widespread in many African countries despite intensified efforts to fight the procedure, said U.S. officials and women's rights activists Friday.