GlobalPost — Commerce

The Trabant: An East German marvel makes a comeback

Karoline Durr — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:35:47 +0000

Want your own "little Sputnik?" You may soon get the chance.

Teacher in a box: Outsourcing homework to India

Saritha Rai — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:28:51 +0000

Need help with that term paper, young American? Meet Saswati Patnaik.

Back to the Azores: a brand-new world

Ken Shulman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:25:00 +0000

The reverse flow of migration to this small chain of Portuguese islands is a modern marvel.

Cuba tries to keep the lights on

Nick Miroff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:55:03 +0000

Cuba gets plenty of oil from Venezuela. So why is it adopting "extreme measures" to avoid blackouts?

How can 39 million buffalo be wrong?

Jason Overdorf — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:30:21 +0000

Indian farmers discover the beauty of mozzarella.

Analysis: Obama in China: It's about the money

Kathleen E. McLaughlin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:57:00 +0000

How, and why, Obama is treating the dragon differently.

Silicon Sweatshops: A promising model

Jonathan Adams and Kathleen E. McLaughlin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:54:56 +0000

There's no easy way to police supply chains in Asia. But one US high-tech firm and its Taiwan supplier are taking a creative approach that might just work.

Special report: Silicon Sweatshops

Jonathan Adams and Kathleen E. McLaughlin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:05:08 +0000

Despite strict "codes of conduct," labor rights violations are the norm at factories making the world's favorite high-tech gadgets.

What do you think about Silicon Sweatshops?

News Desk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:04:19 +0000

Are high-tech supply chains in Asia good business or exploitation? You decide.

Silicon Sweatshops: Shattered dreams

Jonathan Adams — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:24:07 +0000

Migrant workers making gadgets at Taiwan's high-tech parks sign deals that make them modern-day indentured servants.

Silicon Sweatshops: The China connection

Kathleen E. McLaughlin and Jonathan Adams — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:22:58 +0000

For migrant workers, an electronics factory job can be a ticket into China's booming middle class. But for many, it turns into a nightmare of poor working conditions and indifferent bosses.

Silicon Sweatshops: Disposable workforce

Jonathan Adams — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:22:25 +0000

Laid-off Taiwanese workers accuse their firm of violating industry codes even when times were good.

Video: The Chinese on Obama

Josh Chin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:16:52 +0000

Japan’s downward spiral

Gavin Blair — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:17:34 +0000

One in six Japanese are now poor. The new government has vowed to tackle the problem, but how?

Asia's pushback to big tobacco

Patrick Winn — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:30:28 +0000

The cigarette industry wants a bigger slice of Asia. Activists want them to butt out.

International visitors buoy US tourism industry

Susan E. Reed — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:30:37 +0000

Despite dreary economic times, a favorable exchange rate beckons foreign tourists to the majestic Grand Circle and beyond.

Obama in Japan: Reassuring an old friend

Justin McCurry in Tokyo — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:58:10 +0000

America's first "pacific president" extends a hand. But it's not all smiles.

Obama in Beijing: What you will see. And won't see.

Kathleen E. McLaughlin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:56:47 +0000

In China, anything is possible. Nothing is easy.

How other US presidents handled the dragon

Kathleen E. McLaughlin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:31:38 +0000

From Nixon, to Ford, to Reagan, Clinton and both Bushes, dealing with China has never been simple.

On Location: Haryana — India's looming food crisis

Jason Overdorf — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:45:31 +0000

Fat in Japan? You're breaking the law.

David Nakamura — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:40:13 +0000

As the health care debate rages in the US, Tokyo lawmakers set a maximum waist size. Are you too fat for Japan?

Can Indonesia's "Hamburger King" topple McDonald's?

Sara Schonhardt — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:39 +0000

So far, the signs are not good.

Opinion: How consumer choices can drive environmental change

Stephan Faris — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:38:17 +0000

When businesses realize that eco-friendly alternatives will help their bottom line, they take action.

The Trabant: An East German marvel makes a comeback

Karoline Durr — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:35:47 +0000

Want your own "little Sputnik?" You may soon get the chance.

In Taiwan, where cows fly

Jonathan Adams — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:20:43 +0000

Photo essay: Yes, those are cows attached to a crane.

Gay sex on film? No problem. Baring political rifts, problem.

Patrick Winn — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:02:26 +0000

Live and let live in Thailand. Except when one gay man is Buddhist, and the other is Muslim.

War-zone tourism

John Otis — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:45:40 +0000

It's a national park “where the rainbow becomes a river.” And it's nearly empty.

China and Costa Rica move toward free trade agreement

Alex Leff — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:01:57 +0000

China wants ties in the region, Costa Rica wants Chinese goods. But not everyone's pleased.

Indonesia: Corruption junction

Peter Gelling — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:02:20 +0000

A corruption scandal hits — you guessed it — the country's anti-corruption commission.

Easter Island: even more difficult to get to?

Pascale Bonnefoy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:42:50 +0000

Indigenous population considers limiting visitors and immigrants to one of Chile's top tourist destinations.

Design within reach

Daniel Grushkin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:36:19 +0000

Cameron Sinclair founded Architecture for Humanity to bring thoughtful design to the world’s neediest.

The asses of New Delhi

Jason Overdorf — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:41:40 +0000

With a year to go before hosting the Commonwealth Games, Delhi targets the poor. Its donkeys, too.