Over the past 15 years, biotechnology has emerged as the most important fields of scientific research. It is costly and high risk, but also earns high profits. Perhaps the most contentious part of this industry has been genetically-modified (GM) seeds, some of which have been produced with resistance to insect pests, and others to the…
The success of Shi’ite candidates in Iraq’s first democratic general election will pose a new test for the country, and vindicates the role of the Bush Administration in pushing ahead with the ballot despite daily car-bombings by Sunni insurgents. The party of the pro-American interim Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, failed to win a large share of the vote, securing just 14 per cent. About 60 per cent of Iraq’s 25 million people are Shi’ite Arabs, 35 per cent are Sunni Arabs and Kurds, and the balance are members of other faiths and nationalities. The Shi’ites, who were persecuted by the…
Plans by the Chinese Government to enact an anti-secession law, aimed at Taiwan, have lifted tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Under the terms of the draft bill, China reaffirms that Taiwan, which has been independent of China for the past 55 years, is an integral part of China, and has the right to put on…
A recent inter-government report into the 2003 Australian bushfires – the worst since 1939 – has ignored advice on how to prevent a similar outbreak again. The recently-released COAG report into the 2003 Australian bushfires, commissioned by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), has failed to deal with the central problems of bushfire management: the need for prescriptive fuel-reduction burn-offs, and providing more manpower for fire control and fire-fighting. The 2002-3 bushfire season destroyed over 50 million hectares, mainly in Queensland, NSW and Victoria; burnt over half the ACT; destroyed some 600 homes in Canberra; and took ten lives. The…