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The recent public scuffle (see YouTube video above) between a mainland Chinese family and Hong Kong commuters may have been a mere indication of a broader cultural clash. It took little to ruffle nationalist feelings – prior to this, girls snacking on trains were not seen as sparkplugs for protests. The […]

On the cusp of Vientiane’s entry into the WTO, a third of its population continues to live below the global poverty line of US$1.25 a day. The author Johannes Loh describes his observations during a research trip to Vientiane as part of the Asian Trends Monitoring team. Laos is a […]

In search of employment opportunities, young people from the outer provinces of Solomon Islands flock to Honiara – the country’s capital – in massive droves.  There, they bunk with their extended relations who live in peri-urban settlements and in overcrowded housing.  The only source of drinking water is from a […]

There is a phrase that President Rafael Correa often repeats. The last time he used it was on his official visit to Chile on October 25th 2012. On that occasion, visiting an open copper mine in Antofagasta to see how the mineral extraction process works, he said: “We cannot be […]

  I attended the 7th annual Internet Governance Forum sponsored by the United Nations in Azerbaijan: a country notorious for its non-compliance with international standards for protecting human rights. The IGF brought together some 1,600 representatives of governments, human rights activists, international bodies, NGOs and private companies to convene a […]