Asia

BAN HOUYTHAO (IRIN*) – “Land grabs” in Laos are driving poor farmers, including ethnic minorities, off their land, away from livelihoods they know and into further poverty, activists and experts say. “When these lands [are given] to companies and converted to…

After the horrors of World War II Japan installed article 9 in its constitution which generally renounces war as a means of conflict resolution and this way forbade the building up of an army. In fact Japan possesses so called…

From friend Grahame Lynch’s Facebook pages (resident in Thailand): Update: Grahame Lynch 25 May at 23:16 · End of day update on the Thai coup: * The National Council for Peace and Order has extended sweeping powers to the military…

The two-week strike by 40,000 workers at the vast Yue Yuen shoe factory in Dongguan last month was one of the largest strikes in living memory [in China]. It was important not simply because of its sheer scale but also…

Lionel Mok is a Hong Kong resident whose work frequently takes him into China. He has a strong interest in Chinese affairs, current, historical and cultural. Pressenza asked Lionel about social media in China and its affect on change, especially…

By Michelle Tullo.- China’s massive urbanisation has been built, literally, by metal, supplied mostly by Latin American countries (LAC). Yet now China’s slowing economic growth and falling commodity prices threaten Latin American commodity booms. “As commodity prices decline, Latin American policy-makers…

The Man Who Stayed Behind By Sidney Rittenberg and Amanda Bennett Simon & Schuster, published 1993 Reviewed by Tony Henderson What a story. He really was a believer – in the Communist ideals… and why not. Thrown in jail in…

Sima Samar is a recipient of Right Livelihood Award Foundation’s award. Sima Samar, born 3 February 1957, is a woman’s rights and human rights advocate, activist and a social worker on national and international forums. She served as Minister of Women’s…

India’s highest court on April 9 ruled that journalists and non-journalists of newspapers and news agencies are entitled to a pay hike under the recommendations of the Majithia Wage Board. Dismissing pleas by various owners seeking a review of its…

Exactly 30 years ago, Dalits, in West Bengal, came to realize the true nature of Indian state that is being dominated, in every sense, by a tiny section of population but at a great personal cost. It was in 1979,…