In The News

Asia's Global Travel Boom

February 3, 2014
Three out of five global citizens are Asian, and the continent’s growing middle class has wanderlust. “Rapid urbanisation, increased disposable income and a relaxing of travel restrictions have enabled more people to travel and budget airlines are opening up routes from India and other parts of Asia,” reports BBC News in an article rich with graphics. China in particular is both major destination...

Danger to Cities by the Sea

Aditi Sen January 28, 2014
Asia’s coastal megacities are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, in particular the risk of coastal flooding. What makes cities like Jakarta, Manila or Bangkok so vulnerable is that they are heavily populated and among the least prepared, suggests Aditi Sen of Verified Carbon Standard. The organization aims to reduce greenhouse emissions and encourage quality assurance...

What AAP Should Know

Nayan Chanda January 27, 2014
Recently the Delhi law minister from the newly elected Aam Aadmi (Common People) Party led a mob to harass African women suspected of illegal activity. In the process he and his supporters uttered racist words. Video clips from a decade ago also show another leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, poet Kumar Vishwas, making racist remarks. Such racism is foolish and ignores the ancestry of Indians as of...

Incredible Edible Todmorden

Julian Dobson January 23, 2014
Todmorden in Yorkshire, England, has taken community gardening to a new level. Every patch of once unused land and space in the town of about 15,000 is now used for vegetable gardens, with crops available for the picking by passersby; schools teach horticulture; families share recipes and meals. It’s “the beginning of a survival strategy for towns and neighbourhoods in the 21st century,” writes...

Going the Distance

David Remnick January 22, 2014
President Barack Obama is a man with strong opinions but cautious about imposing those on others. The first quality irritates his opponents and the second frustrates supporters. David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker, profiles Obama and tackles the array of issues confronting any president. Depending on luck and which issues are pursued, Obama still has potential for presidential greatness. Yet...

Americans Want to Turn Away From World’s Problems

Bruce Stokes January 16, 2014
The United States may no longer view itself as the world’s leading advocate for military engagements or multilateral efforts to promote freedom, democracy and human rights, suggests a study by the Pew Research Center. Americans are war weary, and about half of 2000 adults surveyed in the fall 2013 suggest that the country is overextended, writes Bruce Stokes, the center’s director of global...

Easing One-Child Policy May Be Too Late

Joseph Chamie January 7, 2014
A Chinese policy that generally limited families to one child has been revised: Couples can have two children if either spouse is an only child. But China may discover that increasing family size is tougher than reduction, warns demographer Joseph Chamie. “This mid-course correction in population policy will have marginal effect as China is aging at a much faster pace than occurred in other...