In The News

South Africa’s World Cup Advice to Brazil

Andrew Harding July 2, 2014
Ahead of the 2010 World Cup, FIFA made enticing promises to the locals in South Africa. Four years later, many locals found the $2 billion dollars in infrastructure investment did not benefit South Africans. Construction was accelerated on the Gautrain train¬ – a high speed railway connecting Johannesburg and Pretoria – but its prices are out of reach for most South Africans. “Following the...

Thai Junta Claims Support from China, Vietnam Amid Western Unease

Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Pracha Hariraksapitak June 6, 2014
After a coup in Thailand, China and Vietnam expect a quick return to normality. The West and Australia are less sure. Support from China and Vietnam, as well as among Thais, could extend the duration of the coup longer than expected. “In May, Thailand's consumer confidence index hit its highest level since January on hopes the military can bring the economy back from the brink of recession...

Brazil Child Sex Trade Raises Alarm as World Cup Nears

Super User June 5, 2014
Global sporting events attract tourists, prostitution and the child sex trade. The challenges are compounded for the World cup in Brazil. Brazil has enjoyed high economic growth in the past years, but its law enforcement system and social policy are less equipped to address child prostitution. “Brazilian society is often accused of sexualising children,” writes Wyre Davies for the BBC News. “The...

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...

Kenya Pays Stiff Price for Intervening

Peter Fabricius September 26, 2013
Kenya’s intervention in the Somali civil war is the reason given for al-Shabab’s terrorist attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall that left dozens dead. The terrorist group, described as weakened in recent years by such intervention, controls much of southern and central Somalia, across the border to Kenya’s east. Kenyan troops had aided Ahmed Adobe, a Shabab rival in driving the group out of Somalia’...

Glaxo Executives Accused of Breaking Chinese Law

Ben Hirschler, Kazunori Takada July 24, 2013
Chinese leaders have promised a crackdown on corruption in China, and executives of foreign multinationals are not exempt from the scrutiny. China has accused several executives of a British pharmaceutical firm with bribery in violation of Chinese law. “China has long been known for a culture in which drug companies make payments to doctors, since physicians rely on rewards for writing...

Chinese Tourists' Westward Wanderlust

Michelle FlorCruz July 23, 2013
Host countries may offer guides, but tourists ultimately decide which sites are worth a visit. Chinese tourism is growing, and Michelle FlorCruz, with International Business Times, describes new attention devoted to a New York sculpture installed in 1989 – the Wall Street Charging Bull, a symbol of prosperity and risk. She notes, “the tourism industry is beginning to understand the profound...