While Southeast Asian economies have been fast expanding in the last decade, better than most regions, wealth and income inequality—i.e., the gap between the rich and poor—has been equally growing. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN Escap) reports that “Southeast Asia has seen inequalities widen, a setback to...
Category: World
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Justin Jones: Black, Filipino, civil rights activist
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Republican-dominated House of Representatives in Tennessee in the United States has expelled two of three Democrat lawmakers who took part in a protest action calling for more gun-control measures a week after a school shooting in Nashville in which six persons, including three children, were killed. One of the two expelled is...
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Southeast Asia, democratic deficit
Southeast Asia is a favored region for investments and trade by developed countries seeking to rebound from the pandemic and other economic problems. In terms of its political indicators, however, the region is hobbled by varying levels of democratic deficits. Nikkei Asia observes that Southeast Asia remains “largely a fortress of authoritarianism, with military-based regimes...
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Press in denial: Recalling the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI
Even before I arrived in Rome in 2005 to cover the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the Eternal City was rife with talk on who would succeed him. If one would make a trope of the Colosseum and revive its fortunes but only in the imagination, it could stand for a betting arena, with a mob...
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Climate post-COP27: The relevance of loss and damage to the Philippines
The most significant outcome of the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties (COP27) in November was an agreement to establish a “loss and damage” fund. There was no breakthrough on concrete measures to limit the rise of global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Thus, the deal on loss...
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Where we’re at in World Cup: 4 teams remain in thrilling tournament
Except for some shockers like powerhouses Argentina and Germany losing to unheralded opponents at the start of the Group Stage, the 22nd FIFA World Cup in Qatar began uneventfully. But as expected, the quadrennial event exploded into life with the semifinals set this week. Anxiety levels soared through the roof in this weekend’s quarterfinals, in...
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World Cup 2022: Thrilling for reasons other than the games
As the biggest show on earth reaches fever pitch in Qatar, fans are being treated to thrilling sideshows that have little to do with the tournament, but with far-reaching implications for the participating countries. Since kicking off on Nov. 21 at the Khalifa International Stadium, the 2022 FIFA World Cup has been abuzz with...
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Filipino Canadians make history in British Columbia polls
VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Maita Santiago was sworn in as councilor of Burnaby in British Columbia (BC) last Nov. 2, 29 years after she failed in a similar electoral attempt in Vancouver. Santiago, an immigration consultant and a native of Bulacan in the Philippines, is the first of Filipino heritage to take the post of councilor of...
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The way forward from the dire crises in Myanmar
Editor’s note: This is the address delivered by Dr. Cynthia Maung at the 2022 Asean Civil Society Conference/Asean Peoples’ Forum held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last Nov. 3-5. The author is a Karen medical doctor and founder of Mae Tao Clinic at the Myanmar-Thailand border, which has been providing free healthcare services for internally displaced...