Showing 1 - 10 of 96
A missing item in the rural soundtrack
Roger Crutchley, Published on 18/01/2026
» As usual at this time of the year I have been enjoying life in the Northeastern province of Chaiyaphum for several weeks. However on this visit there was something slightly different which I couldn't immediately put my finger on. It took a few days before realising I was not being woken up by the usual early morning chorus of roosters or chickens of any sort.
Are we headed for the crypto apocalypse?
Oped, Hilary J Allen, Published on 07/10/2025
» With the passage of the Genius Act, the United States will allow all manner of companies to issue their own money in the form of crypto assets known as "stablecoins".
Authoritarians' brave new cities
Oped, Robert Muggah & Carlo Ratti, Published on 23/09/2025
» Few policy ideas are as radical -- or as misleadingly packaged -- as "freedom cities". Championed by Silicon Valley's techno-libertarian elite and recently embraced by right-wing politicians like Donald Trump, the idea is to create digitally powered, master-planned enclaves of deregulated innovation.
Small is beautiful
Oped, Postbag, Published on 16/07/2025
» Re: "Empowering middle-income states", (Opinion, April 28).
The 1970 visa run into a war zone
Roger Crutchley, Published on 15/06/2025
» The Thai/Cambodian border has been in the news lately and let's hope everything is sorted out quickly and amicably. It sparked memories of the first time I crossed into Cambodia from Thailand back in October 1970. Now that's a long time ago.
South Asian nuclear war would hit globe
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 01/05/2025
» India and Pakistan have had several shooting matches since they carried out a total of nine underground nuclear weapons tests in 1998. However, they don't make Putin-style thinly veiled threats to use their nukes (around 170 nuclear warheads each at the moment), and they do understand that escalation from smaller, "conventional" wars is the real danger.
Few on the payroll
Oped, Postbag, Published on 22/01/2025
» Re: "Govt bets on casinos", (BP, Jan 14). Amongst all the pie-in-the-sky estimates of potential economic benefits and tax hauls from proposed casino entertainment complexes, I was flabbergasted to see that advocates were only anticipating the creation of 9,000 to 15,000 new jobs should the proposals be approved.
Trump adds to growing doubts at climate talks
News, Jennifer A Dlouhy, Published on 09/11/2024
» The election of Donald Trump -- and his vow to once again undertake a US retreat from international climate diplomacy -- poses a decisive threat to the fight against global warming as the window for meaningful action closes.
Moving towards a fifth world order
Oped, Gordon Brown & Mohamed A El-Erian, Published on 26/10/2024
» The Bretton Woods institutions -- the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- are now 80 years old. But they are as under-resourced and poorly supported by national governments as at any time in their history. Their predicament is perhaps the clearest sign that economic and financial multilateralism is fragmenting along with the global economy. Worse, this fragmentation comes at a time of rising international tensions, financial fragility, sputtering growth, rising poverty, and mounting reconstruction bills in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and elsewhere.
US looks to deepen Asean partnership
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 08/10/2024
» Annual meetings between Asean leaders and major powers from both the West and East have made Asean an important strategic partner. The upcoming Asean-related summits in Vientiane this week are no different. After the pandemic, Asean has become more prominent, though sometimes passive, in the region. By not fully taking sides in the East-West divide, Asean keeps its influence and room to handle the complex global security issues.