Some inner-city pubs can get a little wild in Sydney still. They are not generally ones a tourist will find without searching, and ones that locals know to avoid. It is one of the maverick beauties of Australia that if you peel back the very sophisticated and urbane outer levels there is still a
We have a fondness for the unusual story passed over in the main by the more conventional media. We are also often overwhelmed by the creativity often seen by people in developing economies to make a buck. A new travel agency in Nepal, Pink Mountain (that is one of the better and most apropos br
Anyone who needs convincing that terror threats, albeit how silly, can result in arrest needs to look no further than Paul Chambers of Doncaster, England. Frustrated by cancellations and missed connections due to Britain’s recent severe winter conditions, Chambers took his frustration about hi
Legal systems worldwide are open to abuse because of design. Cambodia is no exception to the rule. Despite convictions, defeated appeals and supreme court judgments on a multiple murder charge, former Khmer Rouge Commander Chhouk Rin, who was convicted of the murder of three Western backpacker
The US justified the invasion of Iraq, after the highly embarrassing absence of weapons of mass destruction came to light, by claiming that it bettered the lot of the Iraqi people. While the objective may have been admirable, the way it was approached, and the absence of a post-conflict strategy
It seems every year as Australia Day rolls around, the issue of an Australian republic comes up for scrutiny. January 26, the very concept of Australia Day is complex. A day of celebration for many Australians, it is also known as the day of invasion by aboriginal activists. It also raises the
Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir among others is quite outspoken that major funding and support of the Taliban in her country comes from the Saudi Wahhabis. So given this Saudi influence on the Taliban, the large number of Saudi-funded madrassas apparently spreading radicalizati
For those readers who need a reminder of an ongoing issue, Thailand recently forcefully repatriated several thousand Hmong people back to Laos. It was feared that the Hmong returnees would be mistreated and victimized by authorities there. As a background, the Hmong are a rugged hill people from
Cambodia is a complex place with such a sad checkered history. It is democratic…in a sense, with a single party dominance, a nominal royalty and an often harsh judicial reaction to opposition. It is also in recovery. It is a poor nation courted by regional powers and building infrastructure so
"If the Prophet Mohammed had asked me to deem Christians or Jews heretics, I would have deemed Mohammed himself a heretic"- Sheikh Ahmed Hassoun, the Mufti of Syria We have always argued that Al Qaeda and other associated insurgency franchises are not religious movements but transnational pol
