Retailers Sign Bangladesh Garment Factory Safety Deal
International retailers embraced a labor-backed factory safety proposal for Bangladesh’s garment factories, raising hopes that similar tragedies might be avoided in the future.
Articles from Contributor
In Cambodia, China Fuels Deadly Illegal Logging Trade
On April 26, 2012, Cambodian environmentalist Chut Wutty was killed during an investigation into illegal logging in the country’s arcane Cardamom Mountains. A year on, his family is no closer to learning the truth of what …
Bangladesh: Eight Killed in Factory Fire; Collapse Toll Hits 1,000
At least eight people perished Wednesday when a blaze raced through a garment factory in Bangladesh. The fire comes just weeks after the building collapse at Rana Plaza claimed more than 1,000 lives
Dying for Some New Clothes: Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza Tragedy
If the world wants an image that sums up the true cost of supplying big-name retailers with cheap, fast fashion, it only has to ponder the horrifying images coming out of Dhaka as thousands of frantic relatives and rescue workers …
Burma Accused of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims
Burma’s quasi-civilian government has been hit by allegations of “ethnic cleansing” and “crimes against humanity” this week as Human Rights Watch released its report into the sectarian violence that ravaged the …
Laos’ Mammoth Train Project a Fast Track to Debt and Despair
Change is coming to sleepy Laos in the form of a $7.2 billion railway, set to carve its way through this war-ravaged nation. The costs are to be borne by the Laotian government, courtesy of a Chinese loan amounting to a …
In Burma, Satellite Images Show Extent of Religious Violence
The scale of devastation wreaked by last month’s communal riots in central Burma has been revealed by new satellite images. The remains of hundreds of smoldering homes scar three once thriving Muslim neighborhoods of Meiktila, …
State of Emergency Declared in Central Burma After Religious Riot
Communal violence has gripped Burma again, as a Buddhist mob clashed with local Muslims in the town of Meiktila, killing at least 20 and displacing thousands. The unrest, which forced President Thein Sein to declare a state of …
Obstacles Ahead in Burma’s Opium War
Despite recent democratic reforms, questions remain whether Burma’s government can rein in its wild hinterland and tackle the burgeoning opium trade
China: A River of Pigs and 5 Other Environmental Nightmares
Chinese officials are busy pulling thousands of pigs from Shanghai’s main water source. Disgusting, yes. But hardly an isolated incident.
