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The article examines the economic and social reforms taking place in Saudi Arabia and their impact on other Arab countries and the Gulf region. The reforms are said to be part of efforts by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to refashion Saudi society away from strict Islamic codes and diversify its economy away from dependence on oil. Starting June 24, 2018, women will be allowed to drive on Saudi roads.

The article looks at the economic and social conditions of men, focusing on the problems facing men with limited educational attainment and low skills in developed countries. Topics include the decline in marriage among the working class, the employment rates of men versus women, the impact of economic changes related to global trade and technological innovations, the effect of the U.S. criminal justice system on men, and changing gender roles.

A photo essay which documents Myanmar during its transition from military dictatorship to democracy is presented.

The article discusses the economic impact of gangs in El Salvador, including their impact on the country's gross domestic product (GDP), their extortion practices and gang members in the country's prisons. An overview of gangs' impact on security and safety costs in El Salvador is provided.

The article examines foreign intervention in the Middle East. Particular focus is given to the U.S. and its involvement in the region. Additional topics discussed include social and political conditions in Lebanon, the invasion of Iraq by the U.S. and President George W. Bush in 2003 and insights on current U.S. President Barack Obama and his policies on the topic.

The article discusses security conditions and political violence related to social conflict in Nigeria. Emphasis is given to topics such as massacres and the abduction of women and children by the jihadist insurgent group Boko Haram, efforts by the government led by president Goodluck Jonathan to counter radicalism and religious extremism, and human rights violations.

The article discusses the persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine, Burma, or Myanmar, their desire for Burmese citizenship and their status as political refugees in Bangladesh and Southeast Asia. An overview of the crimes against and ethnic cleaning of the Rohingyas, including by Buddhist Burmese and the potential for the classification of these crimes as genocide, is provided.

The article focuses on American foreign policy concerning the Middle East under President Barack Obama and suggests his inaction has made problems in the Middle East worse. It examines his failure to follow up his comments on promoting democracy following the Arab spring and his inaction in stopping Syrian President Bashar Assad's use of chemical weapons against rebels. It considers his negotiations with Iran concerning its nuclear program and how it may adversely impact the region.

The article examines the Saudi Arabia government as it responds to changing social and economic conditions both internally and in the Middle East. It covers the country's foreign relations with the U.S., decision to intervene in the conflict in Yemen, and the religious aspects of its leadership. Particular attention is also given to Saudi Arabia's economic policy under King Salman.

The article focuses on the likelihood that Iraqi Kurds will declare an autonomous state of Kurdistan in the future. Topics include the boundaries dividing Kurdish areas after World War I, why Kurdistan will need the support of Iraq and neighboring Syria and Turkey, and the leadership of Kurdish Prime Minister Barham Salih.

The article discusses hereditary meritocracies and the problems that are associated with the claim that the children of rich and powerful people in America are increasingly well suited to earning wealth and power, and it mentions the views of various politicians such as U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Marco Rubio regarding opportunity and success. Former American First Lady Hillary Clinton addresses the concepts of hard work and responsibility. American society's elite class is examined.

The article focuses on the countries where gay people are persecuted in 2014, such as Gambia, Chad, and Uganda. Topics include how religion contributes to homophobic attitudes toward gays, the passage of legislation criminalizing homosexuality, and how anti-gay rhetoric is used by politicians to gain political popularity.

The article discusses women's rights in Saudi Arabia as of May 2014, focusing on analysis of evidence that changes towards greater equality are being made. Topics include examples of Saudi women's social conditions including participation in sports, political activity, and business ownership, areas of continued inequality such as the guardianship rule and conservative Islam, and agents of change in education and economics.

The article discusses urban sprawl in China and the apparent efforts of various Chinese cities to cope with population growth as of April 2014, focusing on a population expansion in Kunming, China. According to the article, Chinese officials have a plan for developing a suburb known as Chenggong, China. The Chinese government's alleged policy towards limiting population growth in cities is examined, along with city planning in China and the nation's hukou household registration rules.

The article discusses the failure of efforts to address official corruption and police brutality in Kenya. Topics discussed include Kenya's police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority's (IPOA) failure to secure convictions against police officers despite the high number of complaints of abuse, corruption, scandals and inequality in the Kenyan politics and the IPOA's poor record on witness protection.

The article looks at China's growing automobile industry. "China has begun to enter the age of mass car consumption. This is a great and historic advance." So proclaimed the state-run news agency, Xinhua, last year. Environmentalists may feel a twinge of fear at this burgeoning romance with motoring. But a rapid social and economic transformation is under way in urban China, and the car is steering it. In 2002 demand for cars in China soared by 56%, far more than even the rosiest projections. The next year growth quickened to 75%, before slowing in 2004 (when the government tightened rules on credit for car purchases) to around 15%. But in a sluggish global market, China's demand remains mesmerising. Few expect this year's growth to dip below 10%. As long as the economy goes on galloping at its current high-single-digit clip, many expect car sales to increase by 10-20% annually for several years to come. "China is going to become the second-largest market in the world sometime over the next two or three years," says David Thomas, head of China distribution for Ford. Between 2010 and 2015, he thinks, it could be the biggest. "China is developing in very similar ways (to the developed markets), but doing it so much quicker," Thomas adds. "So much quicker," he repeats.

The article reports that there is little sign of change for ordinary North Koreans since Kim Jong Un, the North's leader, embarked on a diplomatic charm offensive earlier in 2018. Topics discussed include curiosity among North Koreans about the outside world, economic and social conditions in North Korea, North Koreans being compelled to spend six days a week working for the state for meagre wages and young men being compelled to spend years doing military service.

The article discusses political and social conditions in Yangon, Myanmar by referring to the opening of new hotels and restaurants, electricity, fishing, and farming. Topics discussion includes foreign investments in Myanmar, the initiatives taken by the government for the economic development, and skirmishes between the army and assorted rebel groups.

The article discusses the conditions in Yemen following a military intervention which was launched by Saudi Arabia in 2015 with the United Arab Emirates also participating in it. It states that the collapse of Yemen's economy has given way to corruption at checkpoints and resulting in smuggling of weapons, giving power to warlords and mentions civilian casualties, hunger, poverty and the country's disintegration. It mentions the war waged by the northern Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia.

The article discusses discrimination and communication issues related to the small number of Tamil or Tamil-speaking Muslim police officers in Sri Lanka despite the majority of its population being Sinhalese. Topics include mistrust between Tamils and Sinhalese bred by Sri Lanka's civil war ending in 2009, the prime minister's decision to pass a 1956 bill making Sinhala the official language after Sri Lanka became independent from Britain, and Sri Lanka's policy requiring proficiency in both languages for state employees.

The article discusses the relationship between powerful women politicians in South Asia and the social conditions and empowerment of the region's women, including the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's lowering the legal age for marriage. The conditions of women in India, including domestic violence against women in Bhopal, India, the freedom of middle class Indian women and the percent of women judges in India, are discussed.

The article discusses the possible negative consequences that could result from reuniting divided eastern Ukraine. According to the article, the Minks agreements called for Russia returning control to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine but subsequent violence threatened the arrangement.

The article discusses labour mobility in Asia as of 2017, and it mentions the Asian model of migration, as well as Asia's struggles involving worker-related supply and demand. According to the article, more than 200,000 undocumented Filipinas work as domestic helpers in China. Fines for employing illegal workers are addressed, along with information about immigrants in Asia and labor issues in places such as Thailand, South-East Asia, and Japan.

The article discusses the Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi's failure to speak against the atrocities and crimes against humanity committed by the Burmese state and army against its Muslim Rohingya people in Rakhine state (formerly known as Arakan state), Burma. The characteristics of the ethnic conflict against the Rohingya, including in regard to the ethnicity of Burmese army leaders, are discussed.

The article discusses the diminishing influence of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East to Iran, including its challenges in its intervention in the Yemeni Civil War, the role oil plays in Saudi Arabia's foreign relations and the success of Iranian-supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War. The impact that Shia-Sunni relations play in Saudi Arabia's Middle East policy is discussed.

The article discusses the political, economic and social conditions of New Zealand, within the context of the country's Prime Minister John Key's decision to resign from office on December 12, 2016. An overview of the New Zealand political parties the National Party and the Labour Party's competing in an upcoming election is provided.

The article discusses the Persian Gulf States governments' depriving citizenship and passports of people who dissent, including the Bahrain government's depriving the Shia leader Isa Qassim of his citizenship.

The article reports on the resumption of bombing and assault in Aleppo, Syria a week after Russia's aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov arrived in the eastern Mediterranean as part of a flotilla. It informs about the Russian offensive and the collapse of the ceasefire negotiation between Russia and the U.S. in September 2016. It mentions the rebels' counterattack in an attempt to break the Russian and Syrian military siege and suggests the implication of aerial bombardment for rebels.

The article discusses sex education services provided for Middle Eastern refugees within the context of the mass rape of women in Cologne, Germany on New Year's Eve 2015, including teaching Belgian social norms regarding man-woman relationships.

The article discusses the impact of the authoritarian government of Ethophia, under the rule of the political party Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has on the country's social conditions, including in regard to the EPRDF's declaring of a state of emergency. An overview of the revolt of the Oromo people against the EPRDF is provided.

The article discusses economic growth in Bangladesh within the context of the challenges the country faces in regard to its democracy and social conditions, including traffic congestion, violence by Islamic radicals and the government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's authoritarian tendencies.

The article examines the migrant crisis and refugee in Europe as of 2016. Particular focus is given an October 2, 2016 referendum to be held in Hungary, which ask voters to answer the question "Do you want the European Union to be entitled to prescribe the mandatory resettlement of non-Hungarian citizens in Hungary without the consent of parliament?" Additional topics discussed include how the referendum relates to the Hungarian politician Viktor Orban, political extremism in the country and a bomb that went off on September 24, 2016 in Budapest, Hungary.

The article offers information on the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram. Particular focus is given to the response of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) towards Boko Haram. Additional topics discussed include the state of Borno, Nigeria, suicide bombing in the country and insights on a video released by the nonprofit organization Amnesty International.

The article discusses air strikes and shell attacks by the Russian Air Force and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's regime on Aleppo, Syria following the collapse of a U.S. ceasefire deal with Russia. Topics include Russia and Assad's failure to pursue peace or establish aid for civilians, U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to not intervene in Syria's civil war, and the efforts of rebel groups to resist Assad.

The article discusses the claim that proposed reforms will not improve the conditions in the prisons in England and Wales as of 2016, and it mentions police investigations into deaths of prisoners, as well as information about prison populations and safety concerns. Prison-based sexual assaults are examined, along with overcrowding and an increase in the use of synthetic drugs by prisoners. Seizures of products such as the cannabinoid known as spice are also assessed.

The article discusses the censorship of the press in Palestine, including by the political party Hamas in Gaza Strip and political party Fatah in the West Bank and allegations of the torturing of journalist Mohammed Othman.

The article discusses the pensions and costs of retirement in developed countries throughout the world, including in regard to increases in lifespan and the U.S. government's Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). The impact that low level of bond yields has on pension costs is discussed.

An editorial is presented on politics and religion in Malaysia, lauding the country's ability to govern its multiethnic and multireligious population and expressing concern about efforts to impose fundamentalist Islamic policies. Topics include how alleged corruption has politically weakened Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and the policies of Islamic courts in the country.

The article discusses Nubians of Egypt's efforts to be grant the right to return to their homeland near the Nile River in southern Egypt. An overview of Nubians' political activism to be repatriated their homeland is provided.

The article discusses the social conditions and social marginalization in sub-Saharan Africa's cities, including informal employment in slums, urban migrants from rural areas and income in Lagos, Nigeria. The relationship between poverty and urbanisation in Africa is discussed.

The article discusses crime statistics, murders and gang violence in Rosario, Argentina, including residents protests against crime and the impact that drug trafficking has on crime. An overview of the Rosario police's relationship with drug traffickers is provided.

The article discusses Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff’s Posse of vigilantes led by Sheriff Joe Arpaio, including posse member John Pawloski's efforts to reduce crime. An overview of the vigilante leader David Isho's Desert Foothills Sheriff's posse, including his attitude towards the sheriff's election in Maricopa County, is provided.

The article focuses on cultural changes in Tibet in the 21st century. It comments on cultural genocide accusations by the Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama and states young TIbetans feel shut out of China's economic success, due partly to Tibet's remote topography and racial prejudice against Tibetans. It talks about the influx of Han to the Tibetan city of Lhasa where they comprise 22 percent of the permanent population. It mentions the effect infrastructure improvements have had on tourism.

The article discusses the prospect of a famine in Borno state, Nigeria resulting from an insurgency waged by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, including child malnutrition in the state. The impact that Boko Haram's preventing farmers from growing agricultural products has on food shortages is discussed.

The article discusses Chinese Communist Party Secretary for Xinjiang province, China Zhang Chunxian's policy towards Uighurs from 2010 through 2016, including violence in the Urumqi, China, ethnic relations in China and his policies on Uighur Muslim clothing.

The article discusses the violent crime rate in St. Louis, Missouri. Topics explored include the economic and social situation in the region particularly for its African American residents, the number of homicides recorded in the region in 2017, and the challenges being faced by the St. Louis police force such as lack of personnel and lax gun control policies.

The article focuses on human rights abuses in Myanmar as of 2018 with particular focus on an authoritative report published by the United Nations' (UN) Human Rights Council accusing the Burmese army of genocide.

The article discusses a decline in public spaces, such as parks, in the Middle East. Topics include the tendency for public spaces to be turned private within Arab countries by unaccounted tycoons, efforts by Arabs to greenify public areas and increase the number of public spaces in Arab countries, and the tendency for demonstrations to increase security concerns in public spaces.

The article discusses the economic and social status of Morocco as of 2016 under King Mohammed VI's monarchy. Topics include the king's increase of wages and pensions and revision of the constitution, strengthening parliament, the impact of a tighter fiscal policy including cuts to energy subsidies on Morocco's gross domestic product growth, and Morocco's low ranking on Transparency International's corruption perceptions index.

The article discusses the social integration of ethnic groups and minorities in ethnically plural Great Britain, including the assimilation of immigrants in the country and British multicultural policies. Former head of Great Britain's Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips' perspective on integration, including in regard to British Muslims' integration, is discussed.