Bangkok, Thailand — On March 19, in response to a Royal Thai Police summons, I am to appear at the Phahon Yothin Metropolitan Police station in Bangkok to respond to an accusation of criminal defamation, filed by the same police officer that has so threatened the BBC and other journalists.

Jakarta, Indonesia — It is conventional wisdom that Indonesia’s education policy has traditionally discriminated against the Chinese minority living in the country. For a long time – especially before the 1998 downfall of President Suharto – the Chinese have not enjoyed equal educational opportunities.

New Delhi, India — Two different stories with a common India link were in the spotlight recently. One is related to Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasreen, who lives in exile in India. The other involves Maqbool Fida Husain, who was arguably India’s most celebrated and richest painter but has accepted citizenship in Qatar.

New York, NY, United States — In a bizarre development, the alleged online attacks on Google are said to have been launched from a vocational school in China, as reported by the New York Times. Anyone knowledgeable about education in China cannot help laughing at these ignorant “experts” and their message carrier, the New York Times.

New York, NY, United States — The United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Japan still dominate the global system of technology and innovation, but it is worth noting that new players – from the BRIC countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, to Israel, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan also have come into sight.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — A Maoist-affiliated labor union forced 24 restaurants in Nepal to close last week, demanding a 40 percent pay raise, amid other things. Such unions are mushrooming in businesses across the country as the Maoists seek to use labor rights as a tool to gain greater control over the economy.

Manila, Philippines — The international human rights community should condemn the Philippine military and government for the arrest of 43 doctors and medical personnel conducting a health seminar aimed at improving free medical services to indigent and poor Filipinos. The army says they were teaching bomb-making.

New York, NY, United States — Yale University President Richard Levin has predicted that China’s elite universities could be among the world’s top 10 in 25 years, rivaling Oxford, Cambridge and the Ivy League institutions. But to attain this, Chinese students must be allowed independent thinking and freedom of expression.

Hong Kong, China — Many parents face the dilemma of whether to vaccinate their teenage girls against infection from the human papilloma virus, or HPV. Many questions arise about the vaccine and its social implications. Since the vaccine does not cure a preexisting infection, it is advisable to vaccinate girls in their teens.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Considerable improvements have been made in reducing maternal mortality in Nepal, thanks to international efforts that have been picked up and advanced domestically. While Nepal’s leaders acknowledge the need for legislation to protect women and children, they do not see this as a national priority.