Ruth Morris

December 29, 2016

When Rana Abdelhamid was 15, a man tried to rip off her hijab. Now she teaches self-defense classes for Muslim women like her.

Business

Her resort is a refuge from more than just stress

PRI's The World

December 11, 2015

Casa Nemo Beach Resort and Spa sits on the island of Pulau Weh in Aceh, Indonesia. While the rest of Aceh has its own version of Sharia law, restricting the behavior of women and gay men, things are a little freer at Casa Nemo. The resort's owner says she wants it to be a refuge, but she's not sure how long it will be able to survive as one.

Justice

A transgender woman in Aceh, Indonesia gathers strength as new anti-gay sex laws roll out

PRI's The World

November 02, 2015

New anti-gay laws that just took effect in Indonesia's Aceh province mandate 100 strokes from the cane for people engaging in gay sex.

Conflict

Indonesians got help after the tsunami. Now they want to help Myanmar's Rohingya refugees.

PRI's The World

August 17, 2015

People in Aceh, Indonesia, are giving a welcome to Rohingya refugees chased out of Myanmar. But the refugees have their eye on another destination.

Belief

China's atheist Communist government is embracing a very capitalist form of Buddhism

PRI's The World

May 14, 2015

Updated

05/15/2015 - 3:00pm

Officially atheist, the Communist Party these days is more tolerant of religion, though it generally demands that people worship in state-controlled settings. And that state control can manifest in weirdly capitalistic ways.

Lifestyle

Same-sex unions? Not quite. In China, a gay man and a lesbian woman often get married ... to each other.

PRI's The World

April 02, 2015

The unions, known as cooperative marriages, are seen as a way around intense parental pressure to get hitched and to produce a grandchild. They also seem to be gaining in popularity.

Business

These may be the last days of the white 'expert' in Chinese TV ads

PRI's The World

September 10, 2014

White actors playing "experts" regularly appear in Chinese commercials. But now, as Chinese consumers grow more sophisticated, more and more Chinese actors are taking over the lab coats and boss roles in TV ads.

Culture

Parliamentary-style debates take off in China — even if some topics are off limits

The World in Words

September 05, 2014

You may not expect to find government versus opposition debates among school kids in a one-party state. But these debate contests are part of a plan to instill independent thinking in young Chinese who will have to compete in a global market.

Business, Economics and Jobs

A meat scandal in China has customers asking just how safe is Western fast food?

PRI's The World

July 29, 2014

The McDonald's menu in China is looking sparse ever since investigative reporters there filmed a local firm allegedly repackaging old meat — even scooping it off the floor — and selling it to fast food outlets. The company, Shanghai Husi Food, is a major supplier to many foreign chains in China, including McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks.

Development & Education

You can find Mao's old apartment inside a mall in Shanghai

PRI's The World

May 07, 2014

China still officially reveres Mao Zedong, but it no longer pays much attention to his teachings.

Ruth Morris

Recent Stories

How to deflect a 'hijab grab' and other lessons from a Muslim black belt

Her resort is a refuge from more than just stress

A transgender woman in Aceh, Indonesia gathers strength as new anti-gay sex laws roll out

Indonesians got help after the tsunami. Now they want to help Myanmar's Rohingya refugees.

China's atheist Communist government is embracing a very capitalist form of Buddhism

Updated

Same-sex unions? Not quite. In China, a gay man and a lesbian woman often get married ... to each other.

These may be the last days of the white 'expert' in Chinese TV ads

Parliamentary-style debates take off in China — even if some topics are off limits

A meat scandal in China has customers asking just how safe is Western fast food?

You can find Mao's old apartment inside a mall in Shanghai

Pages