In a few years, residents in the farthest reaches of Indonesia may be paying with smart cards if major local banks implement their plans.

CNN: ASIANOW - Asiaweek

Mexico, Indonesia and Russia were the only three countries in which a majority of residents said the lives of men and women were on par.

FORBES: Equal Rights, Yes, But Men Still More Equal

Glenda Gloria, a Manila-based author and historian, notes that residents of the Philippines' Muslim provinces frequently traveled back and forth between Malaysia and Indonesia, trading and speaking a similar language before European and American colonizers introduced national boundaries.

WSJ: Malaysia Flare-Up Illustrates Volatility