A rural Russian town, entirely inhabited by elderly women, everyone else has died or left.

Behind the emerging markets’ success stories are rural majorities yet untouched by the growing prosperity of urban areas. This urban/rural imbalance means young people leave the country to try their luck in towns and city, leaving the older and poorer members of the community struggling to survive. Two stories illustrate this, albeit with local flavours; the impact alcholism and underinvestment in Russia here (a guardian film report) and a the impact of sweeping changes and harsh climates in China here.