All Asia Pacific
The ExplainerWhat's behind the China - Japan island dispute?Elements of the dispute include a Ming Dynasty map, a US treaty, and a fish factory. The following is a basic breakdown.
North Korea makes Paralympics debut. Does it signal a shift?North Korea is participating for the first time in the Paralympic Games, a possible shift for a county were disabled people have faced enforced isolation and abuse.- A model for conservation in China? The Tibetan antelopeSince the antelope's population plunged to around 70,000 in the early 1900s, its numbers have stabilized at more than 100,000, according to 2009 field estimates by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
- Myanmar removes names from blacklist. What does it mean for reform?Myanmar鈥檚 government has trimmed 2,082 names from its notorious blacklist, but ambiguity over the list and fighting in remote ethnic minority borderlands make some worried about the direction of reform.
FocusUsing Chinese star power to fight ivory poaching in AfricaThe biggest demand for ivory is in China, so conservationists are trying to give Chinese consumers a greater understanding of poaching 鈥� with the help of Chinese celebrities like Yao Ming.
Island dispute, 'comfort woman' statue put edge on Japan-South Korea tiesClaims and counterclaims over rocky islets are testing steadily improving ties between Japan and South Korea 鈥� and the presence of a controversial statue across from Japan's embassy in Seoul adds a sharp reminder of historical resentments.
In Korea, Samsung's loss to Apple puts innovation in spotlightSamsung lost a key patent infringement case brought by Apple over mobile technology. The case may force the Korean electronics giant to focus more sharply on innovation, analysts here say.
Why Western retailers are scrambling to get a foothold in IndonesiaConsumer spending makes up more than half the Indonesian economy, making it an attractive new market for Western companies like L'Oreal whose traditional customers are in recession-mired countries.
Why Chinese are protesting Japan againJapan and China both gave vent this weekend to nationalism over the Senkaku/Diaoyu island dispute. But indications now are they want to keep the hostility in check.聽
Japan's poverty gap has politicians calling for rise in minimum wageIt is only over the past decade that poverty has come to be recognized in Japan. Prior to that, the government didn't even compile statistics on income inequality.
Why Japan is angry over South Korea's visit to an islandSouth Korean President Lee Myung-bak's surprise visit to a small rocky island marks an abrupt escalation in a territory dispute with Japan.
US Agent Orange cleanup in Vietnam indicative of stronger tiesThe joint, $43 million project also comes as the US is looking to increase its presence in the Asia Pacific region.
Social networks help Filipinos deal with Manila floodsManila is still at risk for more flooding, but recovery efforts are underway, and many are turning to social networking sites to update and get updates on the situation.
In Tibet, defiant self-immolations spread beyond monks, nunsYesterday, a Tibetan mother died after her self-immolation in protest of the Dalai Lama's exile and the lack of freedom in Tibet. The number of self-immolators has risen to 45 in the past 1-1/2 years.
An American's key role as Hiroshima commemorates atomic bombingSteven Leeper oversees Hiroshima's commemoration of the Aug. 6, 1945, dropping of the atomic bomb. The US presence at the memorial ceremony has grown, with even President Truman's grandson in attendance this year.- UN to start food aid to flooded North Korea as access easesThe UN World Food Programme will start emergency food aid to isolated North Korea, which has been pummeled by a typhoon and flooding.
- FocusIn North Korea's industrial center, factories and wood-fueled trucksHamhung, North Korea's largest industrial center, was opened to foreigners just two years ago. There's no hiding the poverty in the region.
FocusInside North Korea, more cellphones and traffic lights, but real change lagsA visitor to North Korea finds more signs of modernization in Pyongyang as Kim Jong-un consolidates power. But it's hard to tell if reform is afoot in a country that remains deeply impoverished and isolated.
UN envoy visits Myanmar as ethnic clashes test reformsUN envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana is visiting Myanmar in the wake of recent fighting between Buddhist Rakhines and minority Muslims. Some accuse the government of fanning tensions.
An Olympic-sized flap over Taiwan's flagTaiwan鈥檚 flag has not been shown at the London Games and the island government suspects that China bullied the Olympic committee into pulling the flag from display.
