All Asia Pacific
In surprise move, South Korea postpones military intelligence pact with JapanSouth Korea and Japan were supposed to sign a military intelligence pact today 鈥� but a political firestorm erupted in South Korea, where resentment of Japan鈥檚 colonization remains.
Mongolia's top election issue: how to spend new richesMongolians vote for a new parliament today that will have to decide how the landlocked, still poor country should spend the expected windfall from its mining boom.
Double the sales tax? Japanese see hit to wallets, little impact on national debtJapan's lower house of parliament voted today to double the sales tax. The bill still has to pass the upper house, and many question if it can make a significant dent in Japan's massive public debt.
Chinese food like you've never seen it beforeA new Chinese food documentary series called 'A Bite of China' has broken all audience records in China.聽More than 100 million people have seen all seven episodes.
As Sony struggles, many see cautionary tale for JapanSony, whose Walkman music players once epitomized Japanese innovation, hasn't turned a profit since 2008. Many worry Sony represents a bigger problem with rigidity in Japan.- In remote China, plant hunters seek clues to climate changeStudying how flowers adapt to global warming in remote China helps scientists聽consistently demonstrate climate change, say botanists.聽
How one man swam to freedom and into fight against modern-day slaveryIn 2009, Prom Vannak jumped from a Thai fishing boat on which he was a slave and swam for freedom. His story puts a spotlight on聽the estimated 27 million people who live as slaves around the world.
In China, one giant leap for womankind?Not really. Even as China launched a woman into space, it was condemned for forcing another woman to have a late-term abortion.
China and Philippines pull back from sea disputeChina and the Philippines both pulled their聽fishing boats from a disputed shoal in the South聽China聽Sea, giving time for both governments to reevaluate the standoff.
Jitters as Japan decides to restart nuclear reactorsCritics of Prime Minister Noda's decision to restart nuclear reactors in the town of Oi worry that nearby communities are unprepared to deal with a Fukushima-scale聽nuclear聽crisis.聽
Why deadly race riots could rattle Myanmar's fledgling reformsMyanmar's president warned of a threat to stability and democratization as Buddhist and Muslim minorities clash over longstanding grievances.
Difference MakerChina's Great Leap Forward: One man's quiet crusade to remember the disasterMao Zedong's Great Leap Forward campaign aimed to launch China into a Communist utopia. It ended in famine that killed tens of millions 鈥� a disaster that Beijing is still reluctant to acknowledge.- Crackdown on punks in IndonesiaSome who see punks as a welcome challenge to the conservative form of Islamic law in Aceh worry that the crackdown is working too well.
Why China is likely to get more involved in AfghanistanFor the past decade, China has not played a significant role in Afghanistan. But with NATO starting to pull out, Afghanistan's security will affect neighboring China.
Another sign of Myanmar reform? Aung San Suu Kyi's visit to Thailand.Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was welcomed in Thailand on Wednesday by crowds of migrant workers from Myanmar waiting to catch even a glimpse of her.
Lady Gaga's cancelled concert a blow to tolerance in Indonesia?Lady Gaga cancelled her biggest show in Asia because of Islamist vigilante threats, which has some worrying about a return of Islamist militancy to the Muslim world's largest country.
China's evolving relationship with 'barbarians'China, which used to聽officially refer to foreigners as 'barbarians,' has a long history of xenophobia. The issue is at the forefront again after two high-profile incidents with foreigners.聽
From unlikely undercover agent to East Timor's first ladyAustralian Kirsty聽Sword Gusmao played a key role in the resistance movement in the 1990s. Today, as first lady of East Timor, she advocates for women's rights.聽
A decade after independence, East Timor's surprising best friend? Indonesia.Ten years ago, East Timor was reeling from Indonesia's scorched-earth withdrawal after two-plus decades of occupation. Today it sees its huge neighbor as a crucial partner.
Filipinos back government on China dispute, but want more diplomacyWhile most Filipinos say that their government should not yield to to Chinese pressure in the South China Sea, others say that Manila could improve its diplomatic efforts to resolve the issue.
