All Asia Pacific
First LookReport highlights barriers for working women in ChinaChinese companies regularly advertise for job openings using gender stereotypes, according to a recent report from Human Rights Watch. To promote gender equality, experts say, the government needs to do more to enforce anti-discrimination laws.聽
First LookSouth Korea's elderly boogie, find connection in daytime discosElderly South Koreans are putting on their dancing shoes and flocking to the country's nearly 1,000 daytime discos for 1960s music hits, probiotic yogurt, and relief from emotional and social difficulties.聽
How Fukushima turned a nuclear advocate into an antinuclear championNaoto聽Kan, Japan's former prime minister, was devoted to the idea of nuclear power. But after his country's nuclear disaster in 2011, he turned into an improbable activist against atomic energy. Can he persuade the pro-nuke French?
FocusIn the Philippines, divided politics feed 鈥� and feed on 鈥� a divided webSocial media is transforming power and politics around the world, but few places epitomize those changes as much as the Philippines, where sharply dissonant views of the country and its leaders dominate debate both online and offline.聽Part Two of Two.
FocusThe Duterte dissonance: One leader, two Philippines?President Duterte's critics say he's paving the way for the demise of democracy and human dignity. In the eyes of Filipinos who have long felt politically impotent, though, he's launching the country toward prosperity and stability, with a brash but welcome authority.聽Part One of Two.聽
First LookCoffee brews peace, business between communities in the PhilippinesA social enterprise is training Filipino farmers on how to produce high-quality coffee while encouraging native and settler communities to harvest and process the beans together.
First LookWith reusable plastic bag, Malaysian shoppers encouraged to limit wasteIn effort to cut down on waste and single-use plastic, British supermarket group Tesco has聽launched reusable plastic bags with聽barcodes that give customers discounts on shopping聽every time they reuse the bag.
First LookAs climate change worsens, more Filipino women migrateThe number of women searching for jobs within and beyond the Philippines is increasing as harsh weather conditions make life at home harder. These women often have little support when they migrate, and are subject to abuse and low wages.
Beijing's message for young Taiwanese: We mean businessChina's effort to bring Taiwan under mainland control uses plenty of sticks, like the fear of military force. But it's also using carrots 鈥� like financial incentives to woo young Taiwanese people fed up with their island's sluggish economy.
First LookSkyline farms in Hong Kong reap happiness along with foodTapping into the growing interest in organic food, a number of rooftop farms are popping up on Hong Kong's skyscrapers. The farms help overworked Hong Kongers relieve stress through interacting with friends and nature.
First LookMalaysia to punish fake news with 10-year jail sentenceThe government proposed anti-fake news legislation that would punish offenders with a 10-year jail sentence. But critics say the proposal is a way to further muzzle the media and crack down on dissent ahead of a general election.聽
First LookPhilippines plans a city bigger and greener than ManhattanThe aim is to build a city equipped to deal with climate shocks in one of the world's most cyclone-affected regions. But聽many hope New Clark City will simply ease the pressure on Manila's congested and polluted streets.
First Look#MeToo takes off in South Korea, but how far will it go?Although the movement has begun to affect the reputations of men in power, whether or not the victims will be able to seek justice and transform the patriarchal society depends on the male-centered views of the judicial system and workplaces.聽 聽 聽 聽
First LookCommunist Party aims for more 'unity of thought' in state mediaThe Chinese Communist Party will soon exert more direct control over all state media outlets. The move is part of a push to use the media for ideological efforts at home and to improve China's image overseas, analysts say.
First LookUS works to compensate exploited laborers in SaipanThe US commonwealth of Saipan relies mostly on Chinese migrant laborers for development. But after discovering companies weren't fully paying these workers on a recent casino project, the US announced last week a $14 million settlement in back wages.
First LookJapanese prisons begin to address different needs of aging inmatesNearly 20 percent of Japan's prison population was 60 or older in 2016. Elderly inmates face a host of unique challenges and struggle with recidivism in a society that does little to accommodate senior citizens with criminal records.聽
First LookChina's new anti-graft body gives Xi power to rule indefinitelyChina has passed a constitutional amendment abolishing presidential limits, enabling President Xi Jinping to rule without restrictions. The country is poised to give Mr. Xi a new tool that will allow him to police the state and further cement his power.
Japan builds a head of steam for an alternative to nuclearHot springs are popular for relaxation in Japan. A government-based push to expand geothermal electricity capacity since the Fukushima nuclear disaster worries innkeepers who fear losing out to power plants.聽聽
First LookTrump agrees to meet North Korea's Kim Jong-unPresident Trump said he would meet with Kim Jong-un, in what would be the first meeting between a聽sitting American president and a North Korean leader.聽South Korean officials who met with Mr. Kim last week say Kim is 'committed to denuclearization.'聽
First LookAustralia and East Timor reach historic international agreementEnding a decades-long conflict over access to oil and gas reserves in the Timor Sea on Tuesday, Australia and East Timor made the first ever successful negotiations under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
