All Asia Pacific
Why Iwo Jima mattered in World War II: From the Monitor ArchivesSeventy years ago, AP's Joe Rosenthal took the now iconic photo of US Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. 海角大神 reported why the tiny island played such a huge role in the war's Pacific theater.
Kim Jong-un gets new look. Does makeover add grandfatherly gravitas?With a gravity-defying haircut and shortened eyebrows revealed last week, North Korea's paramount leader may be modeling his appearance on granddad Kim Il-sung. South Koreans are amused at attention paid to Kim by foreigners.
'Fertility tourism' struck down by Thai lawmakers. Why now?The case of 'Baby Gammy' involving an Australian couple, and a 'baby factory' case where a Japanese businessman fathered 16 children, brought a public outcry.聽
Cool the fireworks for Chinese New Year? Beijing doesn't dare.More than 138 cities in China now ban fireworks for New Year's celebrations, citing air quality. But our correspondent plans to light off a whopping big string of 10,000 pops, like most of his neighbors.
FocusHong Kong's 'Occupy' leaders now face quiet but persistent harassmentEmail hacks, shadowing, petitions, placards and curses are being aimed at the organizers of Hong Kong's 'umbrella movement,' which ended months ago. The bullying tactics increasingly look like those faced by activists on the mainland.
China's high speed rail: All dressed up with no place to sell?China has built a sophisticated rail industry and laid half the world's high speed track at home, in record time. Now Beijing is keen to sell abroad. But so far it only has one deal.聽
Hong Kong conviction for maid abuse spotlights global rights battleA housewife was found guilty Tuesday of severely mistreating an Indonesian domestic worker, one of roughly 330,000 working in the territory. Millions of migrant maids are employed in households in Asia and the Middle East.
'Nut rage' in S Korea spotlights culture of punishing long hoursStudies show that South Koreans work 47 days more each year than the average American, and a six-day week is still common.聽
China's slowing economy raises fears of 'hard landing'Manufacturing, housing, and infrastructure are no longer growing at double-digit rates, leaving China more vulnerable to sluggish demand from overseas. A shift towards domestic-led growth is still a work in progress.聽
Will Japan start long range air patrols of the South China Sea?China is already sounding furious about the idea, first floated by the US Seventh Fleet commander. But Japanese leader Shinzo Abe's aim has long been to beef up security cooperation and extend its reach to vital shipping lanes.
Gecko vs. crocodile feud traps Indonesia's reformist presidentThe nomination of a police chief under investigation for corruption has ensnared President Joko Widodo in a row between rival government agencies. His alliance with former President Megawati is now in the spotlight.
The TransAsia crash and the rise of dashcam journalismDesigned to protect drivers from abuse, dashboard cameras sometimes wind up recording major news events.
In 'China's Jerusalem,' party members must now profess atheismA Communist Party crackdown takes a new turn in a religious hotbed of faith on China's east coast. Prospective party members who worship need to officially 'rectify' their beliefs.
Aussies on death row in Bali stir the nation. Will final appeal work?Drug dealers or not, Australian Prime Minister Abbot says the death penalty is 'barbaric.' Indonesians say the louder that Aussies protest the more likely the two men will face the firing squad.聽
China builds ever-higher walls against West and its 'values''Never let textbooks promoting Western values enter into our classes,' says China's education minister. Meanwhile, Chinese officials are immobilizing VPN's that allow ordinary citizens access to an uncensored Internet.
Caught eating giant salamander, Chinese officials face Xi's wrathState media reports some 14 police in southern China, including one director, were suspended after beating up journalists tipped off to the kind of luxury banquet President Xi Jinping is trying to curtail.聽
From Mickey Mouse to mayonnaise, Kim Jong Un opens North a crackIn North Korea, intolerance of high tech goods, consumer culture, and new forms of entertainment is changing for elites and their kids in urban areas. Some 2.4 million citizens now own cell phones.聽
Celebrated Korean gulag defector changes story. Does that change the truth?The head of a UN inquiry today said the presence of prison camps in the North has been well documented, with accounts from numerous escapees and satellite imagery.聽
Will Abe's hostage crisis polarize Japan? PM fights time.Japanese leader will work to stand against terror while doing everything possible to free two citizens. His views are shaped by the 2013 slaying of 10 Japanese working at an Algerian gas plant by an Al Qaeda-linked group.
Cover StoryIn China, a church-state showdown of biblical proportions海角大神ity is booming in China, propelling it toward becoming the world's largest 海角大神 nation. But as religion grows, it spurs a government crackdown.聽
