All Asia Pacific
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.
First LookGentrification threatens Bangkok's slum dwellersInhabitants of聽the聽Klong Toey slum聽live under the constant threat of eviction in a rapidly expanding and modernizing city. Prateep Ungsongtham, who grew up in Thailand's largest slum, established a school for children who, without birth certificates, could not earn an education otherwise.聽聽
First LookNorth Korea shows willingness to hold nuclear talksA South Korean delegation wrapped up a two-day visit to North Korea, the first in about 11 years, and reports聽North Korea said it would not need to keep its nuclear weapons if military threats against it are removed and it receives a credible security guarantee.
First LookSeoul delegation will meet with Kim Jong-unFor the first time since Kim Jong-un took power in 2011, envoys from South Korea will meet with the North Korean leader at the start of a rare two-day diplomatic trip to Pyongyang.聽
Shantou University was a model for China鈥檚 reform. Now, why is it toeing the line?President Xi has proclaimed the Chinese Communist Party 'leader of all' 鈥� including college campuses. The double-down on official party values has been especially palpable at Shantou University, once praised as a model for education reform.聽
Xi for life? China turns its back on collective leadership.After the Mao era, China's leaders have emphasized collective leadership and orderly succession. But a proposal to remove presidential term limits clears the way for Xi Jinping to rule indefinitely, as he seeks to restore what he considers China's rightful place in the world.
First Look#MeToo movement struggles to gain momentum in Japan's patriarchal societyThe #MeToo movement that has shaken America has not yet caught on in Japan, where discussion of sex crimes is still taboo and victims are often blamed and face backlash from speaking out.聽
Cover StoryCan schools help rid the world of sexual harassers and abusers?From Iceland and Israel to Mexico and South Korea, schools around the world increasingly see rooting out sexism as their domain, before it takes hold and expresses itself in workplace abuse or domestic violence. Part 8 of Reaching for Equity: a global series on gender and power.
First LookSingapore proposes measure to ban citizen communication at terror attack sitesIn efforts to counter terrorism, Singapore has proposed a new law to prevent people from taking pictures and videos at terror attack sites. The law has drawn criticism from experts who believe it will be hard to apply in a digital age.聽
After 'gang' uproar, Sudanese-Australians set to tackle crime 鈥� and biasConcerns about crime by African-Australian youth led national headlines for weeks early this year. Many allege the alarm was overblown, and exposed cracks in Australia's proud multiculturalism. A new task force aims to tackle root causes of teens' disengagement.
First LookIn Indonesia, reconciliation aims to heal scars from militant attacksIndonesia has imprisoned hundreds of Islamist militants since the 2002 Bali bombings, but it has struggled to convince many of them to renounce their past. Now, an effort to bring former extremists together with victims may be sowing the seeds of peace.聽
Letter from Pyeongchang: Finding beauty in the Olympic struggleThe attention on medals belies the grander purpose of the Games 鈥� and their relevance to a world facing much harder challenges than triple axels or tricks in the halfpipe.
When Olympism runs in the familyFrom the bobsledding niece of an MLB player to the daughter of Olympic rowers, a number of this year's Winter Olympians have been propelled by athletically accomplished relatives. But 'propelled' doesn't always mean 'pressured.'
First LookSouth Korean chat app brings #MeToo movement to the countryThe app Blind is shedding new light on sexual harassment in the country's heavily male-dominated workplace. But聽many South Korean users say they are yet to see significant changes in their workplaces.
First LookAn Australian laundry business has a mission to improve the lives of its employeesVanguard Laundry Services exclusively hires unemployed people with mental illnesses to do laundry for more than 80 hospitals and hotels in eastern Australia. The business aims to provide employees with independence and financial security.
In Pyeongchang, a historically diverse Winter OlympicsThe 2018 Games represent a wider spectrum of humanity than ever before. That鈥檚 particularly true in women鈥檚 bobsledding 鈥� in which four of the top five teams in Pyeongchang included at least one black athlete.