All Asia Pacific
- In a Beijing suburb, an unorthodox architectural tributeA Beijing municipality builds in the Russian Orthodox style, thumbing its nose at a central government crackdown on lavish public works.Â
- In China, Apple spies 763 million potential iPhone customersApple iPhone users on the world's largest cell network will get full functionality and 4G capacity, but the luxury handset will remain out of reach for many Chinese.
- 'Chairman Mao will bless you': Why tourists flock to Mao's birthplaceTen million people are expected to visit Mao's birthplace this year, making it the second most popular tourist destination in the world.Â
- North Korea puts on show after Kim uncle's execution. But is it stable?The regime held a massive rally yesterday on the anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death, just days after the dramatic ouster of the late leader's brother-in-law.
- Australia approves coal port near Great Barrier ReefA vast new coal port and "shipping super-highway" near Australia's Great Barrier Reef has environmentalists worried.
- China moon landing: Beijing puts Jade Rabbit on the moon.China moon landing: China joined elite company today with the controlled landing of its "Jade Rabbit" rover on the moon. China follows the US and Soviet Union as the third country with a controlled - or "soft" - landing on the moon.
- Japanese push back hard against state secrets lawPrime Minister Abe's party instituted sharp limitations on leakers and journalists. Now, more than 80 percent of the public want the law changed and Abe's popularity has plummeted.
- North Korea execution: Will mass purges follow?Kim Jong-un's powerful uncle was accused of plotting a coup before he was put to death, raising the possibility of a further purge deep into the ranks of the military and the party.
- As auto industry dies, Australia asks: Do we still make anything?GM has decided to close Holden, its Australian subsidiary, a national icon of frontier driving, as production costs rise in a rich, resource-based economy.Â
- Is food the future of entrepreneurial Japan?Young Japanese entrepreneurs have found a foothold in the world of food and e-commerce in one of the toughest nations for startups. Will more follow?Â
- North Korea's public purge may have hinged on economic plansNorth Korea today confirmed the abrupt dismissal of Kim Jong-un's top adviser, Jang Song-thaek, who was seen as supporting capitalist policies.
- Thai protesters call for a 'people's revolution' as PM sets snap electionsPrime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra dissolved parliament and called for new elections today, as more than 150,000 protesters in Bangkok stormed the gates of the governing complex.Â
- N. Korea statement on official's ouster: Who talks like this anymore?The style of the official communiqué that announced the purging of Kim Jong-un's uncle echoes the language of Cultural Revolution-era China and Stalinist Soviet Union.Â
- Thailand's opposition quits parliament as protesters prepare to marchThe Democrat Party, which lost the last election, is resigning its seats in protest at an "illegitimate" government. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she was ready to hold a snap election.Â
- South Korea ups air-zone ante in Asia's contested watersSouth Korea has expanded its air defense zone. On a visit to the region, Vice President Joe Biden criticized China's recent declaration of its airspace zone.Â
- Why the Chinese can't get enough of Bitcoin - despite bank banBitcoin trading is still high in China, even with new regulations banning banks from using the digital currency.
- FocusSoutheast Asia eyes Chinese air zone expansionChina has suggested it will create more air defense zones, which worries Southeast Asian nations that have territorial disputes with China.Â
- FocusChina's aggressive air zone rattles a suspicious regionRegional ties are at a new low since China's unilateral announcement, but China may be willing to endure short-term displeasure for long-term gains.
- Nuclear North Korea: 6 ways it differs from Iran Are there lessons from the recently negotiated agreement to scale down Iran's nuclear program that can be used in North Korea? Perhaps, but the two differ substantially. Some questions – and answers – on the North Korean and Iranian programs:
- South Korean hunger for foreign schooling strands lonely 'goose fathers'An estimated 500,000 South Korean fathers stay behind while their wives and children relocate for an English-language education abroad.Â