All Asia Pacific
North Korea steps up rhetoric: How far will it push?While North Korea does not have the capability to launch a nuclear strike against the US, analysts say they are paying attention to these new threats.
Power of the Catholic Church slipping in PhilippinesAbout 80 percent of Filipinos are Catholic, and they traditionally looked to the church for political and moral guidance. Recent reforms, however, are overriding church positions.
China agrees to sanction North Korea, but how far will it go?Though the mood in Beijing toward Pyongyang has gradually worsened since North Korea went ahead with recent missile tests, China is unlikely to come down too hard.
FocusChina-Japan island dispute opens door to misunderstandingsStubbornness over conflicting claims to the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea holds out the prospect of competing maritime patrols and continued tensions, raising the risk of an incident.
FocusWill China's new leaders really take on North Korea?Making real sanctions bite would threaten the North Korean regime's stability, and an imploding North Korea could mean refugees flooding across the border, say Chinese scholars.
China's next leaders aim to launch new economic eraAs the National People's Congress gets under way, expectations are high that China's new leaders will promote economic reform and tackle corruption. But entrenched interests pose a serious obstacle.
FocusWill China, Japan, and South Korea hit the 'reset' button for Asia?In a historic moment of coincidence, new leaders are taking the helm in China, Japan, and South Korea, providing an unprecedented moment for the region to refresh relations.
- Is Indonesia, one of big tobacco's last frontiers, closing?
Not fast enough for anti-smoking campaigners. But Indonesia is slowly taking steps to end its status as one of the great growth markets for tobacco companies.
- Chinese Communist Party: 20-somethings unsentimental
The Chinese Communist Party inspires little support among young Chinese professionals: the best they can say is that it's a necessary nuisance.
Chinese Communist Party: Communism under constructionThe Chinese Communist Party does ideological gymnastics to create theory to justify party practice.
Cover StoryChinese Communist Party: Would Mao recognize the paradox?Chinese Communist Party: As the National People's Congress begins March 5 with a new generation of leaders, the party remains the backbone of power, but it is little-respected by the people, and its paradoxical capitalism would confound Mao.
South Korea's first female president inaugurated today. Will she bring change?South Korea’s new president, Park Geun-hye, was sworn into office today, taking the helm at a tumultuous time.
Why Bangkok struggles to bring peace to Thailand's 'Deep South'The insurgents have not outlined their political aims and their leaders' identities are unknown. Also, the current government has little political pull in the region.
'Life of Pi’s' Oscars give limelight to TaiwanWhen Ang Lee, who won an Oscar for directing 'Life of Pi,' announced that he couldn’t have done the movie ‘without the help of Taiwan,’ the island cheered.
What Japan's hawkish Prime Minister Abe wants from ObamaPrime Minister Shinzo Abe is in Washington today to discuss regional security and economic issues with President Obama. His overriding concern is confirmation of the strength of US-Japan ties.
Will rising tensions in Asia push Japan toward a full-fledged military?Prime Minister Abe is proposing small steps, such as renaming the Self-Defense Forces, with an eye toward moving away from the legal restrictions that have governed Japan's military since World War II.
The ExplainerWhy did North Korea explode a nuclear device?Despite - or perhaps because of - strong international pressure, North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date. Now analysts say that hopes for improved relations are on hold.
FocusGoing green: Forget the McNugget eaters, target McDonald's itselfPaper giant APP's move to go green in Indonesia has thrilled environmentalists. Many activist groups are now focusing on buying practices that could affect a firm's reputation – as well as its finances.
FocusStunning reversal? Why 'big paper' just went green in Indonesia.Asia Pulp & Paper Co. has promised to stop using wood from Indonesia's natural forests. Unprecedented market pressures, driven in part by Barbie and Mickey Mouse, helped.
One Billion Rising: Indonesia joins world discussion on rapeToday is One Billion Rising, a day of activism around women's rights and against rape across the world. Indonesia is just one of 200 countries involved.
