All Asia Pacific
Island dispute, 'comfort woman' statue put edge on Japan-South Korea tiesClaims and counterclaims over rocky islets are testing steadily improving ties between Japan and South Korea – and the presence of a controversial statue across from Japan's embassy in Seoul adds a sharp reminder of historical resentments.
In Korea, Samsung's loss to Apple puts innovation in spotlightSamsung lost a key patent infringement case brought by Apple over mobile technology. The case may force the Korean electronics giant to focus more sharply on innovation, analysts here say.
Why Western retailers are scrambling to get a foothold in IndonesiaConsumer spending makes up more than half the Indonesian economy, making it an attractive new market for Western companies like L'Oreal whose traditional customers are in recession-mired countries.
Why Chinese are protesting Japan againJapan and China both gave vent this weekend to nationalism over the Senkaku/Diaoyu island dispute. But indications now are they want to keep the hostility in check.
Japan's poverty gap has politicians calling for rise in minimum wageIt is only over the past decade that poverty has come to be recognized in Japan. Prior to that, the government didn't even compile statistics on income inequality.
Why Japan is angry over South Korea's visit to an islandSouth Korean President Lee Myung-bak's surprise visit to a small rocky island marks an abrupt escalation in a territory dispute with Japan.
US Agent Orange cleanup in Vietnam indicative of stronger tiesThe joint, $43 million project also comes as the US is looking to increase its presence in the Asia Pacific region.
Social networks help Filipinos deal with Manila floodsManila is still at risk for more flooding, but recovery efforts are underway, and many are turning to social networking sites to update and get updates on the situation.
In Tibet, defiant self-immolations spread beyond monks, nunsYesterday, a Tibetan mother died after her self-immolation in protest of the Dalai Lama's exile and the lack of freedom in Tibet. The number of self-immolators has risen to 45 in the past 1-1/2 years.
An American's key role as Hiroshima commemorates atomic bombingSteven Leeper oversees Hiroshima's commemoration of the Aug. 6, 1945, dropping of the atomic bomb. The US presence at the memorial ceremony has grown, with even President Truman's grandson in attendance this year.
- UN to start food aid to flooded North Korea as access eases
The UN World Food Programme will start emergency food aid to isolated North Korea, which has been pummeled by a typhoon and flooding.
- FocusIn North Korea's industrial center, factories and wood-fueled trucks
Hamhung, North Korea's largest industrial center, was opened to foreigners just two years ago. There's no hiding the poverty in the region.
FocusInside North Korea, more cellphones and traffic lights, but real change lagsA visitor to North Korea finds more signs of modernization in Pyongyang as Kim Jong-un consolidates power. But it's hard to tell if reform is afoot in a country that remains deeply impoverished and isolated.
UN envoy visits Myanmar as ethnic clashes test reformsUN envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana is visiting Myanmar in the wake of recent fighting between Buddhist Rakhines and minority Muslims. Some accuse the government of fanning tensions.
An Olympic-sized flap over Taiwan's flagTaiwan’s flag has not been shown at the London Games and the island government suspects that China bullied the Olympic committee into pulling the flag from display.
China flooding: Death tally rises, Beijing credibility plummetsWith an estimated 538 million Internet users in China, the Chinese Communist Party is finding its propaganda apparatus tested by a public flurry of fact and rumor alike.
Kim Jong-un's 6 super-duper titles Kim Jong-un leads North Korea, but not as president. That title is held by his late grandfather – for eternity. But the younger Kim has picked up a number of his own titles since becoming leader.
Kim Jong-un gets another title in bid to show his importanceNorth Korea today announced that Kim Jong-un is now a 'marshal,' the highest military rank.
In Foxconn's iPad factory, a window on Chinese hopes - and frustrationsUnderneath China’s economic strides, Foxconn's iPad factory shows its labor market remains rooted in tough conditions and low wages, even as workers aim to improve their lot in life.
North Korea's removal of army chief seen as purgeVice Marshal Ri Yong-ho's fall from grace reveals deep rifts in the regime of young Kim Jong-un, who took over after the death of his long-ruling father in December.
