All Asia Pacific
Tibet's Dalai Lama hints he could be the last in his line – and Beijing isn't having itThe Dalai Lama implied this week that it would be better to have no Dalai Lama than a weak one. In a curious twist, Beijing – which accuses him of stirring unrest – urged respect for traditional reincarnation.
Japan, Germany shake off WWII arms constraints. A cause for concern?Germany is sending arms to the Kurdish peshmerga in Iraq, and Japan is negotiating weapons deals with Australia and India. Their neighbors have very different responses.
Alibaba is coming: meet the Chinese Internet giant that outsells AmazonChinese e-commerce company Alibaba will go public this month in what could be the largest initial public offering in US history. It has more active users than Amazon and eBay combined.
What's a 'hairy monkey'? Chinese artists share their secretA small number of Chinese artists practice this traditional art that combines magnolia buds – and sloughed cicada shells. The result is a hairy monkey.
Japan's Abe adds women, China-friendly lawmakers to CabinetJapan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing for more women in the workforce, and wants to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in November. The first cabinet reshuffle since his election comes as his popularity dips.
Ice bucket challenge comes to China – with an equine twistThe ice bucket challenge to raise funds for ALS research is now a hit in China. Participants have added Chinese characteristics to the craze.
North Korea allows rare interviews with detained Americans. Why now?Washington has repeatedly offered to send a little-known envoy to North Korea to seek the release of three Americans, but Pyongyang appears to want a bigger name. One of the detained Americans interviewed Monday said George W. Bush would be suitable.
Hong Kong citizenry stirs as Beijing nixes direct democracyThousands of Hong Kong citizens are expected in coming weeks to stage protests after China announced it would screen the nominees for Hong Kong's chief executive.
For Myanmar political predictions, locals look to the starsPopular 'astrology pundits' are featured as serious political commentators in the Myanmar press. This in a country that once changed its currency on the advice of an astrologer.
Why Japan's Abe and India's Modi are Asia's new best friendsIndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Japan Saturday for a five-day state visit focused on trade and defense ties. India and Japan have mutual concerns about China's rise – but China is also both countries' largest trade partner.
Will China vet Hong Kong election? Protests hang in the balanceThe occupation of Hong Kong's central financial district could start early next week, after Beijing releases its guidelines Sunday on how the city's next leader will be elected. Beijing has promised Hong Kong will have 'universal suffrage' by 2017.
Do you play for 'Team Australia'? Muslims debate anti-terrorism pushPrime Minister Tony Abbott announced a $60 million anti-radicalization effort this week. Australia has more nationals fighting in Iraq and Syria, per capita, than any other country.
Pakistan faces a major political crisis: 6 things to knowStreet protests in Islamabad haven't yet forced Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign, but they are boosting the role of the powerful Army.
Banned in Beijing: China shutters film festival just before opening nightThe director of the annual Beijing Independent Film Festival was jailed and forced to promise not to open the festival. The move comes as social media, arts, and religion are increasingly restricted.
China dismisses US complaints about jet fighter interceptChina argues that the close encounter between one of its jets and a US reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea was routine and that US surveillance in the area is provocative.
Academic flap turns up heat on China's Confucius InstitutesA dustup at a recent Chinese studies conference, and renewed pressure from US academics, has increased opposition to the government-funded programs that aim to spread Chinese language and culture.
In China, a search for modern values at Confucius' birthplaceChina's rulers are increasingly promoting Confucius, a figure once reviled by Chairman Mao, as a symbol for modern China. Tourists, seminar groups, and professionals are flocking to the ancient philosopher's birthplace.
In a first, Indonesia's capital gets an ethnic Chinese governorBasuki Purnama, a businessman turned politician, is due to replace Joko Widodo, Indonesia's president-elect, as governor of Jakarta. He would be the highest profile ethnic Chinese official in Muslim-majority Indonesia, where ethnic Chinese have been targeted before.
As maritime disputes simmer, Vietnam counts cost of anti-China riotsHundreds of Asian factories were attacked in May after popular anger erupted over Chinese oil exploration in disputed waters. Vietnam depends on foreign investment to generate growth and has promised to avoid a repeat.
A filmmaker peers into the dark past of China's Great Famine'Spark' documents a group of students who tried to expose the truth of Mao's 'Great Leap Forward,' which led to tens of millions of deaths from starvation in 1959-62.
