All Asia Pacific
Why US ranks Thailand with North Korea, Iran on human trafficking abusesThe US State Department downgraded Thailand to its lowest ranking on its annual report, opening up the possibility of economic sanctions. Police and border guards are accused of working with traffickers.
- Protests and coups: Is Thailand still the 'land of smiles?' Take our quiz.
Thailand’s beaches, temples, and nightlife attract millions of foreign tourists. Few stay long enough to learn the language or engage with the country’s complex political history and spicy popular culture. Are you the exception?
Will Chinese rebuke to Vietnam spur greater Southeast Asian cooperation?China defended its right to place an oil rig in disputed waters in a meeting today with Vietnamese officials. China's assertiveness has led several Southeast Asian countries to recently settle old disputes among themselves.
A great workaround for China's 'Great Firewall'?The 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square has provoked a particularly harsh and extended Internet crackdown in China. Now one group says it has found a reliable way to defeat the censors.
South Korean police raid church compound in hunt for ferry ownerPolice raided a church compound today for the second time in two days, in a search for Yoo Byung-eun, believed to be the owner of the Sewol ferry which sank in April.
Will climate change unite or divide Australian PM, Obama?Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott meets with President Obama today. Differences on climate change is expected to dominate the agenda.
Beijing to residents: Less spitting, more queuing (please)China is hosting the APEC forum in November. City authorities are urging residents to improve their manners and claim that more are already lining up at bus stops.
Japan to renew bid for Antarctic whalingJust months after an international court ruled against Japan's 'research' whaling program, Prime Minister Abe has backed a new approach that advocates say will have demonstrable scientific value.
Fearful of cyberspooks, China struggles to break its Microsoft habitRevelations of NSA surveillance via US-supplied hardware and software have stirred China to put up barriers. But replacing a ubiquitous PC operating system is easier said than done.
How do you say Taj Mahal in Chinese? India seeks touristsNearly six times more Indian tourists travel to China than vice versa. The Indian government is rolling out a tourism campaign in Chinese cities, but faces public skepticism.
Tiananmen 25 years later: 'People loved the students because the students loved China'The killing of 900 to 2,000 people mostly happened on side streets and was a shock to supporters who rallied behind the students.
On Tiananmen anniversary, students sent on mandatory 'free trip' to Inner MongoliaOfficial efforts to scrub the Tiananmen Square massacre from memory – and keep foreigners away from the site – has led to some bizarre incidents.
Tiananmen protests: Could they happen again?Harsh security on the anniversary of the pro-democracy protest suggests deep official concern about any potential unrest. But many Chinese don't know what happened – and may not care.
A Tiananmen democracy museum on Chinese soil? Only in Hong KongA museum in Hong Kong marks the 1989 student-led protests in Beijing that ended with a military crackdown on June 3-4. The events remain taboo elsewhere in China.
Shangri-la Dialogue no paradise as China and US trade barbsChinese Army Gen. Wang Guanzhong returned fire at US and Japanese criticisms over his country's provocative actions in the South China Sea at a conference in Singapore today.
FocusWant to unwind Thailand's coup? Look to palace politicsUnderlying political gridlock is concern over who will replace King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch.
FocusProperty rights + middle class = democracy? Not in ThailandFor many Thais, the military coup last week was a familiar scene. Although Thailand has had 12 successful coups, this one is a sharper turn, with a stronger ideological element.
Why is North Korea offering to investigate the fate of abducted Japanese?The North has never accounted for all the Japanese citizens it kidnapped in the 1970s and '80s to help train spies. It wants Japan to lift sanctions and provide humanitarian aid.
In jab at China, Japan's Abe promises stronger security role in AsiaPrime Minister Abe vowed to support southeast Asian countries embroiled in territory disputes with China. Japan will send Coast Guard ships to Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Orwell's '1984' suddenly fashionable on Bangkok streetsInstead of raucous street protests, demonstrators in Thailand silently read '1984' and other dystopian novels, taking a dig at the junta that seized power last week.
