Handling Tensions on the Korean Peninsula
Paul B. Stares and Scott Snyder

The Korean peninsula has been on edge following the release of the interim investigation report that fingered North Korea as responsible for sinking the South Korean warship Cheonan on March 26. The United States and South Korea will need to manage carefully the risks of any unintended military escalation

Will China Rule the World?
William Pfaff

Possibly the most fashionable theme in current discussions of the future is whether China will replace the United States as the leading world power. That it will do so seems to be taken for granted in pop-historical circles, as well as among economic forecasters or futurists

China Is the Key to Handling Nuclear North Korea
Will Marshall

Engagement with North Korea has been a bust -- at least in South Korea's eyes. In sinking the South Korean warship Cheonan, the regime in Pyongyang also torpedoed the South's 'sunshine policy' of humanitarian aid and economic investment in the North. Let's hope the incident also shatters some illusions in Washington.

Chinese Growth Expected to Boost Asian Markets Long-Term
Andrew Leckey

While Asian markets have been slowed this year by global worries and remain volatile, dramatic Chinese growth is expected to drive them ahead longer-term. That makes them hard to resist for investors, especially with lower stock prices, despite worries that China's economy and real estate market have come too far too fast

'Pariah of the Pacific' Has Ham-handed Grip on Fiji
Joel Brinkley

Bainimarama, the self-appointed prime minister of Fiji, is a South Pacific dictator. But he's not very good at it. The State Department says it has seen no reports of 'unlawful killings,' disappearances or political prisoners in Fiji. What kind of dictator is that? But he immediately earned the undying enmity of his largest neighbors, Australia and New Zealand

Political Tremors in Tokyo
Sheila A. Smith

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's resignation after just eight months in office has triggered shock across Japan and raised new doubts about the country's political stability. The fact that a U.S. military base figured centrally in his decision has also generated concerns about the damage to the crucial relationship with Washington under his government.

Korean Tensions: Waiting for China
Sheila A. Smith

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, after a measured response to the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel two months ago, announced Seoul's own actions, including a freeze in trade with the North. Lee also said that should another such incident occur, South Korea would take all steps necessary for self defense

The Geography of Chinese Power
Robert D. Kaplan

China's blessed geography is so obvious a point that it tends to get overlooked in discussions of the country's economic dynamism and national assertiveness. Yet it is essential: it means that China will stand at the hub of geopolitics even if the country's path toward global power is not necessarily linear

The Rise of Asia's Universities
Richard C. Levin

The rapid economic development of Asia since World War II has forever altered the global balance of power. These countries recognize the importance of an educated work force to economic growth, and they understand that investing in research makes their economies more innovative and competitive.

Remember the Pacific War
Victor Davis Hanson

Sixty-five years ago, on April 1, 1945, the United States Marines, Army and Navy invaded Okinawa. The ensuing three months of combat resulted in the complete defeat and near destruction of imperial Japanese forces on the island just 340 miles from the mainland. Okinawa and the war in the Pacific are back in the news these days with the airing of a 10-part HBO series, 'The Pacific'

Tokyo's Trials: Can the DPJ Change Japan
Yoichi Funabashi

The rise to power of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) after half a century of almost uninterrupted rule by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could bring profound changes to Japan. It now stands a better chance of becoming a two-party system, with real political competition, than at any time since 1890, when it held its first election. However, ...

Changing North Korea
Andrei Lankov

When it comes to dealing with North Korea the United States and its allies have no efficient methods of coercion at their disposal; the regime is remarkably immune to outside pressure. Its leaders cannot afford change, so they make sure their state continues to be an international threat, using nuclear blackmail as a survival tactic while their unlucky subjects endure more poverty and terror. Since outside pressure is ineffective

Asia Treading Near Overconfidence
Andres Oppenheimer

Perusing the newsstand in the Hong Kong airport, I saw something that caught my eye: most of the books were about China's -- and Asia's -- allegedly unstoppable rise to the world's foremost superpower. Among the books were New Asian Emperors, A Bull in China, China Shakes the World and China into the Future. In the magazines section, you could see The Economist's cover reading, 'Asia's astonishing rebound.' I was surprised by this outburst of buoyancy because in several trips to Asia in recent years, I had found the opposite

Asia Economy: Tamed Asian Tigers, Distressed Chinese Dragon
by Brian P. Klein and Kenneth Neil Cukier

Since the 1960s, Asian economies have focused primarily on exports. It was the key to success in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Much of Southeast Asia and China soon followed suit. Over the past decade, the region's exports have increased from 37 percent to 47 percent of GDP. By hitching their wagons to exports, however, Asian countries left themselves vulnerable to a drop-off in Western consumption

Addressing China's Fear Of North Korean Collapse
Joseph S. Nye Jr. Interview

It is by now a cliche to say that greater pressure from China can force North Korea to change. The problem is that China has two objectives: They want a de-nuclearized North Korea, but they also want a North Korea that doesn't collapse into chaos on their borders. The consequence of these cross-purposes is that the Chinese have been reluctant to use the leverage they have

Indian Ocean: Center Stage for 21st Century Struggles Between India & China
by Robert D. Kaplan

Competition between India and China suggests that the Indian Ocean is where global struggles will play out in the twenty-first century. The old borders of the Cold War map are crumbling fast, and Asia is becoming a more integrated unit, from the Middle East to the Pacific.

Tiananmen's Enduring Challenge
by Wang Dan

Twenty years have passed since our landmark demonstrations in Tiananmen Square for democracy and free speech and against corruption. And during this time, China has changed in important ways. Economic reforms have allowed millions of Chinese people to lift their families out of poverty, and many in China find their lives changed for the better. But the central causes the Tiananmen generation, students and citizens alike, took up remain unresolved: corruption, workers' rights, free speech and the need for government reform to address the needs of China's 1.3 billion people.

 

Japan imposes new Iran sanctions
Japan imposes new sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme but maintains its oil import schedule.

China warships end Burma visit
The first visit of Chinese warships to Burma ends as top Burmese leader Than Shwe prepares to visit Beijing, highlighting the two country's close ties.

Independent Wilkie backs Gillard
One of four key independent lawmakers endorses Australian PM Julia Gillard, leaving her two seats short of the majority needed to form a government.

Typhoon hits South Korean capital
Three people die as Seoul is hit by its strongest typhoon in 15 years, while storms continue to cause heavy rain and landslides in China.

Thousands stuck in China traffic
More than 10,000 vehicles are stuck in a 120km (75-mile) traffic jam on China's Beijing to Tibet motorway.

Manila in hostage coffin 'mix-up'
The Philippines vows to probe claims that coffins of three of Hong Kong's eight victims of last week's hijacking in Manila were wrongly labelled.

Reshuffle after Tajik jail break
Tajikistan's security chief is replaced following the escape of 25 prisoners, including several Islamic militants, from a Dushanbe jail.

Chinese accused of honey smuggling
US authorities indict 11 German and Chinese executives for conspiring to illegally import $40m worth of honey from China.

EU presses China over fake goods
The EU urges China to curb smuggling to Europe, saying counterfeit cigarettes alone deprive the EU of 10bn euros (£8bn) in tax revenue annually.

Ancient reef uncovered in Pacific
An ancient reef may provide scientists with clues about what will happen to coral when sea temperatures rise.

Facial cancer hits Tasmanian Devil vaccine hope Cedric
A Tasmanian Devil who experts hoped was immune to a facial cancer that threatens the marsupial species is euthanised after developing tumours.

Chinese man buys van with years of loose change
A man pays for a van in China with 100,000 yuan ($14,700; £9,500) in pocket change he gathered over years, state television reports.

US and China manufacturing grows
Positive data eases concerns over the strength of the global economic recovery.

US drops China currency inquiry
The US drops a probe of China's currency policy, averting a trade row.

Yen worries hit Japanese stocks
Japan stocks fall after BOJ's attempts to curb the rising yen.

Wallabies lose after leading S Africa
Australia lose thrilling Tri-Nations match in Pretoria

Webber takes pole for Belgian GP
Championship leader Mark Webber starts the Belgian Grand Prix from pole position after a rain-affected qualifying session in Spa.

Australia
Key facts, figures and dates

Brunei
Key facts. figures and dates

Burma
Key facts, figures and dates

Cambodia
Key facts, figures and dates

China
Key facts, figures and dates

East Timor
Key facts, figures and dates

Fiji
Key facts, figures and dates

Indonesia
Key facts, figures and dates

Japan
Key facts, figures and dates

Kazakhstan
Key facts, figures and dates

Kiribati
Key facts, figures and dates

North Korea
Key facts, figures and dates

South Korea
Key facts, figures and dates

Kyrgyzstan
Key facts, figures and dates

Laos
Key facts, figures and dates

Malaysia
Key facts, figures and dates

Marshall Islands
Key facts, figures and dates

Micronesia
Key facts, figures and dates

Mongolia
Key facts, figures and dates

Nauru
Key facts, figures and dates

New Zealand
Key facts, figures and dates

Palau
An overview of Palau including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

Papua New Guinea
Key facts, figures and dates

Philippines
Key facts, figures and dates

Samoa
Key facts, figures and dates

Singapore
Key facts, figures and dates

Solomon Islands
Key facts, figures and dates

Taiwan
Key facts, figures and dates

Tajikistan
Key facts, figures and dates

Thailand
Key facts, figures and dates

Tonga
Key facts, figures and dates

Turkmenistan
Key facts, figures and dates

Tuvalu
Key facts, figures and dates

Uzbekistan
Key facts, figures and dates

Vanuatu
Key facts, figures and dates

Vietnam
Key facts, figures and dates

Cook Islands
Key facts, political leaders and notes on the media.

French Polynesia
An overview of French Polynesia, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

Guam
An overview of Guam, including key facts, political leaders and the media

Hong Kong
An overview of Hong Kong, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

Macau
An overview of Macau, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

New Caledonia
An overview of the Pacific territory, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

Niue
A profile of the South Pacific island - the world's smallest self-governing territory

Northern Marianas
A profile of the US commonwealth territory in the north-west Pacific

Tibet
An overview of Tibet, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

Tokelau
A profile of the three-island territory in the South Pacific

Xinjiang
An overview of Xinjiang, including key facts, political leaders and notes on the media

Typhoon Kompasu batters South Korean capital
Three people die as Seoul is hit by its strongest typhoon in 15 years, while storms continue to cause heavy rain and landslides in China.

Tropical hotspot
Why tensions are rising in the South China Sea

'Lifeline service'
BBC Burmese marks 70 years of broadcasting

'Dear Leader'
Is North Korea's Kim poised to name his successor?

In pictures
Kazakh artwork on show outside Central Asia for the first time

In pictures
Weddings, yurts and felt hats - life in remote Tajikistan

BBC News - Asia-Pacific
The latest stories from the Asia-Pacific section of the BBC News web site.

 

UN agency warns of tragedy unfolding in southwest of flood-hit Pakistan
The United Nations refugee agency today called for boosting relief efforts in the flood-hit province of Balochistan in south-western Pakistan, where some 2 million people have been affected by the recent disaster and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating.

Afghanistan: UN moves quickly to immunize 1.5 million children from polio
The United Nations is moving swiftly to vaccinate 1.5 million children after a polio case was detected in an area of north-eastern Afghanistan which had been free of the disease for more than a decade.

Global aid needed to help Pakistan avoid losing wheat crop, says UN agency
Without urgent global assistance to save the upcoming wheat-planting season in Pakistan, the food security of millions in the flood-hit nation is at risk, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned today.

UN-backed anti-measles campaign to reach millions of children in China
Nearly 100 million children across China will this month be vaccinated against measles in one of the world's largest such public health exercise in an effort to bring the vast country closer to eliminating the contagious disease by 2012, two United Nations agencies said today.

Afghan cholera outbreak under control, says UN health agency
The cholera outbreak that started earlier this month in central Afghanistan is now under control, the United Nations and its partners reported today, stressing that early detection and collaboration among key actors were key to averting a public health crisis.

Viet Nam: UN expert urges stepped-up efforts to combat poverty
While Viet Nam has made considerable strides in curbing poverty in the past 20 years, efforts must be ramped up to ensure that no one is left behind as the Asian nation continues its economic growth, a United Nations independent human rights expert said today.

Top UN officials call for scaling up assistance to Pakistan's flood victims
Top United Nations officials today urged the international community to boost their support for Pakistan's flood victims, especially for the health and well-being of women and children who make up 70 per cent of the nearly 18 million people affected by the disaster.

UN advocate Angelina Jolie calls for greater support for Pakistani flood victims
The United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and award-winning Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie appealed today for the public to step up their financial support for the efforts of aid agencies to bring humanitarian relief to the millions of Pakistanis suffering as a result of the devastating floods that have inundated much of the country.

UN experts conclude polio surveillance in assessed Afghan areas is effective
In an effort to assess the effectiveness of polio surveillance in Afghanistan, a group of experts from the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) have spent a week in villages across the country examining a system used to detect the paralysing disease in children under the age of 15.

Health needs of flood-hit communities in Pakistan remain high - UN
Providing health services to millions of people affected by the massive flooding in Pakistan remains a priority for humanitarian agencies, as a large numbers of those affected by the disaster continue to seek treatment for diseases such as diarrhoea, skin infections, respiratory problems and malaria, the United Nations health agency says.

UN News Centre - Asia Pacific
A world of news from the world organization.

 

Building Dikes of Courage in Pakistan
Twenty million people have been affected by the flooding in Pakistan, and with water-borne diseases on the rise and clinics wiped out by the flooding, aid workers and now-homeless Pakistanis are struggling to persevere.

Free Trade, Disputed Waters
China and Asean have put in place a free trade agreement and a $10 billion investment fund, but disputes over the Mekong River and the South China Sea remain.

Thailand Bouncing Back
With the upheaval of the Red Shirt protests behind it, the Thai economy is showing growth and tourism is rebounding, although trade depends largely on how other countries recover as well.

A Flooded World
Mother Earth has unleashed a fury of flooding this summer, affecting millions across the globe. Worldpress.org reviews the damage caused in several hard-hit countries.

Thailand Emergency Rule under Fire
Two months after Thailand's army routed the anti-government Red Shirt protest movement from central Bangkok, 16 provinces including Bangkok remain under emergency law, as the now-dormant Red Shirt movement goes underground.

The Freezing of Afghan Asylum Claims in Australia
The Australian government announced a freeze on asylum claims from Afghans, despite the fact that human rights organizations unanimously report that Afghan civilians face just as much danger as ever.

Lethal Diplomacy in Fiji
A series of diplomatic dominoes has pitted Fiji's government not only against its common regional adversaries, Australia and New Zealand, but also against media heavyweights and other Pacific Island governments.

Taiwan: Building Partnerships for Asia-Pacific Economic Integration
As the global marketplace becomes a more integrated, multipolar arena, Taiwan's is working to develop symbiotic regional trade agreements, improve cross-strait relations and strengthen economic and diplomatic ties to the U.S.

Kyrgyzstan: the Road Not Taken
In the wake of political unrest in Kyrgyzstan, thousands of Uzbek nationals have been the victims of violence within Kyrgyzstan.

Kyrgyzstan: the Road Not Taken
In the wake of political unrest in Kyrgyzstan, thousands of Uzbek nationals have been the victims of violence within Kyrgyzstan. A third-party "peace army" could help turn the situation around.

Pakistan's Inept Terrorism Control
Pakistan has been given ample opportunity to crack down on its terrorists, but its government and intelligence service are infiltrated, making peace talks with India hard to take seriously.

Gas Revenues Fund Burma Nuke Program
While its people remain among the poorest in the world, a new report shows that Burma's military junta is siphoning oil and gas revenues to fund a secret nuclear weapons program.

Fiji Determined to Chart Its Own Political Destiny
Despite continual isolation from New Zealand and Australia, Fiji has worked to develop partnerships with, among others, China, Russia and the Arab League, while strengthening its police state at home.

Sentimental Journey for the Philippines
Memories of past political dynasties were on many Filipino voters' minds when they elected Noynoy Aquino president.

Hatoyama's Resignation
After staking his campaign on removing a U.S. base from Okinawa, Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama bailed on his short-lived reign as PM over the same issue, leaving political strife in his stead.

Re: Western Media Perverts Information about Thailand
The mainstream media in Thailand is controlled by the government.

Western Media Perverts Information about Thailand
In reporting on the recent clashes in Bangkok, Western media has shown a slant in its depiction, one that becomes clearer when one connects the dots between the Thai ruling elite and the interests driving Western corporate media.

Redshirts Leave, but Resolution Unlikely Soon
After an intense round of protests with scores of casualties, the Redshirts in Thailand are evacuating the conflict area, leaving a smoldering Bangkok and unfinished business behind them.

Taiwan under President Ma
Two years into President Ma's tenure, Taiwan has implemented effective cross-strait policies with China, boosted trade, weathered the economic storm, and lain groundwork to promote economic development and international cooperation into the future.

Bullets over Bangkok
Redshirt protests in Thailand heated up Thursday, after a hit on an influential army officer, turning the capital into a dangerous sprawl of violent clashes between protestors and security forces.

Learning to Count in the Philippines
A presidential race depicted as a run-off between a saint, a CEO and a faded movie star is being overshadowed by worries over a computerized vote-counting system.

After Renewing Sanctions, E.U. Seeks Face-Time with Burma Junta
E.U. member states and foreign ministers debate what the best approach is to Burma, its illegitimate elections and continuing human rights abuses.

Excerpts of Ma in the ECFA Debate
In a televised debate, President Ma made his case for an agreement with China that he believes will stimulate trade and investment, thus benefitting the Taiwanese.

What's the Problem with Aid?
A summit of poor countries met in East Timor, calling itelf the g7, bringing attention to the many flaws in the international aid systems.

An Integrated Approach to Terror Suspects in Indonesia
In the always-steep challenge to combat extremism, the Indonesian government has implemented a deradicalization program for arrested terror suspects.

Taiwan the Underrated
With world-class attractions and some of the best Chinese food on the planet, Taiwan is a beautifully lush and diverse country, one of Asia's better-kept tourist secrets.

Taiwan the Complicated
Against Taiwan's complex historical backdrop, President Ma is paving the way for better relations and connections with China and the rest of the world. So why is his approval rating down?

Asian News from World Press Review
World News Review

 

Block on Thailand chemical plants is removed
A Thai court has given the green light to almost all the suspended plants at a controversial petrochemicals and metals refining complex south of Bangkok to resume operations

Petraeus backs Karzai over corruption
General David Petraeus, the head of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, defended Hamid Karzai, the country's president, after controversy over Kabul's stance on corruption

Leadership fight raises fear of DPJ break-up
Naoto Kan, Japan's prime minister, and the contender for his job sought to portray each other as relics of the stagnant politics their Democratic party has vowed to transform when they squared off in a nationally televised debate

Gillard closer to forming government
Julia Gillard's bid to continue as Australia's prime minister gathers pace with an independent MP giving his backing after her opponent was found to have overstated potential budget savings

Fraud fears lead to run on Kabul Bank
Crowds of people queued outside Kabul Bank's main branch seeking to witdraw their deposits as fears of its insolvency escalated after two of the banks executives resigned amid corruption allegations

Asian central banks
Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia should be applauded for 'pre-emptive' actions

RIM faces battle over content in Indonesia
Indonesia's technology minister has taken his battle against pornography to the maker of BlackBerry smart phones, ordering the Canadian company to block digital content in one of its key Asian markets

Chinese economy wins manufacturing boost
China's manufacturing sector made a modest recovery in August, boosting confidence that the economy will avoid a hard landing this year as Beijing strives to cool the property market and restrain bank lending

Bombs kill 18 at Shia procession in Lahore
More than 100 wounded in the capital of Punjab province as three bombs explode, shattering a lull in violence of more than a month while Pakistan has battled devastating floods

Pakistan likely to levy 'flood tax'
Islamabad considering controversial strategy to raise revenue needed to pay for reconstruction

Australian opposition power bid set back
Tony Abbott, Australia's opposition leader, said the ruling Labor party had been thrown a 'lifeline' after it reached a deal with the Greens party, setting back his bid to become prime minister

Chinese manufacturers report growth
Manufacturing in China rebounded last month and remained strong in India according to new business surveys, even if other parts of Asia showed signs of slackening demand

Dengue fever threatens Commonwealth Games
India's aspiration for glory as the host of the upcoming Commonwealth Games is facing a new threat with a serious outbreak of dengue fever in New Delhi

Pakistan: A precarious position
Pakistan: The waters that displaced millions have also thrown defence and economic progress sharply off course, raising western fears over an already fragile regional linchpin

India seeks access to Skype and Google data
Government sends notices to the two internet companies asking them to set up servers in India so that Indian intelligence agencies can monitor e-mail and chat conversations on their systems

FT.com - World, Asia Pacific
FT.com - World, Asia Pacific

 

China makes its North Korea move
A long handshake between President Hu Jintao and Kim Jong-il in Jilin province explicitly placed China's Korean Peninsula eggs in the North's basket. The idea that Beijing will acquiesce to the collapse of the Pyongyang regime and reunification under the aegis of South Korea is a discounted commodity. China has called South Korea's bluff - and the United States is ill-equipped to respond. - Peter Lee (Sep 2, '10)

Al-Qaeda presses a point with Lahore attack
The incident on Wednesday night in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's Punjab province, in which at least 35 people were killed and more than 250 injured after three bombs exploded during a Shi'ite procession, is not an isolated attack. Al-Qaeda has set its sights on spreading the tribal-based insurgency to main urban centers. - Syed Saleem Shahzad (Sep 2, '10)

LIFE IN TALIBANISTAN : The degree zero of culture
A decade ago it was a sad sight at the University of Kabul to witness a group of eminent professors at what was once one of the best centers of learning in the world being subjected to the sermons of a mediocre madrassa student who never finished the equivalent of primary school. This was Baudrillard's degree zero of culture, remixed by the Taliban. - Pepe Escobar (Sep 2, '10) This is the second article in a three-part report

Clawing back credibility in Kyrgyzstan
The United States and Russia have a key role to play in Kyrgyzstan’s fragile attempts to become the first functioning democracy in Central Asia. Many Kyrgyz still suspect, however, that the US is merely continuing its obsessive pursuit of strategic assets in the region, while for Moscow securing the former-Soviet space against religious extremists takes priority. - Yong Kwon (Sep 2, '10)

Iraqis uneasy over what happens next
With the 50,000 United States troops left in Iraq serving mostly as a deterrent against large-scale violence, many Iraqis are ill at ease. The nation still has no government, and there are concerns that Iraqi troops and police may fail to hold sectarian peace together as insurgents tied to al-Qaeda continue to launch attacks. - Heather Maher and Charles Recknagel (Sep 2, '10)

Hiroshima's poisonous past
While each year Japan solemnly marks the thousands killed by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II, there is no shrine on Okunoshima Island, which lies a short distance from Hiroshima. Here the Imperial Army produced chemical weapons that reaped a deadly harvest. - Peter J Brown (Sep 2, '10)

Sheen wearing off Indian growth
India's latest stunning headline growth figures are raising hopes of a 9% economic full-year expansion. Unfortunately, while production charges ahead, demand for factory goods is less strong, and the government is not plugging the gap left by reluctant consumers. - Kunal Kumar Kundu

Pakistan mulls 'flood taxes'
Flood-battered Pakistan, which wants the International Monetary Fund to ease terms for an already obtained multi-billion dollar loan, may impose special taxes to make up washed-out revenue while facing reconstruction bills that can only keep mounting. - Syed Fazl-e-Haider

Malaysia reaps reform benefits
Economic reforms instituted by Najib Razak after he took over as Malaysian prime minister less than 18 months ago appear to be paying off. The stock market is driving ahead, exports of oil and electronics have soared, and domestic spending is on the rise. If there is a downside, it isn't showing yet. - Robert M Cutler

THE MOGAMBO GURU : Secret path to riches
The great secret to being poor is to believe that a money-creating government like the present one in Washington is going to preserve the value of your income, pension and savings. The secret to being rich in such circumstances is steadily but surely to accumulate gold!!

Asia Times Online
News and business analysis from Asia

 

Depositors Panic Over Bank Crisis in Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s top bank official tried to calm fears of a meltdown at Kabul Bank, while scores of Afghans were unable to withdraw money from the bank.

North Korea Takes Steps to Extend Dynastic Rule
North Korea’s leader is to convene a ruling party meeting where it is expected that his son will be given an official post, a step on the road to leadership.

Pakistan Gets I.M.F. Relief, Tightens Security
The International Monetary Fund will give Pakistan $450 million in emergency flood aid, providing some relief for a government overwhelmed by the disaster and facing renewed militant violence.

In Lahore, Mourning for Victims of Attacks
Street markets remained closed early on Thursday and police mounted patrols after a suicide attack claimed 31 lives among a procession of Shiite Muslim worshippers.

Independent Lawmaker Supports Australian Leader
In her bid to break a parliamentary deadlock, Prime Minister Julia Gillard won the tentative support of a key independent legislator from Tasmania.

Accounts Differ on Fatal NATO Strike on Afghans
Did the attack in northern Afghanistan hit a team of election campaign workers, including a parliamentary candidate, or a group connected with an Uzbek terrorist network?

Gates, in Afghanistan, Speaks on Local Issues
The United States defense secretary made remarks about corruption and banking along with civilian casualties and troop withdrawal.

Australian Leader Wins Support From Greens
Prime Minister Julia Gillard won a formal assurance from the Greens Party that it will support her bid for a further three-year term.

China Will Require ID for Cellphone Numbers; Noncompliance Means No Service
The government is looking to curb cellphone spam, pornography and fraud schemes.

Suicide Bombers in Pakistan Kill Dozens of Shiites
A blast touched off clashes between local police forces and mourners and protesters infuriated by the attack.

Near Kandahar, the Prize Is an Empty Town
While many security operations in Afghanistan are joint ones between NATO and Afghan forces, in most of them, the phrase “Afghan-led” is little more than a polite fiction. This was an exception.

Afghanistan Official Tries to Ease Depositors’ Worries About Troubled Bank
Afghanistan’s top bank official tried to calm fears of a meltdown of the Kabul Bank a day after the bank changed its leadership following the discovery of losses approaching $300 million.

U.S. Adds Legal Pressure on Pakistani Taliban
The Pakistani Taliban, an Al Qaeda-linked group, is accused of playing a role in the failed Times Square bombing and an attack on a C.I.A. base in Afghanistan.

2 Afghan Aid Workers Killed by Roadside Bomb
The two employees, who were both Afghan, were killed in the same region where 10 Western aid workers, including 6 Americans, were shot and killed last month.

South Korean Red Cross Offers Flood Aid to North
South Korea’s Red Cross offered the North an estimated $8.3 million in aid to help cope with flooding, Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.

Attacks on U.S. Soldiers in Afghanistan Intensify
Four American service members were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, according to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

In Rare Move, China Court to Hear H.I.V. Case
A prospective schoolteacher says he was illegally denied a job because he is H.I.V. positive.

Gas Sickened Girls in Afghan Schools
Illnesses at girls’ schools were caused by poison gas, officials said, but how it was delivered — and whether the poisonings were deliberate — remained a mystery.

Troubles at Afghan Bank Jolt Financial System
A sudden intervention to shore up the deeply troubled Kabul Bank prompted fears about the integrity of the Afghan financial system.

In Rural Thailand, an Unappeased Opposition Bides Its Time
Three months after the violent end to a standoff in Bangkok, the government appears to have made little headway in calming or winning over opponents.

JAL to Sell Units and Cut Jobs as Part of Restructuring
The organization plan culminates years of difficulty for the airline, which has been battered by safety lapses, ballooning pension payments and the need to streamline.

N. Korea Confirms Leader’s China Trip
News agencies in China and North Korea confirmed that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, visited China last week but said little about his itinerary.

China Asks C.E.O.’s to Work for State
China ran a huge help-wanted advertisement seeking managers for some of its biggest state companies.

India Passes Nuclear Deal
Some analysts said that compromises needed to push the bill through Parliament undermined its intent to transform relations with the United States.

Seven U.S. Soldiers Die in Afghan Attacks
Seven service members were killed by two bombs in southern Afghanistan that were unrelated, officials said.

New U.S. Sanctions Aim at North Korean Elite
The Obama administration is trying to choke off the flow of luxury goods for cronies of Kim Jong-il.

Petraeus Finishes Rules for Afghan Transition
New guidelines for turning some security duties over to Afghan forces call for allied troops to step back from calmer areas.

World Briefing | Asia: India: 9 Suspected of Being Pakistani Militants Are Killed
Indian troops killed nine men suspected of being Pakistani militants trying to sneak in to Indian-controlled Kashmir late Sunday night.

Letter from China: Visibility of Gay People Reflects Changes in China
As this society grows richer, its social fabric and mores have been changing drastically, and sexual choice and expression are arguably in the leading edge of this upheaval.

Japan Plans New Steps to Curb Yen
Analysts said that the new stimulus steps announced by the prime minister and the further easing of monetary policy were too timid.

Making Soldiers Fit to Fight, Without the Situps
The goal of a new training program is to reduce injuries and better prepare recruits for the rigors of combat.

S. Korea Premier-designate Quits
Prime Minister-designate Kim Tae-ho of South Korea resigned on Sunday amid allegations that he lied about his connections with a businessman convicted of bribery.

Afghan Fatalities Rise in Weekend Violence
Seven American soldiers were killed in fighting in Afghanistan over the weekend, after several weeks of declining death tolls among NATO forces.

Anger in Hong Kong Over Manila Siege
Tens of thousands of people marched in honor of eight people killed in a bus hijacking, accusing the Philippine government of botching the rescue operation.

China Fortifies State Businesses to Fuel Growth
While China owes its rapid growth to private business, it is often the state’s companies that are on the march, in part because of state-bank financing and stimulus spending.

Amritsar Journal: A Sikh Temple Where All May Eat, and Pitch In
Each day, volunteers at the Golden Temple serve tens of thousands of free lunches.

Watching a Girl Die by Mortar
In war, emotions run high. Adam Ferguson has found that can help as well as hinder, Eirini Vourloumis reports.

Changed by a Car Bomb in Baghdad
Ayman Oghanna vowed to quit photography if photos he took in Iraq didn't get out. They did; he didn't.

Srinagar Journal: A Kashmir Hospital Is Witness to Conflict
Just getting to work is an ordeal for staff members, who have also had to face chanting protesters in their emergency room.

Iraqi Military Adjusts to U.S. Support, Minus Combat Troops
The third phase, from the end of 2016 to the end of 2020, is the "completion phase" by which time the Iraqi army will be a "real power," able to deal not only with internal, but also external threats.

Martyrs in the Valley of Peace
In the Cemetery of the Martyrs of the Army of the Imam Mahdi, death is not mourned. The men here have died as martyrs, and sacrifice is exalted.

Iraqis’ Reactions to Obama’s Speech
Talking with Iraqi citizens about their growing frustrations as the United States brings an end to its combat mission.

Pakistan’s Cricket Conspiracy Theory
Pakistan's top diplomat in Britain suggested on Thursday that three of his nation's cricket stars, accused of agreeing to take part in a betting scam, were "innocent" victims of a plot against them.

The World Watches America's Heated Mosque Debates
From Taiwan to Abu Dhabi to Afghanistan, there is anecdotal evidence that attention is being paid to the furious debate over mosque-building projects in American cities.

Engaging North Korea in Twitter Diplomacy
A State Department spokesman attempted to engage North Korea on the social network Twitter, but it is not clear if anyone in the "Hermit Kingdom" was picking up his signals.

Letter from China: A China Newly Rich and Still Quite Poor
China has had an amazing 30-year sprint to wealth for many of its people. But the distribution of wealth is nowhere near equal.

NYT > Asia Pacific

 

Baidu pioneers searchable apps library
China's largest online search company launches a searchable applications library which allows third-party offerings in the library to launch directly on Baidu

Foreign companies 'losing out' in China
Foreign companies are losing market share in China across a broad range of industries because of discriminatory treatment by the government and regulators, according to the European Chamber of Commerce in China

Data boost from economic giants
Stock markets surge as investors took global surveys of manufacturing output to show the world economy was recovering rapidly and chances of double-dip recession had receded

Chinese economy wins manufacturing boost
China's manufacturing sector made a modest recovery in August, boosting confidence that the economy will avoid a hard landing this year as Beijing strives to cool the property market and restrain bank lending

Growth models
India grows faster than many countries, but often finds itself in the shadow of China's even greater heft. But look under the hood and India's growth machine sports some features China could use

China hedge funds
If Shanghai is still a casino, it is now a slightly higher class one

NEC to offer cloud computing in China
NEC is setting up a joint venture with Neusoft, China's largest IT outsourcing provider, to offer cloud computing in the country, the Japanese electronics firm's first move to offer such services outside its home market

China Railway discusses high-speed projects
Chinese construction group is in South African talks to bring first dedicated high-speed rail line to sub-Saharan Africa

Gome faces salvo from jailed founder
The jailed founder of Gome Electrical Appliances Holding has threatened to terminate commercial agreements with the company if shareholders reject a motion to sack senior management

Results highlight risks for China's banks
The first-half profit results for China's banks looked eerily similar, highlighting the risks that are building up across the sector

Relocated labels
Analysis: Luxury goods: As Asia's middle class turns to high-end fashion, its apparel makers are buying into western brands, shifting the industry's centre of gravity

Renminbi deposits jump at HK banks
Hong Kong's bankis accumulated renminbi deposits at the fastest pace in more than two years in July as China boosted the international use of its currency

Doubts over Chinese coal-bed methane
China's ambitious targets for the commercial production of coal-bed methane need 'a reality check', according to a consultant's report

Russia opens China pipeline for Siberian oil
The pipeline, running 67km from Skovorodino in east Siberia to China's north-eastern frontier, is an offshoot of a new oil export route Russia is building to the Pacific Ocean

China flies Red Flag of high-end nostalgia
In an effort to exploit the country's communist and colonialist past, two Chinese state companies revive old brands to challenge foreign dominance of luxury markets

FT.com - China
FT.com - China

 

Pakistan trio hit by ICC charges
Three Pakistan cricketers accused of corruption are set to be questioned again by police, after being charged and provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council.

India Maoists 'kill policeman'
Maoist rebels in the Indian state of Bihar say they have killed one of four policemen they have been holding hostage.

Strike 'kills Afghan civilians'
Ten election campaign workers have been killed in an air strike by Nato-led forces in Afghanistan, Afghan officials say.

Indian wrestlers fail dope tests
Four Indian wrestlers from the Commonwealth Games team face suspension after failing dope tests barely a month before the beginning of the event.

Pakistan mourns as Lahore toll up
Three days of mourning begins in Pakistan after bomb attacks on a Shia Muslim procession in Lahore city kill 31 people.

Afghan bank 'to avoid collapse'
The head of Afghanistan's Central Bank tells the BBC he will not allow the country's biggest commercial bank to collapse.

'Scores died' in Delhi metro work
Over 100 workers have died during the construction of the metro railway in the Indian capital, Delhi, say authorities.

Pakistan flood waters 'diverted'
A Pakistani diplomat calls for a probe into allegations that rich landowners diverted water into unprotected villages during the floods to save their own crops.

Nepal crash data recorders found
Investigators find the flight data recorders from the wreckage of a small plane which crashed in Nepal last week, killing 14 people, officials say.

Pakistan air raids kill civilians
At least six civilians are among about 45 people reported killed in Pakistani military air strikes targeting militants in a north-western tribal area.

Bangladesh army cough syrup probe
Bangladeshi officials say an army major has been dismissed for carrying hundreds of bottles of illegal cough syrup.

Pakistan police held for lynching
Five policemen, including a police chief, are remanded in jail on charges that they failed to stop a mob lynching of two teenage brothers last month.

US flight hauls off Pakistan VIPs
Pakistan's military says it cancelled talks with US defence chiefs after its delegation met "unwarranted" security checks at a Washington airport.

Asylum seeker unrest in Australia
Around 70 reportedly Afghan asylum seekers break out of a detention centre in Australia to hold a protest against their treatment.

Cricketer Asif dropped from movie
Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif, who is under scrutiny for claims of spot-fixing, is dropped from an Indian film, the movie's director tells the BBC.

Afghanistan
Key facts, figures and dates.

Bangladesh
Key facts, figures and dates

Bhutan
Key facts, figures and dates.

India
Details of the key facts, figures and dates.

The Maldives
Key facts, figures and dates.

Nepal
Key facts, figures and dates.

Pakistan
Key facts, figures and dates.

Sri Lanka
Key facts, figures and dates.

India's cities running out of space
Indian cities are getting bigger and there is a growing need for more housing, business space and public facilities.

Delhi's Games gloom
Preparations for Commonwealth Games badly behind schedule

In pictures
Hindus celebrate birth of Krishna at Janmashtami celebration

Bowled over
Home village of Pakistani cricket star shocked at fixing allegations

Pitching in
Celebrities join in to help Pakistan flood victims

Hope springs eternal
Pictures of child flood refugees' triumph over adversity

All out
What went wrong with Pakistani cricket?

Race against time
Getting help to Pakistan's north-west before winter

BBC News - South Asia
The latest stories from the South Asia section of the BBC News web site.

 

Manila Says Washington Should Keep Out of South China Sea Dispute

China's Rise Stirs Southeast Asian Countries to Build Up Militaries
If China’s cultural cousins recognize the danger of its ascendancy, how clear should the threat be to the West?

The Philippines: China's Rise Challenges U.S. Influence
China’s charm offensive toward Manila undermines Washington’s position as the Philippines’ foremost security and economic partner.

Where Have All the Fish Gone?
The collapse of America’s West Coast Salmon fishery has an eerily familiar ring to it. Are the oceans dying?

Rice Shortages Could Fuel Unrest
Food shortages in southeast Asia could foreshadow a coming global food crisis.

Selling America for Designer Boots, Top Hats and Thimbles
Like a near-concluded game of Monopoly, America is selling off its last properties to maintain its lavish lifestyle.

Russia Bolstering Its Position Via Strategic Arms Sales
Russian President Vladimir Putin is strengthening his Asian alliances using a potentially dangerous tool.

Australian Stock Market Plunges
Yesterday’s tumble in Australia’s stock market traces back to problems in the U.S. housing market.

China Plays Nice With Neighbors
Beijing continues its policy of courting rather than confronting certain states. It will remember to collect those favors.

Thailand's Royal Anchor
As civil unrest continues in the south of the country, the people of Thailand look to their enduring monarch as a firm anchor in a time of increasing turmoil.

Asia's Economic Integration Continues
Growth in trade between China and ASEAN is laying the groundwork for a free-trade zone throughout Asia. This trend has huge implications worthy of considering.

Bali Blasts: Terror Returns to Southeast Asia
What terrorism in Indonesia means for the Western world, Asia and radical Islam.

Asia's Dire Straits

Meltdown Ahead?

Changing of the Guard
The decline of U.S.-British control over the world’s sea gates

Why Indonesia Matters
Now that President Suharto has resigned, everything is back to normal in Indonesia, right? Wrong. Massive forces of anarchy are at work, and the potential for global economic disaster still exists. As much as one-half of world trade is at risk and radical Islam may be stalking Indonesia!

Rescuing the Rich
In Southeast Asia, currency devaluations and other austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund are devastationg common workers while wealthy investors and bankers are being bailed out. Fair? No. Typical? Very!

theTrumpet.com: Southeast Asia
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.

 

Petraeus Plans for Start of US Withdrawal from Afghanistan Next Year
Commander of US and international troops in Afghanistan faces deadline set by President Obama to begin US troop withdrawal by next July

US Withdrawal from Iraq Looms Over Afghan War
Iraq withdrawal might have effect on political, military calculations by officials in Washington, Kabul

Cricket Scandal Sidelines Three Pakistani Players
Cricketers maintain their innocence after being yanked off their team during current match against England

Pakistani Ambassador: 3 Cricketers Innocent of Match-Fixing
Wajid Hasan says athletes volunteered to be withdrawn from remaining matches between Pakistan's and England

Philippine Resort Suffers from Hostage Crisis
Island of Boracay largely empty after a former Philippine police officer hijacked a bus carrying tourists August 23

Pakistani Officials Caution Against Large Outdoor Religious Ceremonies
Appeal comes day after suspected Sunni militants with links to extremist groups attacked a Shiite Muslim religious procession in Lahore

Bombing of Pakistan Religious Procession Kills 33, Injures 250
Another 250 wounded in northeastern city of Lahore as Shi'ites are targeted in first major attack since catastrophic floods

Gates: More Casualties in Afghanistan to be Expected, Allied Strategy Will Work
US Defense Secretary acknowledges that progress will not come without cost

US to Send Flood Aid to North Korea
The assistance comes amid a flurry of diplomatic activity on Pyongyang

UN Official Describes Post-Flooding in Baluchistan as 'Disgusting'
Millions of people still affected by Pakistan's historic flooding as waters recede in some areas

Singapore, Hong Kong Grapple With Housing Supply, Prices
There are concerns that homes are becoming out of reach for middle-class buyers

South Korea Honors American War Correspondent
Posthumous award given to Marguerite Higgins was accepted by her daughter, Linda Vanderbleek

Journalist Murders in Indonesia Attributed to Low Standards
Rights activist says incidents reveal deep problems with way journalism is perceived in country

Obama Global Health Initiative Targets Maternal, Child Health, Disease
Initiative also focused on family planning, programs to fight infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS

Pakistan Cricketers to Meet Officials Amid Match-Fixing Scam
Pakistan Cricket Board says three Pakistani players will not be suspended until allegations are fully investigated

VOA News: Asia
Asia Voice of America

 

Vietnam's economy: Plus one country

Cheap labour will not yield gains for ever. But what comes next is unclear

ON THE edge of Hanoi brick-walled factories lie abandoned, weeds sprouting in their ruins. Surprisingly, this is a sign of progress. The land is slated for new housing; the state-owned textile firm that operated there is moving to an industrial park, where it can better meet booming demand for Vietnamese garments. Exports of textiles and garments rose by 17% in the first seven months this year, to $5.8 billion, suggesting that investors still favour Vietnam as a base for cheap manufacturing.

Its advantages have been amplified by recent labour unrest and rising costs in southern China’s factories. In Hanoi there is renewed talk of “China Plus One” as a strategy for multinationals keen to spread their bets. Vietnam could gain handsomely, thanks to its labour which is cheaper than China’s and its neighbours’ (see chart). Even after a pay rise, the monthly wage for a textile worker starts at $84, says Nguyen Tung Van, head of the Communist Party-run textile workers’ union, from his office in the abandoned compound. The industry employs around 1.7m people. Makers of footwear, furniture and more also gain from supplies of cheap labour. ...

Nalanda university: Ivory pagodas

An ancient pan-Asian university might yet open again

NALANDA is an unlovely place in the poorest state in India. Yet, as in much of Bihar, a prosaic present belies a poetic past. It is the site of one of the first great universities which, half a millennium before the founding of Oxford, flourished with some 10,000 students and monks from all over Asia. Mango groves and lotus pools circled its halls, and an 8th-century inscription touted its “row of pagodas the spires of which touched the clouds.”

If some scholars and diplomats have their way, a new generation of students will be enrolled. A bill has just snaked through India’s parliament calling for Nalanda’s revival, at a likely cost of several hundred million dollars. The Nalanda Mentor Group, led by Amartya Sen, an economics Nobel laureate, has overseen the project since it was first proposed in 2006. The Bihar state government has agreed to provide 500 acres for a new campus and India’s Planning Commission has proffered 1 billion rupees (some $21m) to get the project started. A chancellor has also been appointed. ...

India's disappointing government: Much less than promised

The economy is powering on, but the Congress-led coalition is squandering an opportunity to improve India

THE weightlifting auditorium has a leaky roof. The athletes’ village has no kitchen. Stagnant monsoon water, abuzz with dengue-carrying mosquitoes, collects at most of the stadiums being hurriedly built for the Delhi Commonwealth games, which are due to begin on October 3rd. The security arrangements, in terrorism-stricken India, are shot to pieces because of 24-hour processions of workmen at most venues. Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, reiterates the official line that these will be the “best games ever”. That may depend on how you define “best”.

This shambles, for which corruption, feuding ministries, sapping bureaucracy and shoddy workmanship are all to blame, does not matter to many Indians. Athletics is not cricket. And few know much about their country’s image abroad. Yet it is depressing, not least because it mirrors how large parts of India are run. ...

Football and Korean reunification: Dreaming of 2022

The South waves sticks and dangles footballs at the North

SOUTH KOREANS are unsure precisely how best to respond to the uncertain changes in the regime to the North. A hardline approach to its neighbour has been the official stance ever since the Cheonan, a Southern military corvette, was torpedoed in March. Sanctions, a diplomatic freeze and military exercises with the Americans all suggest that the authorities in Seoul are in no mood to back down.

Yet this week, the South Korean Red Cross said that it would send emergency aid, mostly food and medicine, worth $8.4m to help the North cope with floods. This would be the first aid to flow north since May, but the South’s government insists it is merely a temporary humanitarian measure. ...

China and North Korea: Greetings, comrades

What lies behind the Dear Leader’s latest trip to China?

NORTH KOREA’S leader, Kim Jong Il, must have been on an urgent mission when he boarded his bulletproof train and headed to China for the second time in less than four months on August 26th. With America’s former president Jimmy Carter in town, devastating floods in the north and a rare conclave of his ruling party only days away, Mr Kim had much to keep him at home. But buttering up China appears to be a new priority.

Both China and North Korea, as is their wont, kept quiet about the visit until after Mr Kim’s return on August 30th. By then Mr Carter had left with an American, Aijalon Gomes, who had been serving eight years’ hard labour for entering the country illegally in January. Mr Gomes’s release was a rare gesture of conciliation to America after months of heightened tension caused by the sinking in March of a South Korean naval vessel. ...

Banyan: Afloat on a Chinese tide

China’s economic rise has brought the rest of emerging Asia huge benefits. But the region still needs the West

WITH markets still on edge after the worst financial crisis in decades, and fears of renewed recession stalking the West, this week seemed a poignant moment for China’s People’s Daily to detect a “golden age of development”, for Asia at least. Yet developing Asia, led by China itself, is booming. China’s GDP barrelled along in the first half of the year, growing by 11.1% compared with a year earlier. The newly industrialised little tigers—Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan—as well as most of South-East Asia seem to have fully recovered from the downturn. Even Thailand, mired in political turmoil, grew by 9.1% in the second quarter.

The dream is that this gilded future is now insulated from rich-world downturns: that China—now having, after all, officially overtaken Japan as the world’s second-largest economy—can drive growth for the whole region. One day, maybe. Not yet. ...

Parliamentary polls in Afghanistan : Bloody democracy

Elections this month should not be quite as awful as last year’s presidential one

THE presidential poll in Afghanistan is still the stuff of nightmares for the technicians, diplomats and officials who had the misfortune to be involved in it. They shudder at the orgy of Taliban violence unleashed across the country on voting day, August 20th 2009, the most violent day in recent years. Voters stayed away from many polling stations, leaving corrupt supporters of the incumbent, Hamid Karzai, to stuff ballot boxes with perhaps 1m votes. And during the months of ballot auditing and recounts that followed, the business of government ground to a halt.

Relations between Afghanistan’s Western backers and Mr Karzai also sank to a wretched low after the West dared to point out the extraordinary level of electoral fraud. “God, it was just terrible,” says one shaken foreign election expert. “It just can’t happen again.” ...

The floods in Pakistan: Washed up

The misery shows no sign of abating, even as waters recede in some places

PAKISTAN’S floods are looking ever more monstrous. In the south waters continue to rise, eating up new areas and swamping districts such as Jaffarabad, in Baluchistan province, a full 100km from the Indus river. Farther north the tide is now receding, only to reveal the many homeless and hungry, their stores of wheat and their crops and livestock destroyed. Everywhere it is becoming clearer how social, economic and political misery will endure for a long time yet.

Overall 1.2m homes have been damaged or destroyed. Some 800,000 people remain cut off from all help. Even where the government or aid agencies are present, the help is patchy at best, with many left to fend for themselves. Now dark (and plausible) accusations are circulating: the well-connected chose which areas were purposefully flooded to relieve pressure elsewhere; aid is being diverted to constituencies of powerful figures; woefully feeble flood-protection infrastructure was left badly maintained. ...

Nepal's perilous politics: Summer reruns

Bovine politicians fail to pick a prime minister

THE monsoon brings Nepal’s annual cow festival, a chance for ordinary people to mock their rulers in traditional street performances. This year the comedians were blessed with plenty of material. Two months after the prime minister resigned, on the grounds that he was unable to advance the country’s peace process, Nepal remains without a leader. As a result, the tenuous peace stands in dire need of some process.

Five rounds of voting in the democratically elected Constituent Assembly, which also serves as a parliament, have failed to produce a new prime minister. A sixth round, scheduled for September 5th, is unlikely to do any better. ...

Banyan: Vale of tears

In Kashmir freedom is much farther than a stone’s-throw away

OWAIS hardly looks like a serious danger to the security of India. Slender and frail, he says he is 17 but seems younger as he basks shyly in the praise of the men gathered in a garden in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-ruled Kashmir. But he is proud to show off the scars and stitch-marks that cover his belly. He has just emerged from hospital, lucky to be alive. He took a bullet in an anti-Indian protest on August 2nd in Kupwara, some 90km (56 miles) away. His uncle died that day, one of more than 60 people, mostly young, killed in a wave of unrest that began on June 11th. Owais and those like him have presented the Indian government with a new and perhaps insoluble Kashmir crisis.

They are self-proclaimed “stone-pelters”, named after their weapon of choice. Well-organised—on Facebook, to a large extent—the pelters emerge at short notice to throw stones at police stations and other targets, and get shot at. In response to their protests much of the Kashmir valley that surrounds Srinagar has been shut down—both by hartals, or strikes, called by separatist leaders, and by government-imposed curfews. On most days, Srinagar is a ghost town of shuttered shops and empty streets. Paramilitaries point their rifles out from bunkers or lounge on street corners, idly tapping their lathis (heavy batons) on their padded legs. On the one or two designated “shopping days” each week, the traffic is gridlocked. ...

Jam tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow

A booming economy and middle class means painfully slow roads.

Drivers beware: a booming economy and middle class may result in painfully slow roads. One traffic jam this month, along a highway leading to Beijing, stretched over 100km and lasted for nine days. Some 248,000 additional cars were registered in Beijing in the first four months of this year alone, snarling up the streets. Lots of roadworks are causing short-term grief. But the main problem seems to be demand for goods and energy, as lorries carrying coal crawl endlessly towards the city. Beijing is said to be spending 80 billion yuan ($11.8 billion) this year on transport infrastructure. It might be wiser to invest in alternative forms of power generation.

...

Talking about reform in China: Change you can believe in?

The prime minister calls frankly for political reform

CHINA is enjoying its new status as the world’s second-largest economy, but the prime minister, Wen Jiabao, is refusing to relax. During a visit to a southern boomtown he declared that economic gains could yet be lost without reforms to the political system. One official newspaper called his speech one of “extraordinary importance”, but sceptics abound.

His remarks on August 20th and 21st in the city of Shenzhen have been compared by some optimists to those made by the late Deng Xiaoping during a tour of the same city in 1992. Deng’s calls for market-oriented reforms sent central-planners scurrying and unleashed the entrepreneurial energy that has helped China to grow at giddy rates since. During his trip Mr Wen laid flowers before a statue of Deng, who turned Shenzhen into a test bed for economic change exactly 30 years ago. ...

Australia's dead-heat election: Hung, drawn, now courting

The Australian electorate falls out of love with the two main parties, while each tries to woo independents and form a government

EVERYONE had expected a long night waiting for a result in the closely fought general election on August 21st. Instead, it looks like turning into a long fortnight. The contest between the ruling Labor party, under Julia Gillard, and the conservative Liberal-National opposition, led by Tony Abbott, produced some exotic outcomes: Wyatt Roy of Queensland, at 20 the youngest federal MP; and Adam Bandt of Victoria, the first Green elected to the lower house in a general election. But it failed to yield a clear verdict, leaving the first hung parliament in 70 years. Australia’s political culture seems set for upheavals.

The last time the country found itself in this state was in 1940. Robert Menzies, who later founded the conservative Liberal Party, which Mr Abbott now leads, relied on two independents to stay in power; that arrangement collapsed a year later. This time, neither Ms Gillard nor Mr Abbott will command the 76 seats needed in the 150-seat House of Representatives, so each has set out to woo Mr Bandt and four independents, who hold the balance of power. The romancing may yet turn ugly. ...

The police in the Philippines: Manila showdown

A bungled rescue of Hong Kong hostages sparks a diplomatic row

AS A policeman ineffectually sledgehammered the windows of a hijacked bus, in a desperate effort to reach 15 hostages trapped inside, it became sickeningly clear that a rescue operation had gone dreadfully wrong. More than an hour later the police got in by opening the emergency exit, and found proof of their bungling: eight of the 15 hostages, all Hong Kong tourists, had been shot dead, as had the hostage-taker, a former policeman.

August 23rd thereby became a shameful day for the Philippine National Police. Battered by criticism at home and abroad, the police admitted to “defects” in their handling of the hijack. Survivors and relatives of the victims were more explicit in their anger. It was obvious to millions in the Philippines and beyond, watching the drama unfold live on television, that the rescue squad lacked training and equipment. As serious are chronic weaknesses in the country’s law-enforcement system. ...

Japan's dysfunctional politics: Ichiro Ozawa strikes back

The return of a destructive force in Japanese politics

ICHIRO OZAWA, Japan’s most Machiavellian politician, recently dismissed Americans as “monocellular”—using a Japanese term that roughly means simplistic. Compared with his scheming mind, Americans should take that as a compliment. On August 26th Mr Ozawa dropped a bombshell that could bring down the government, launching a leadership challenge to the prime minister, Naoto Kan, in an internal election of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

If he were to win on September 14th, Mr Ozawa, 68, would automatically become prime minister, Japan’s third this year alone. That would mark a remarkable comeback. Less than three months ago, on June 2nd, he was forced out as the DPJ secretary-general alongside the previous prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, because of poor leadership and his links to a foul-smelling campaign-funding scandal for which he may possibly still face indictment this year. ...

Hong Kong's baby-boom: Mamas without borders

Why more mainland Chinese women are rushing to give birth in Hong Kong

A LITTLE noticed tourist boom has been taking place in Hong Kong, as mothers-to-be flock to the city. Last year tourists from the mainland accounted for a striking 36% of all the babies born in the territory, a sharp rise on previous years, and the trend is resolutely upwards.

Mainlanders are noticing some obvious benefits of giving birth in Hong Kong. Perhaps most importantly, the one-child policy does not apply in the territory. Maternal treatment is also generally better, at least when weighed against stories of bad care and negligence in mainland hospitals, especially for those who fail to pay big bribes. And the welfare system in rabidly capitalist Hong Kong is more generous than on the Communist mainland. A child born in Hong Kong gets free education for 12 years and almost free medical care. Although local hospitals charge up-front (mainlanders pay at least HK$39,000, or $5,000, per birth), the longer-term gains make the cost worthwhile. ...

Sri Lanka's post-war recovery: Rebuilding, but at a cost

Sri Lanka is developing again. But not all can celebrate

WEARING a crisp blue shirt, Kumaraswamy Nageswaran gestures dejectedly to a towering fence that keeps him from his village and his three acres of farmland on the Trincomalee coast. Five years ago, as Tamil Tiger rebels fought desperately with the Sri Lankan army, thousands of families fled Sampur and adjoining villages. They returned in the six months to January this year, only to find themselves victims of post-war development plans.

Sampur fell within an area demarcated during the war as a “high-security zone”, in an effort to keep fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at bay. The rebels were defeated in May 2009, but nearly 6,000 people still cannot get to their homes and lands, as the security zone remains in place. ...

South Korea talks of unification: Duty calls

Talk in South Korea of a new levy to pay for unification with the North

LEE MYUNG-BAK, South Korea’s president, made an unexpected pronouncement during his Liberation Day speech on August 15th. Catching even members of his own party off-guard, he referred to his 70m compatriots (ie, including 20m or so Koreans in the northern bit of the peninsula), declared that “reunification will happen” and suggested a “unification tax” should be levied on southerners to pay for it.

Such a tax, if it is intended seriously, would be unlikely to amount to much. Speculation over the likely cost of uniting the North with the South (which enjoys an income per head 15 times greater) runs into a trillion dollars or more. The difference in living standards between the two Koreas is much greater, for example, than the gap between East and West Germany at the end of the cold war. ...

Myanmar's politics and economy: A new day beckons, sort of

The first election in 20 years coincides with a rushed privatisation programme. Guess who profits from the fire sale

IN MYANMAR, a column of cars at a petrol station usually means a fuel shortage or a broken pump. But the queue at “New Day”, one of dozens of newly privatised stations in Yangon, the former capital, is a sign of progress. New managers have repainted its tin roof and installed two Chinese-made pumps with digital displays. Fresh-faced attendants in branded red-and-white polo shirts leap eagerly to their task. To the side sit the rusting pumps of MPPE, the state firm that this year lost its monopoly on fuel sales and distribution.

Motorists now enjoy the luxury of filling their tanks. Before, one explains, you could buy a maximum of two gallons a day and black-market merchants supplied the rest. Naturally, rationing did not apply to military men or civil servants, who got free fuel allocations. MPPE was notorious for selling substandard diesel. Now drivers can pick among the private operators of Myanmar’s 248 filling stations, though prices seem to be pegged at a single rate. ...

The Economist: Asia
Asia