Asia

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Clinton Heads to China in Sign of New Direction

Secretary of state breaks tradition by visiting Asia first

(Newser) - As a presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton asserted that America's relationship with China was the country's most critical. Now as secretary of state, Clinton is moving to make China a priority—on Sunday, she is scuppering tradition by visiting Asia, not Europe, on her first trip abroad. As the Wall Street ...

Developing World Needs More Sweatshops: Kristof
Developing World Needs
More Sweatshops: Kristof
OPINION
Jan 15, 2009 12:41 PM CST

Developing World Needs More Sweatshops: Kristof

Yes, they're ugly by US standards, but many nations' poor toil in much uglier conditions

(Newser) - Before Barack Obama follows through on tough talk about global “labor standards,” Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wants to take him to a certain garbage heap in Cambodia. Here, where families live in shacks, scavenging in the hot sun, a sweatshop job is “a cherished...

World Bids 2008 Good Riddance
 World Bids 2008 Good Riddance 
Dec 31, 2008 9:57 AM CST

World Bids 2008 Good Riddance

Revelers hope 2009 will bring better luck

(Newser) - Fireworks exploded over Sydney's shimmering harbor today, as the world's first major city to ring in 2009 celebrated the end of a rocky year with cheers, beers, and a sense of relief. "I'm looking forward to 2009," said a spectator. "Because it can't get much worse."...

Thai PM Announces Controversial Cabinet

(Newser) - Thailand's prime minister unveiled his new cabinet today, including a supporter of last month's airport blockade in a lineup that cast doubt on the government's ability to unite the divided nation, the AP reports. The announcement came after King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the country's revered monarch, endorsed Abhisit Vejjajiva, whom lawmakers...

Madoff Scheme Not Much Worse Than Legal Ones
Madoff Scheme Not Much Worse Than Legal Ones
OPINION
Dec 17, 2008 10:30 AM CST

Madoff Scheme Not Much Worse Than Legal Ones

End of communism let Wall Street become unhinged: Friedman

(Newser) - Wall Street used to be the epicenter of capitalism that the whole world wanted to emulate, but, on a trip to Hong Kong, Thomas Friedman discovers that the American financial establishment has lost its credibility. "We don’t just need a financial bailout," he writes in the New ...

Thai Opposition Leader Takes Office as PM

Abhisit confirmed, but special elections may threaten his majority

(Newser) - Abhisit Vejjajiva, the opposition leader of Thailand who lost an election only a year ago, has been confirmed as the country's new prime minister, reports the BBC. The British-born 44-year-old takes power after days of horse-trading among Thailand's political parties, with supporters of the exiled Thaksin Shinawatra allegedly offered cabinet...

Luxury Hotels Emerge as Terrorist Targets

Luxury establishments are becoming terrorist targets

(Newser) - The Mumbai attacks have provided world travelers with a new cause for concern, writes the New York Times: Increasingly, luxury hotels in developing countries are becoming terrorist targets. The raids on the Taj and Oberoi hotels come only 2 months after a car bomb blew apart the Islamabad Marriott, and...

3K Stranded in Bangkok as PM Refuses to Step Down

Army pressures government as violence grows between factions

(Newser) - Thailand’s government today rejected a top general’s demand it dissolve parliament and hold elections, the Guardian reports, as protesters demand that Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat step down entirely. Wongsawat snuck back into Thailand today and plans to meet with the king, whom protesters support; a pro-government gang killed...

Asia, Europe Want Financial Reform Now

Beijing steps up as leaders craft plans to manage economies

(Newser) - Asian and European world leaders joined forces today to call for stricter regulation of world financial markets and a shakeup of the monetary system, the Washington Post reports. The declarations marked the close of a 2-day summit in Beijing attended by more than 40 heads of state. Bailouts in the...

Comic Becomes Bible of Asia's Wine Culture

Wannabe oenophiles takes cues from The Drops of the Gods

(Newser) - What do Freddie Mercury and a Jean-François Millet painting have in common? Both have been used to describe wine in The Drops of the Gods, a Japanese comic series that’s quickly becoming the go-to wine literature in Asia, reports the New York Times. Customers tend to ask for...

Japanese Women Dodge Men ISO Mommies, Stay Single

Plunging birth rate causes national alarm

(Newser) - "WANTED: Female to cook, clean, wash my socks, bear and raise my children, and generally enable my workaholism—all while maintaining your own career in a sexist environment." Sound good? Given the choice, many Japanese women are saying to heck with marriage and staying single, reports the Washington ...

Beijing Forces Half of Drivers Off the Road

Move to clear noxious air in countdown to Olympics

(Newser) - Half of Beijing's drivers left their cars at home today and took public transportation on the first workday under new restrictions meant to clear the city's notoriously polluted skies before the Olympics. Under the plan that kicked in yesterday, half of the capital's 3.3 million cars will be removed...

Riots Imperil Democracy in Mongolia

Government crackdown worries citizens in region's freest state

(Newser) - Last week hundreds of drunken rioters in Mongolia's capital vented their frustration at parliamentary elections by smashing the headquarters of the ruling party, killing five people. The violence shocked many in this peaceful, democratic nation. But many Mongolians were equally shocked by the government's reaction: a four-day state of emergency,...

Home Is Where the Robot Is
Home Is Where the Robot Is
Jun 21, 2008 5:01 AM CDT

Home Is Where the Robot Is

New breed of metal humanoids can see, touch, and don't mind housework

(Newser) - A kinder, gentler, smarter Frankenstein may soon be mowing your lawn and folding your unmentionables. Manufacturers are developing a new generation of metallic humanoid that will not only carry heavy objects, but pull their weight around the house and at work, the Economist reports. These new-age robots can touch, see,...

Gated Enclaves Soar Above Indian Slums

Wealthy Indians move into posh residences to escape impoverished cities

(Newser) - Gated communities are emerging across India  to offer the country's growing group of wealthy professionals Western luxuries that the government cannot. One exclusive high-rise complex in Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, has its own security guards, landscaped lawns, and private school. Air conditioning, elevators, running water are all uninterrupted, while...

Oil Prices Threaten US-Saudi Relations

Washington loses leverage as Beijing gains clout with Riyadh

(Newser) - The weakening dollar and rising oil prices are marring more than just the American economy: It’s also eroding the long-standing friendly relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, the Los Angeles Times reports. A bleak economic outlook has cost the US clout with its oil-producing ally. “There’s...

Asia Unique in Geography of Flu Outbreaks

Climate, season seen as key in incubating strains of virus

(Newser) - Researchers have found yet another thing the West imports from China: the flu. East and Southeast Asia serve as a birthplace for new flu strains, the Times of London reports, thanks to the region’s unique mix of climates. By the time Europe and America get the sniffles six to...

Asian Inflation Zapping US Pocketbooks

Fuel costs and weak buck promise to send US prices spiraling

(Newser) - Cheap Asian imports have helped keep American inflation down for decades—but those days appear to be over, the New York Times warns. Rapidly rising costs of fuel, food and labor in countries like China, Vietnam, and Taiwan are beginning to be passed on to their export markets, just as...

Crisis Looms as Rice Prices Soar
 Crisis Looms as Rice Prices Soar
Apr 6, 2008 2:21 PM CDT

Crisis Looms as Rice Prices Soar

Countries ban exports, chastise hoarders

(Newser) - Rice feeds half the world's population, but this year there isn't enough to go around and prices have risen by 50% over the last two weeks alone. Population growth is outpacing production, and stocks are at a 30-year low after droughts decimated harvests in China and Australia. Countries are banning...

South Koreans Turn to Cambodia to Buy Wives

Government decries 'human trafficking' on rise after Vietnam crackdown

(Newser) - A clampdown on marriage brokers in Vietnam has made neighboring Cambodia the new destination for South Korean men seeking to buy wives, the AP reports. About 2,500 Cambodian women have married Koreans this way in the past four years in a process in which men choose from as many...

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