Asia

Dozens Of Countries Join China-Backed Bank Opposed By Washington

6:24pm March 31, 2015

by Jackie Northam

Some of Washington's closest allies have signed on to a new Asian development bank. The U.S. opposes the bank, in part, because it presents a challenge to American influence in the Asia region.

Eighteen-year-old Zahra Karimi Nooristani dangles precariously off a rock face high above Kabul.

World News

The Ascent Of Afghan Women

4:47pm March 31, 2015

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Afghanistan is a mountainous land where mountain climbing is rare among men and virtually nonexistent among women. An American is now preparing young Afghan women to scale the country's highest peak.

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Charles and his bride Xiao Fang met through a social media app where they connected by shaking their smartphones at the same time. NPR's Frank Langfitt met Charles in Shanghai and drove him 500 miles to his family's home in central China for the wedding.

World News

Modern Love in China: Shaking Your Smartphone To Find Your Soul Mate

9:35am March 31, 2015

by Frank Langfitt

Chinese romance is a mix of old and new, of social networking apps and advice from fortune tellers. NPR's Frank Langfitt drives a groom to his wedding and attends the countryside nuptials.

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Shilpi, a cousin of Bangladeshi blogger Washiqur Rahman, is seen outside a morgue at the Dhaka Medical College in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Monday. The blogger was hacked to death Monday morning by three men in the capital, police said.

World News

Bangladeshi Blogger Hacked To Death; 2 Students Arrested

5:20pm March 30, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

Washiqur Rahman's killing comes a month after a deadly attack by Islamists on Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy in the country's capital.

About 30 people believed to be relatives of Chinese passengers of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 that went missing a year ago, protest near the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing on Sunday.

World News

MH370 Had Expired Battery On Black Box 'Pinger,' Report Says

4:22pm March 30, 2015

by Scott Neuman

It said the battery had expired 15 months prior to the Malaysia airliner's disappearance. The report also said there was no evidence the plane's crew acted abnormally ahead of the flight.

Mourners pay their respects to Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on Friday. Lee, who died last week at age 91, led Singapore's economic transformation.

How Singapore Became One Of The Richest Places On Earth

10:33am March 29, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

The founder of modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, used both free-market principles and strong central planning to transform the tiny former British colony into an economic powerhouse.

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In Regulating Outdoor Dancing, China Tells Seniors How To Bust A Move

8:07pm March 27, 2015

by Anthony Kuhn

China's sports bureaucracy threatened this week to standardize dancing in public squares.

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Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha attending the East Asia summit plenary session at Myanmar International Convention Center in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, in November.

World News

Thai Ruler Says He's Prepared To End Martial Law

5:33pm March 27, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who seized power last May, says he will lift martial law and replace it with a constitutional provision that gives him the very same powers.

World News

Pilots Downing Their Planes Is Unusual, But Not Unprecedented

3:25pm March 26, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Investigators looking into the crash of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 this week now believe it was the result of a "deliberate act" of the co-pilot. If so, it wouldn't be the first time.

The crowd cheers as Singapore's former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew (center) arrives at the Marina Bay Floating Platform for the annual National Day Parade celebrations in Singapore on Aug. 9, 2012.

World News

Founding Father Of Modern Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, Dies At 91

7:06pm March 25, 2015

by Anthony Kuhn

During more than a half-century as the city-state's leader, Lee helped turn the sleepy British colony into an affluent trading enclave. But he ruled with an iron fist and muzzled critics and rivals.

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