Asia

World News

Conflicts Over Resources With China's Neighbors Have Deeper Motives

1:34pm May 11, 2014

Tensions are mounting in the South China Sea, where this week a Chinese ship collided with a Vietnamese ship, and Philippine police arrested Chinese fishermen for allegedly hunting protected sea turtles. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with Frank Langfitt about the events and China's increasing influence in the area.

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World News

Chinese E-Commerce Giant To Offer U.S. IPO

5:07pm May 07, 2014

by Frank Langfitt

Alibaba is the largest online and mobile commerce site in the world, controlling a huge portion of the Chinese market. It has filed papers in the U.S. for what could be the biggest IPO ever.

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China Could Pass U.S. As Top Economy This Year

1:46pm May 07, 2014

by Frank Langfitt

By one measure, China is poised to become the world's largest economy by the end of the year. Why is this shift happening years before most estimates predicted it would?

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At A Japanese Cafe You're By Yourself But Not Alone

8:47am May 07, 2014

At the Moomin Cafe in Tokyo, customers can be seated at a table opposite a giant stuffed animal. If eating alone makes you feel conspicuous, sitting with a giant stuffed animal my not be the solution.

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On the outskirts of Islamabad, a Pakistani health worker vaccinates an Afghan refugee against polio.

The Comeback Of Polio Is A Public Health Emergency

4:25pm May 06, 2014

by Jason Beaubien

The paralyzing virus had seemed on the verge of disappearing. But this year cases are being reported in 10 countries. The World Health Organization has responded with strict vaccination rules.

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Sri Lankan Opera Singer Followed Her Dream To American Stage

12:32pm May 06, 2014

A Sri Lankan soprano is shattering stereotypes. Tharanga Goonetilleke tells NPR's Scott Simon about being an opera singer and the first Sri Lankan woman accepted to The Juilliard School.

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Beijing Bans Outdoor Grills

7:35am May 01, 2014

The Chinese capital announced the ban in a fight against its notorious pollution. Beijing's popular kebab vendors will be forced to move inside.

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Relatives carry a casket bearing the body of a Mount Everest avalanche victim for cremation in Kathmandu on Monday.

World News

Fear For Sherpas' Future Grows With Each Climbing Tragedy

9:42am April 30, 2014

by Arun Venugopal

Sherpas have a great reputation as the world's best climbers. But when something goes wrong up in the mountains, it deeply affects the small ethnic group and its communities around the world.

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Stronger Patent Protections Sought In Pacific Rim Trade Pact

12:29pm April 28, 2014

by NPR Staff

Diverse industries, from pharmaceuticals to film, are lobbying for strict patent protections in the Trans-Pacific trade deal.

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World News

Internet Freedom Debate Stokes Rivalry Between Turkey's Top Two

7:17pm April 24, 2014

by Peter Kenyon

Turkey has been roiled by street protests, a Twitter ban controversy and, most recently, a growing rivalry between the ruling party's top two figures, the president and prime minister.

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