Japanese Blogger Obsesses Over Vending Machine
Near every day since 2005, he has taken a picture of the same vending machine. Over the years the sodas move, the ads change and the machine started taking digital payments.
Asia
A Symbol Of Korean Cooperation Becomes A Political Casualty
North Korea's decision to close off a joint North-South industrial complex is a potential financial disaster for some of the more than 100 South Korean businesses that have invested there.
Report: North Korea May Be Able To Deliver Nuclear Weapons
A Defense Intelligence Agency report suggests that North Korea has the ability to make nuclear weapons small enough to put on a missile. That does not necessarily mean that North Korea has the capacity to launch a nuclear attack.
Japan's Big Stimulus Move Shocks Globe's Market Watchers
Few expected the Bank of Japan's program to buy up government bonds to dwarf the Federal Reserve's similar effort in the U.S. Japan's stock market has soared and the yen's value tumbled. Thus far, the move is boosting exports, but is also making Asian competitors nervous.
What's At Stake In Elections In Venezuela And Pakistan
Presidential elections are on the horizon for Venezuela and Pakistan, and with them could come big changes. Venezuelans vote Sunday, their second time at the polls in the last year, and Pakistan's general election will be held on May 11.
A View From South Korea: The North Is 'A Playground Bully'
"It's like a joke," one retiree in Seoul says of the North's daily provocations. His view is shared by many South Koreans, who believe leaders in the North are trying to extort more aid from other nations and are trying to bolster their own positions.
North Korea's Threats: Predicable Pattern Or Provocation?
The North Korean government officially suspended operations at the Kaesong industrial complex, withdrawing all of its more than 50,000 workers. Many see the complex as the last remaining symbol of North and South Korean unity and fear that tensions may be nearing a dangerous tipping point.
Show Me The Money In Your Lunar New Year Envelope
Envelopes filled with money are traditionally given to children for the Lunar New Year in Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and other Asian immigrant families. The married adults who usually give them out face a perennial question: How much money should I give?
North Korea Advises Evacuation Of Embassies
The torrent of threats from North Korea continued this week. On Friday, the North Korean government advised Russia and other countries to consider evacuating their embassies in Pyongyang amid rising tension there. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with NPR's Louisa Lim with the latest.
The Extraordinary Lives Of Ordinary North Koreans
Amid a cascade of headline news from North Korea, often forgotten are the 24 million average citizens living under the most authoritarian regime in the world. Host Jacki Lyden speaks with Barbara Demick of the Los Angeles Times on the lives of ordinary North Koreans.