Asia

World News

Japan's Broken Coast Struggles To Recover

3:53pm March 11, 2013

Two years after a massive earthquake hit the East Coast of Japan — causing a tsunami and a meltdown at the Fukushima power plant — 300,000 people still live in temporary housing. Many believe they will they will never be able to return to their villages.

Queue Listen Now

Hannari Tofu is a character who shows up on a range of plush merchandise.

World News

In Japan, Food Can Be Almost Too Cute To Eat

11:49am March 11, 2013

In Japanese culture, how food looks can be as important as how it tastes — a lesson children learn from a very early age. From children's television and toys to school lunches, the visual delights of food are never far from sight.

Queue Listen Now

U.S. To Honor India Gang-Rape Victim

11:50am March 08, 2013

by Julie McCarthy

The 23-year-old Indian woman who died after she was gang-raped in New Delhi last December is being honored by the U.S. State Department. Secretary of State John Kerry will posthumously confer the International Women of Courage award on Friday, which is also International Women's Day.

Queue Listen Now

Genetically modified to be enriched with beta-carotene, golden rice grains (left) are a deep yellow. At right, white rice grains.

In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods

10:44am March 08, 2013

by Dan Charles

A rice enriched with beta-carotene promises to boost the health of poor children around the world. But critics say golden rice is also a clever PR move for a biotech industry driven by profits, not humanitarianism.

Queue Listen Now

In Sly Self-Help Novel, Selling Clean Water Gets You 'Filthy Rich'

11:18am March 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

In Mohsin Hamid's fictional how-to, a nameless protagonist makes a fortune selling knockoff bottled water in a thirsty Asian metropolis. Hamid joins NPR's Steve Inkeep to discuss the book's conceit and the side effects of rampant development.

Queue Listen Now

World News

National People's Congress Opens, Prepares For Leadership Change

6:54am March 05, 2013

by Louisa Lim

On the opening day Tuesday, Premier Wen Jiabao delivered his version of the State of the Union address. He's due to step down next week. The annual legislative meeting marks the official transition to power of a new leadership team under Xi Jinping.

Queue Listen Now

Signs advertise the type of meat sold in each section of the Green Market in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

World News

In Kazakhstan, No Horror At Horse Meat

6:24pm March 04, 2013

by Peter Kenyon

Horse meat may strike horror in Great Britain. But in Kazakhstan, horseflesh isn't just acceptable, it's a traditional treat. Visitors can eat spicy horse meat sausage and drink fermented mare's milk — the same fare that fueled Genghis Khan's marauding army as it swept across the steppe.

Queue Listen Now

After decades living and working abroad, Saeed Malik (left) returned to his native Pakistan and wanted to do something to help rectify what he saw as a poor education system. He founded the Bright Star Mobile Library, which now serves about 2,500 children

World News

At A Pakistani Mobile Library, Kids Can Check Out Books, And Hope

6:30pm February 28, 2013

by Jackie Northam

Many young Pakistanis have grown up in the grip of religious extremism. But Saeed Malik is trying to reverse that trend, starting at the most basic level. He has created a bookmobile that offers English and Urdu books to underprivileged children, in hopes of broadening their minds and fostering tolerance.

Queue Listen Now

An official with the Korea Meteorological Administration shows a seismic image of a tremor caused by North Korea's nuclear test, in Seoul on Tuesday.

Did North Korea Test A 'Miniature' Nuclear Bomb?

1:19pm February 25, 2013

by Richard Harris

North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test is much more powerful than the previous two, according to estimates made by instruments that measure seismic waves from the blast. But it's hard to verify North Korea's claim that the test was of a miniaturized nuclear weapon.

Queue Listen Now

The Kumbh Mela is one of the rare times that sadhu nagas make themselves known. Many of these ascetics live in forests and villages, and have little contact with ordinary Indians. Their population is dwindling, as young devotees prefer not to pursue a lif

Seeking A Glimpse Of Immortality In The Waters Of India's Holy Rivers

1:19pm February 25, 2013

by Julie McCarthy

Hindus in India are celebrating the 55-day-long Kumbh Mela, the world's biggest religious festival. An estimated 100 million pilgrims are expected to gather, pray and bathe in the waters at the confluence of three sacred rivers.

Queue Listen Now