Asia

China's Incoming Leader Bans Extravagant Banquets

11:26am February 12, 2013

China's incoming president Xi Jinping wants to be seen as a man of the people. So for this year's opening of parliament he has banned extravagant banquets, gifts and flowers in delegates' rooms.

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Haute Tokyo Restaurant Serves Up: Dirt

7:29am February 12, 2013

For $110, you can dine on four courses of favorites. One is the "soil surprise"-- a dirt-dusted potato ball with a truffle center. Or, try the soil sorbet.

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World News

North Korea Admits It Carried Out Nuclear Test

6:06am February 12, 2013

North Korea confirmed on Tuesday that it had successfully conducted a third nuclear test. It's an important step toward North Korea's goal of building a bomb small enough to be fitted on a missile that could reach United States.

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The China Twist by Wen-Szu Lin chronicles the author's (ultimately unsuccessful) attempt to bring Auntie Anne's pretzels to China.

Auntie Anne's Pretzels In Beijing: Why The Chinese Didn't Bite

11:41am February 11, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

It's the entrepreneurs' dream: tapping into China's market of 1.3 billion people. That dream fueled the efforts of two Chinese-American MBAs to take the soft-pretzel franchise — a staple of U.S. shopping malls — to China. Cultural and financial barriers, however, led to a far more challenging reality.

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Afghan police and officials visit the site of a suicide attack in Kabul in September. A suicide bomber blew himself up alongside a minivan carrying foreigners on a major highway leading to the international airport in the Afghan capital, police said, kill

World News

Afghanistan, Pakistan Seek A Fatwa Against Suicide Attacks

10:21pm February 09, 2013

by Sean Carberry

The Afghan and Pakistani governments have agreed to convene a conference of Muslim religious leaders to issue an Islamic decree banning suicide bombings. But they have yet to agree on the details, such as which leaders should attend.

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The surprise hit Lost in Thailand, a road comedy that cost less than $5 million to make, has become China's highest-grossing domestic film.

World News

Move Over James Bond, China Has An Unlikely Box-Office Champ

9:32am February 08, 2013

by Frank Langfitt

Hollywood blockbusters usually do well in China. But last year, Lost in Thailand, a scrappy, slapstick comedy that cost less than $5 million to make, raked in $200 million in just seven weeks. It's now the highest-grossing Chinese film ever. It begins a limited run in the U.S. on Friday.

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This was one of the photos American Kim Lee posted online after her Chinese husband, a famous English teacher, beat her. Her decision to go public marks a milestone in the fight against domestic abuse in China.

World News

American Woman Gives Domestic Abuse A Face, And Voice, In China

8:30pm February 07, 2013

by Louisa Lim

Kim Lee posted a photo of her battered face online, and has become a national icon in China. She won a divorce, a financial settlement and a restraining order against her Chinese husband, a famous author and English teacher.

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Millions Of Chinese To Travel For Chinese New Year

3:07pm February 07, 2013

In China this weekend, 200 million people are traveling home for the Chinese New Year. For some, this means entire days on standing-room only trains. One gadget being sold to travelers is a padded metal pole. It's to lean your head on, so you don't fall when you doze off.

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What Cellphone Brand Does North Korean Leader Use?

3:07pm February 07, 2013

Corporations pay millions to have their products turn up in the hands of famous people. But cellphone makers were not thrilled when a photo showed a smartphone on a table next to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. This set off fevered speculation about which brand it was.

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Trash, much of it believed to be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami, litters the beach on Montague Island, Alaska, on Jan. 26.

Tsunami Debris On Alaska's Shores Like 'Standing In Landfill'

10:51am February 06, 2013

by Annie Feidt

Wreckage believed to be from the 2011 Japanese tsunami is washing up thousands of miles away in Alaska. The debris isn't just unsightly — it poses environmental worries for the landscape and animals. One conservationist says the problem may be worse than the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

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