Asia

This 5,000-year-old funnel for beer-making was unearthed at a dig site in the Central Plain of China.

5,000-Year-Old Chinese Beer Recipe Revealed

5:53pm May 23, 2016

by Madeline K Sofia

Researchers discovered ancient "beer-making tool kits" in underground rooms built between 3400 and 2900 B.C. Analyses of funnels, pots and jugs show the brewers were using pretty advanced techniques.

Sheikh Firoz (right), 15, and a friend stand in front of his family's house. They moved after floods destroyed their old home.

The Vanishing Islands Of India's Sundarbans

5:23pm May 23, 2016

by Ari Shapiro

Climate change has forced tens of thousands out. "I know I have a beautiful home," one islander says, "but ultimately it will go into the womb of the river. All we can do is try to delay the process."

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World News

Obama Removes Decades-Old Ban On Weapon Sales To Vietnam

5:15pm May 23, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Sandy Pho, a China scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center, about Vietnam's interest in getting military help from the U.S. due to tensions with China.

Nguyen Thanh Phu delivers a presentation to children on the dangers of active land mines and bombs in Dong Ha, Vietnam.

Teaching Kids In Vietnam To Avoid A Deadly, Everyday Legacy Of War

3:06pm May 23, 2016

by Michael Sullivan

In Quang Tri province, the most heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, 10 percent of the ordnance never detonated. A former U.S. military intelligence analyst is part of a group cleaning up the bombs.

Mount Everest, with a white cloud on top, is seen from Gokyo Ri at sunset.

3 Days On Everest End With At Least 3 Climbers Dead, 2 Missing

2:50pm May 23, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Good weather has helped hundreds of people summit Mount Everest since May 11. But since Friday, at least three people died in three days, dashing hopes for a safe season after two years of tragedy.

Obama Lifts Arms Export Embargo On Vietnam

8:34am May 23, 2016

by David Welna

Obama is in Vietnam to support its resistance to China's aggressive aims in the Western Pacific. He lifted the U.S. embargo on selling weapons to Vietnam, something former POW Sen. McCain supports.

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U.S. Lifts Decades-Old Ban On Arm Sales To Vietnam

6:08am May 23, 2016

by Scott Horlsey

President Obama is in Vietnam as part of a 10-day trip to Asia. At a news conference in Hanoi, Obama announced he was lifting the arms export embargo. The president will be in Vietnam for three days.

People play at an internet cafe bar in Zhengzhou, China in 2013.

World News

Study: China's Government Fabricates About 488 Million Social Media Posts Every Year

5:22pm May 22, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

"The methods by which they guide public opinion are very sophisticated — they're way more sophisticated than anybody realized," Harvard professor Gary King says.

During Obama's Asia Trip, Expect To Hear A Lot About 'Rebalancing'

5:00pm May 22, 2016

President Barack Obama will spend three days in Vietnam on the the first leg of his Asia tour. Reporter Michael Sullivan breaks down the term "rebalancing," as it relates to U.S.-Vietnam relations.

The water-filled Bendsura Dam, seen in 2011.

Are Indians Turning To The 'Supernatural' In Subterranean Search For Water?

8:00am May 22, 2016

by Julie McCarthy

More than 330 million Indians are desperate for water, leading some to rely on an ancient — and unproven — method to find it underground.