Asia

Adm. Michael Rogers, NSA director and head of the U.S. Cyber Command, has avoided singling out China for blame in the OPM hack, which may affect as many as 18 million federal workers.

In Data Breach, Reluctance To Point The Finger At China

1:55pm July 07, 2015

by David Welna

Personal data of at least 18 million federal workers may have been accessed via the OPM computer system. Some officials quietly blame China; others want to avoid upsetting this major trade partner.

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Beijing Hosts 'Space Out' Competition

7:44am July 07, 2015

Contestants had to sit still — oblivious to distraction — for two hours. Judges monitored movement, composure and heart rate. Only things like head scratching and nose picking were permitted.

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U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter shakes hands with Vietnam's General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam, on June 1. Trong will meet with President Obama in the White House on Tuesday.

Obama To Meet With Vietnam's Communist Party Chief Amid Concern Over China

3:49pm July 06, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Hanoi and Washington hope to strengthen economic and defense ties, especially in the wake of Beijing's construction on a disputed reef in the South China Sea.

Workers with Ceria wait for a pipe-welding machine to finish connecting two sections of plastic irrigation pipe in Bario, Malaysia. The company has brought mechanized farming to the Kelabit Highlands.

World News

Mechanization Brings Quick Change To Borneo Region Known For 'Slow Rice'

2:15pm July 06, 2015

by Karen Coates

A company is introducing mechanized rice farming to the interior of Malaysian Borneo for the first time. Scientists say the change may damage the bonds between the local people and their environment.

Tibetan children in Dharamsala, India, wait to perform during Monday's celebration.

World News

Monsoon Takes A Break; Tibetans Celebrate Dalai Lama's 80th Birthday

2:03pm July 06, 2015

by Amy Yee

Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, his home in exile, sang, danced and told us what their spiritual leader has meant to them.

An investor looks through stock information at a trading hall in Haikou, the capital of Hainan province in southern China. Since mid-June, the main Shanghai stock index has lost 30 percent.

China Takes Steps To Halt Plunge In Stock Markets

1:26pm July 05, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The main Shanghai stock index has dropped 30 percent since mid-June, triggering margin calls that have fueled further selling.

Dan Gray is a restaurateur and food blogger in Seoul, South Korea.

Do Try This At Home: 3 Korean Banchan (Side Dishes) In One Pot

12:05pm July 05, 2015

by Elise Hu

If you've ever eaten at a Korean restaurant, you're used to the endless side dishes that come out with the meal. They're called banchan, and they're remarkably simple to make for yourself.

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World News

Reforms May Help North Korea Survive An Imminent Drought

8:34am July 05, 2015

North Korea is facing the worst drought in a century. NPR's Lynn Neary speaks with Greg Scarlatoui of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea.

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Portland, Ore., Soccer Fans Gear Up For Women's World Cup Final

6:31pm July 03, 2015

by Tom Goldman

It's the U.S. and Japan in Sunday's Women's World Cup final in Vancouver, Canada — a rematch of the 2011 championship. Soccer-crazed fans in Portland, Ore., who watched Japan's fortuitous win over England this week, provide plenty of insight about what it will take for the U.S. team to avenge it's loss four years ago.

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World News

Getting Divorced In The Philippines Where It's Against The Law

6:35pm July 02, 2015

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with freelance journalist Ana Santos about her experience getting divorced in the Philippines, the only country where divorce is illegal.

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