Asia : NPR

What Does N. Korea, 'The Impossible State,' Want?

March 31, 2012 • North Korea is the most secretive country in the world: mysterious and menacing in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Victor Cha, a former member of the National Security Council, has a new book, The Impossible State: North Korea, Past And Future. Host Scott Simon talks with Cha about this week's events on the Korean Peninsula.

Myanmar Hurriedly Prepares For An Election

A man holds a portrait of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a rally for a candidate of her National League for Democracy party on Friday. The country is holding elections for some parliamentary seats on Sunday. Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images

Myanmar Hurriedly Prepares For An Election

March 30, 2012 • As Sunday's election approaches, there's a flurry of activity in Myanmar. People from all over the world have come in search of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and leader of the opposition National League for Democracy. The chaotic environment is a reminder of how far the party has to go to be ready for the political prime time.

Apple, Foxconn To Improve Factory Conditions

March 30, 2012 • Apple and its China-based supplier Foxconn have agreed to limit worker overtime and significantly improve health and safety conditions at the plants that produce, among other products, the iPhone and iPad. The move comes after an investigation by the Fair Labor Association found Foxconn factories violate numerous Chinese work rules.

Myanmar's Election Seen As A Test Of Reforms

Myanmar opposition figure Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to supporters on Saturday. Voting in parliamentary elections this Sunday is considered a test of the political reforms that Myanmar's rulers have introduced over the past year. Khin Maung Win/AP hide caption

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Khin Maung Win/AP

Myanmar's Election Seen As A Test Of Reforms

March 30, 2012 • After a half-century, Myanmar's military rulers have been easing their grip on power just a bit. Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her party are campaigning for the parliamentary seats at stake in Sunday's ballot.

Author Interviews

'Escape From Camp 14': Inside North Korea's Gulag

March 29, 2012 • Shin Dong-hyuk is the only person known to have been born in North Korea's prison camps and gotten out alive. Journalist Blaine Harden tells the story of Shin's daring escape.

Headed For The Butcher, Chinese Dogs Are Rescued

A volunteer feeds one of the dogs rescued from slaughter last December in a stand-off between animal rights activists and dog-meat sellers in central China. Such rescues have been taking place with some regularity in China. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

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Frank Langfitt/NPR

Headed For The Butcher, Chinese Dogs Are Rescued

March 29, 2012 • The Chinese have a long tradition of eating dogs. But increasingly, dogs are becoming pets. And animal rescue groups have taken to saving truckloads of dogs on the side of the road before they reach the butcher's shop.

Tibetan Exile Dies From Burns Suffered In Self-Immolation

In Kolkata on Tuesday, exiled Tibetans and human rights activists held a candlelight for Jamphel Yeshi. Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Tibetan Exile Dies From Burns Suffered In Self-Immolation

March 28, 2012 • A small but growing number of Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest China's rule over their homeland. The latest happened in New Delhi, where China's president is visiting.

Abuse Claims Follow Mafia Crackdown In Chinese City

Lawyer Li Zhuang spent more than a year in prison on charges of fabricating evidence and inciting witnesses, after trying to defend an alleged gangster. Li's case became a national cause celebre. Louisa Lim/NPR hide caption

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Louisa Lim/NPR

Abuse Claims Follow Mafia Crackdown In Chinese City

March 27, 2012 • The downfall of ambitious politician Bo Xilai exposed a bitter, high-level political power struggle in China. Now, victims of his crackdown on organized crime are breaking their silence, with stories of torture and disregard for the law that reveal the campaign's dark side.

Obama Praises Global Nuclear Summit

March 27, 2012 • More than 50 international leaders wrapped up talks Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea, on what needs to be done to secure vulnerable stockpiles of plutonium and highly enriched uranium. President Obama hosted the first such summit two years ago. He praised the achievements since then, but said much more needs to be done.

21st Century Vietnam Leaves War In The Past

March 27, 2012 • Hanoi, Hue, Danang and Saigon, were city names that were stamped on the American psyche a half-century ago, when the U.S. waged war in Vietnam. The once war-torn, Southeast Asian nation has made great strides to leave its troubled past behind.

World

Report Examines Effort To Secure Loose Nukes

March 26, 2012 • President Obama and other world leaders are meeting in South Korea to discuss the problem of insecure nuclear material. Matthew Bunn, co-author of a new report on loose nukes and an associate professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, offers his insight.

Obama Asks China To Help Halt N. Korean Rocket

President Obama greets Chinese President Hu Jintao at the start of their meeting in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. The U.S. president asked the Chinese leader to use his influence with North Korean to discourage that country from launching a rocket next month. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP hide caption

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Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP