Asia : NPR

Spate Of Attacks On Children Shocks China

April 30, 2010 • A man attacked kindergarten students with a hammer before setting himself on fire Friday, in China's third attack on kindergarteners in three days. Melissa Block talks with NPR's Louisa Lim about the reasons such attacks occur in the country.

A merchant in Delhi offers a ledger book used to track pay for government employees. David Kestenbaum/NPR hide caption

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David Kestenbaum/NPR

In Search Of India's Red-Tape Factory

April 30, 2010 • India, home to a booming high-tech industry, is also home to mountains of paperwork. Our reporter wanted to know why — and where all those forms come from.

South Korea Buries Sailors Killed In Ship Sinking

April 29, 2010 • A navy funeral was held in South Korea Thursday for 46 sailors who died when their warship was destroyed by a blast last month. Nearly 60 seamen were rescued but six remain missing. The incident occurred close to the ill-defined maritime border between North and South Korea, and suspicion has fallen on the North.

Kainaz Amaria for NPR

Following An Unpredictable Road From India To Pakistan

April 28, 2010 • The NPR team is wrapping up its reporting trip on the India segment of the Grand Trunk Road.

As Support Fades, Al-Qaida Shows Signs Of Decline

April 26, 2010 • Obama administration officials have been saying for weeks that its drone attacks over the past year have got al-Qaida on the run. But experts say it's not just drone attacks that are weakening al-Qaida — the group is defeating itself.

Tyranny Of High Expectations Plagues Shanghai Expo

Visitors queue up to enter the France Pavilion on the second day of the Shanghai World Expo on May 2, 2010 in Shanghai, China. Feng Li/Getty Images hide caption

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Feng Li/Getty Images

Tyranny Of High Expectations Plagues Shanghai Expo

April 23, 2010 • As Shanghai's World Expo readies to open May 1, the final countdown is on. And after an eight-year build-up, Shanghai is suffering from the tyranny of high expectations.

Tyranny Of High Expectations Plagues Shanghai Expo

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Grenade Attack Cripple's Bangkok Business District

April 23, 2010 • Residents of the Thai capital Bangkok are braced for more violence after a deadly grenade attack. Earlier this month, 25 people were killed when protesters clashed with security forces. Protesters began a campaign last month to dissolve Parliament and hold elections immediately.

China Sets Sights On Enhanced Air, Sea Power

Chinese J-10 fighter jets pass an air force officer on the tarmac at the Yangcun airbase of the People's Liberation Army Air Force in Tianjin, southeast of Beijing, April 13, 2010. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

China Sets Sights On Enhanced Air, Sea Power

April 23, 2010 • China is in the midst of an ambitious bid to modernize its military by the middle of this century. A key part of this effort is to downsize its army while beefing up its air force and navy, enabling China to project military force farther beyond its borders.

Kainaz Amaria for NPR

The Picture Show

New Photos From An Old Indian Road

April 22, 2010 • Traffic, bulls, literary picnics and sequins. Where else can you get them all in one morning, but along the Grand Trunk Road?

Planet Money

Bribery In India: A Good Thing?

April 22, 2010 • In many countries, if you want to get things done, a small envelope of cash can speed you on your way. You want that business license, without the hassles? No problem — for a price. NPR's David Kestenbaum, from our Planet Money team, was in India, where low-level bribes are common. He reports that economists say sometimes, bribes can actually be a good thing.

Volcanic Ash In Europe Halts Airfreight In Asia

Korean Air cargo planes sit idle on the tarmac at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea, on Monday. Every day, on average, 10,000 tons of goods are airfreighted between Asia and Europe. But none of that has moved for the past week after Iceland's volcanic eruption. Lee Jin-man/AP hide caption

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Lee Jin-man/AP

Iceland's Volcanic Eruption And Its Aftermath

Volcanic Ash In Europe Halts Airfreight In Asia

April 21, 2010 • As flights over Europe resume, stricken businesses are starting to tally the cost of Iceland's volcanic eruption. Airspace closures have snarled global supply chains, with knock-on effects all the way down the line, including in Asia. It's bad news for consumers and manufacturers alike.

China Mourns Thousands Who Perished In Quake

Rescue crews stand on ruins as they mourn for earthquake victims Wednesday in Gyegu Town in China's Qinghai province. Jiang Hongjing/Xinhua/AP hide caption

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Jiang Hongjing/Xinhua/AP

China Mourns Thousands Who Perished In Quake

April 21, 2010 • Officials, soldiers and civilians gathered in ceremonies across China to mourn the 2,064 victims killed in a devastating earthquake that hit one week ago on the Tibetan Plateau. Conspicuously absent from televised ceremonies were any Tibetan Buddhist monks.

Buddhist Monks Care For Quake Victims' Remains

April 19, 2010 • The earthquake in western China last week is being blamed for nearly 2,000 deaths — with hundreds more still missing. While the government has taken charge of the rescue efforts, they defer to the cultural and spiritual authority of the lamas for funeral matters.

Priceless Coin Collection Returns Home To China

The Sun Yat-sen copper dollar, issued in 1932, was China's first national coinage. Shen Cichen/NPR hide caption

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Shen Cichen/NPR

Priceless Coin Collection Returns Home To China

April 16, 2010 • Relatives of a former U.S. sailor and coin collector have returned part of his massive and rare collection to the Shanghai Mint Museum. The coins reflect 2,000 years of Chinese history, and the bequest represents the start of a series of returns the family plans.

China Quake Toll Nears 800 Amid Hunt For Survivors

April 16, 2010 • Rescuers probed the rubble for sounds or movement in a rush to find anyone buried alive more than 48 hours after an earthquake hit western China. Many survivors shiver through a second night outdoors as they waited for tents to arrive in the remote, mountainous region.