In an exam system that puts a premium on cramming, a little star power can go a long way
Asia
Police in China’s Restive West Fend Off ‘Terrorist Attack,’ Killing Eight
Violence becoming more frequent and attributed to Islamic separatists
China to Public Officials: Stop Smoking in Hospitals and Schools
And any other public space with an “official” smoking ban
China Eases One-Child Policy
And ends system of re-education through labor in historic change
Huge Python On The Loose After Killing Bali Security Guard
Police warn hotel guests of the 13-foot serpent
Car Bomb Kills Three Coalition Soldiers in Afghanistan
151 coalition troops killed this year
Japan to Keep U.S. Air Base on Okinawa
Controversial decision by prefecture governor Hirokazu Nakaima comes despite 17 years of protests over safety and environmental concerns
‘Revolutionary Leaders Are Not Gods’: China’s Leader Xi on Mao’s 120th Birthday
He was no god. That was Chinese President Xi Jinping’s assessment of Mao Zedong on the 120th anniversary of the Great Helmsman’s birthday. In a Dec. 26 speech at the Great Hall of the People — the squat, socialist edifice …
In South Sudan, South Korean Peacekeepers Solicit Ammo From Bitter Rivals Japan
South Korean troops request 10,000 rounds of 5.56-mm ammunition despite an increasingly fractious relationship between East Asian neighbors
Japan’s Hawkish PM Abe Visits Controversial Shrine That Honors War Criminals
He could only stay away for so long. On Dec. 26, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, where wartime criminals are honored. It was exactly a year after the conservative Prime Minister had …
Typhoon-Ravaged Philippines Villages Celebrate Christmas
Filipinos still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan are doing their best to get in the holiday spirit
China To Ease One-Child Policy in Early 2014
Plans to ease China’s decades-old one-child policy will be rolled out early next year, Chinese state media have said.
The policy change, which Beijing announced last month it was relaxing after nearly three decades, is part of a plan to raise fertility rates and ease the financial burden on China’s aging population, reports …
Bangladesh Garment Factory Victims Get $40 Million Compensation Fund
Four global retailers Primark, El Corte Ingles, Loblaw and Bon Marche have pledged to contribute to a $40 million compensation fund for victims of Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in April, officials announced on Tuesday.
“An estimated $40 million will be required to compensate the victims and their beneficiaries, …