Topic: Asia

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Energy Voices How will the US capitalize on its oil boom?

Oil production is surging in the US, sending supply shockwaves through world markets. The US could become the world leader in more ways than one, Graeber writes, but only if it opens its oil spigot.
Japan's economy outpaces predictions

Global markets showed improvement, as optimism grows that work by governments around the world will have the desired effect of boosting the economy. In particular, Japan's economy beat expectations for growth in the first quarter of the year; some credited Abenomics.
Japanese politicians scramble to distance themselves from 'comfort women' comments

The influential mayor of Osaka outraged China and South Korea by saying World War II sex slaves were necessary, prompting fresh doubts about Japan's willingness to acknowledge wartime aggression.
Opinion As North Korea heats up, South Korea and Japan should warm ties

Cooperation on missile defense between South Korea and Japan would help blunt threats from North Korea. But Japanese officials' recent insensitivity to Imperial Japan's painful role in World War II, including forcing South Koreans to become 'comfort women,' works against cooperation.
Pop-Tarts' new flavors: Will they woo adults?

Pop-Tarts' new flavors may be part of the Kellogg corporation's efforts to win back adults, who have drifted away from the breakfast market, by piling on the nutrition.
Energy Voices Why natural gas exports would benefit clean energy

The renewable energy industry would benefit from higher natural gas prices since, as these fuels for electric power plants become dearer, renewable energy sources become more competitive, Cobb writes. Still, the renewable energy industry will probably stay largely mum in the fight over expanded exports of US natural gas.
Ahmadinejad charges? Iranian president cited over election filing appearance

Ahmadinejad charges? The dispute appears to stem from an ongoing confrontation between Ahmadinejad and the ruling clerics in Iran following years of tensions over power struggles.
Stocks climb for third straight week

Stocks rose Friday to close three straight weeks of gains on Wall Street. A sharp increase in small-company stocks is also a sign that investors are more willing to take on risk.
Energy Voices Struggling at home, US coal finds markets overseas

Coal companies in the US have been unable to compete with natural gas at home, Alic writes, but overseas this coal market is getting hotter by the minute.
Pakistani fertilizer grows both Taliban bombs and Afghan crops

The Pakistani government is working with the US to make sure a key ingredient for bombs stays away from insurgents in Afghanistan, but that effort may be having an unintended casualty.
A 'novel' idea for spreading literature in Africa: The cellphone

Publishers across the continent are increasingly targeting readers with mobile phone apps and other technologies that are far cheaper than either e-readers or traditional books.
Opinion Syria – another sign that US needs to recalibrate Middle East policy

As the US backs into Syria and other Mideast crises, China is proactively and strategically engaging in the region. Its actions point out what America has to lose if it continues to hesitate in the Middle East.
Focus 'Provoking peace' in Indonesia

Christians and Muslims in Ambon, Indonesia, have relearned how to live together after a 1999 - 2002 war killed 5,000 people and displaced half a million.
US, South Korea put up a tough front, but it doesn't close door to North (+video)

South Korean President Park, in the US to meet with Obama, has made it clear that she sees her toughness as part of a “trust politik” that would allow for renewed dialogue with the North.
Energy Voices US oil boom means oil prices must drop, right? Wrong.

Even though production of oil from new fields in the U.S. is booming, there is a consistent decline in production from old fields around the world, and OPEC members have not increased production. Meanwhile, though demand for oil is falling in the US, it continues to grow around the world.
Opinion Obama and South Korea's President Park must agree on North Korea policy

As President Obama meets today with South Korea's President Park Geun-hye, how closely they agree on policy toward North Korea and whether they establish a good working relationship will be key to dealing with an increasingly dangerous new leadership in Pyongyang.
Focus Big Three automakers, reinvented, eye consumers worldwide

GM, Ford, and Chrysler have reinvented themselves in the years since the Great Recession almost spelled the demise of two of the Big Three automakers. Their 'transformative' evolution puts them in a position to compete globally.
Stir It Up! Easy as, well, mango banana bread

Mangoes, in season April through June, are at their peak right now. Ripe mango and bananas, chopped walnuts, and vanilla create a flavorful, not-too-sweet dessert (or breakfast) bread. Substituting canola oil for butter lightens it up.
Global News Blog Leopards found extinct in Taiwan as public begins to growl

A team of zoologists have been looking for the Formosan clouded leopard, indigenous to Taiwan, for 13 years. Last week they announced it was extinct.
USA Update Cleveland Volcano explosions put air travel on alert: Who could be affected?

Cleveland Volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Islands sits under the flight corridor between North America and Asia, but so far, its new ash cloud is not big enough to ground planes.
How much water in that snowpack? Scientists seek a better gauge.

More accurate, more frequent measurements of mountain snowpacks will allow water managers to mete out reservoirs with greater confidence. Two watersheds in the western US are testing grounds for a new aerial approach.
Top 5 bull markets since 1929

The bull market that started in 2009 is currently the fifth most spectacular rise in stock prices since at least 1929. Can you guess which bull markets have been even more impressive?
Energy Voices Is nuclear fusion power now possible?

The quest for nuclear fusion power is well known, Daly writes, having been around since the dawn of the nuclear age, but the physics have precluded significant research. Until now.
In Italy, racist taunts for footballers and ministers alike

The appointment of Italy's first black government minister has brought racist sentiment to the surface.
April jobs report, at 165,000 new jobs, exceeds expectations; Dow surges (+video)

April jobs report shows a net 165,000 new jobs, as the unemployment rate drops to its lowest level since 2008. Federal government's workforce also drops to its lowest level since December 2008.