Asia

18 Nov 2012

As Myanmar opens its doors,Hazel Knowles finds the commercial capital, Yangon, is ready for business - well, almost. Pictures by Cedric Arnold.

Uncommon ground: Jerusalem and the West Bank

23 Sep 2012

A region synonymous with conflict, the West Bank is nonetheless bursting with life, writes Orlando Crowcroft.

The bright side

16 Sep 2012

David Kootnikoff looks for the positives in Vladivostok: an endearing mix of history, politics and culture.

Eat, play, love - Beirut

12 Aug 2012

On honeymoon in Beirut, a city synonymous with conflict, Omar Mouallem finds a culture keen to make food, not war.

Higher purpose

4 Nov 2012

Mecca, home to the world’s second-tallest building, is seeing its most holy sites vanish in a surge of astronomically priced development, writes Oliver Wainwright.

Opinion

Wang Xiangwei

Super ministries may not be the right answer for mainland China

Alex Lo

Church developers remain unbowed by government rules

George Chen

A house is not a home until it becomes affordable

Cut adrift

Ravaged by the 2004 tsunami and overwhelmed by the challenges of the modern world, the way of life practised by the Moken 'sea gypsies' for centuries appears doomed, writes Kate Hodal. Pictures by...

Open for business

The Siam in Bangkok, Pentahotels in Beijing and London's Town Hall Hotel are winning fans -and awards - as they cater to the design-savvy traveller seeking a unique holiday experience. Divia...

Rattled cages

A sanctuary in Vietnam is fighting tooth and claw an eviction order that would put its more than 100 bears back behind bars. Simon Parry investigates.

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LEADER

Ang Lee's Oscar shows Asian cinema has come of age

Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee competed against the likes of Steven Spielberg and won his second Oscar for best director for Life of Pi. While he was not the hands-down favourite, his victory was not...

5 comments

Abe and Obama must reassure Asia of their agenda for peace and growth

What should Shinzo Abe say to Obama as both begin their new terms in office? What do other Asians hope the two long-standing allies will focus on? The expectation - or fear - is that the...

PHILIPPINES

Filipino rebels won’t stop bid to free hostages

Hundreds of Muslim guerillas will continue efforts to free foreign hostages held by al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the southern Philippines despite a clash last week that killed scores of...