Defying U.S. sanctions, a Vietnamese government document lays out a plan to buy Russian weapons, which officials see as a way to upgrade its military as a hedge against China.
Author: HANNAH BEECH
Ancient Art or Fashion Forward? Both, Says a Top Batik Designer
Josephine Komara has redefined a cultural expression that was intricate and lovely but so locked in tradition it bordered on staid. “Tradition is the way we are,” she says. “Modern is the way we think.”
Under the Taliban, Afghanistan Is Trying to Make Due With Less
In a time of famine and money shortages, meals are a rallying point — and a topic of worry — during a season of change in Afghanistan.
For China’s Xi and Other Strongmen, Gorbachev Showed Exactly What Not to Do
Though Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms were praised in the West, the collapse of the Soviet Union schooled a generation of authoritarian rulers in the dangers of tolerating any signs of dissent or democratic yearnings.
Phyo Zeya Thaw, Burmese Pro-democracy Rapper, 41, Is Executed
The hip-hop star became a democracy activist in military-ruled Myanmar, and then a lawmaker. After the latest military coup, he joined the resistance, and was hanged for it.
‘The Sport of Love’: Ping-Pong, the Great Equalizer
Wally Green has played everywhere from Brooklyn to Pyongyang, becoming a beloved American ambassador for table tennis — and international understanding — in the process.
(Bangkok): A Push for Parentheses Miffs Thais (Who Have Bigger Problems)
The government wants Thailand’s capital to be known around the world as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (Bangkok). Thais don’t object to the name, but they’d prefer their leaders focus on fixing the economy.
In Myanmar, a Notable Burmese Family Quietly Equipped a Brutal Military
A Burmese-Irish family said all the right things, even as it helped Myanmar’s rulers avoid sanctions scrutiny in buying airplanes, defense radar and more.
New Caledonia Says ‘Non’ to Independence
The vote on the Pacific island territory comes as France’s president has prioritized shoring up the country’s international profile, seeing its military as a bulwark against China.
They Warned Their Names Were on a Hit List. They Were Killed.
In less than a month, assassins have killed at least eight people in the Rohingya refugee camps of Bangladesh, silencing those who have dared to speak out against the violent gangs.