In the capital of tropical Laos, two dozen students who see their future in trade ties with neighboring China spent their school year attending Mandarin classes in a no-frills, rented room. It’s the start of China’s first, and almost certainly not its last, university ...

A Chinese city’s plan to fine mothers who have a child out of wedlock has sparked criticism that the policy is discriminatory and could lead to an increase in abandoned babies. One expert said Monday that it was the first time that out-of-wedlock children ...

The United Nations and the United States on Friday took Laos and China to task for forcing nine young asylum seekers back to North Korea, warning that the countries were flouting international commitments.

With two cars, foreign holidays and a cook for their apartment, one Beijing family epitomizes the new middle class created by China’s decades of rapid economic growth — and its resulting worries. Li Na, 42, a caterer at the capital’s zoo, and her husband, ...

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Islamic leaders expressed dismay over decisions by authorities in western Myanmar to restore a two-child limit on a Muslim minority group, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists and follows accusations of “ethnic cleansing.” The order ...

Police surrounded a Chinese village on Sunday to prevent pilgrims from joining a Catholic parade to honor the Virgin Mary, who locals say appeared in the village a century ago. Authorities placed roadblocks on main roads leading to the small village of Donglu, in ...

Elderly residents in a small town in Mie Prefecture consider 22-year-old Mao Higashi a great help when she delivers food from her truck.

A South Korean presidential spokesman who was fired after inappropriately touching a woman during a U.S. trip blames a “cultural difference” with America. Other South Koreans say the fault for such incidents lies with a society that lets powerful men get away with harassment. ...

Police raids on brothels in China have a pattern, sex workers say, often occurring a few days ahead of politically sensitive events or whenever someone in government orders an antipornography campaign to please the leadership. It is during these times, the workers say, that ...