China's moves to combat an aging population by relaxing decades-old curbs on family size have hit an unexpected snag: Many parents are no longer interested in having more babies. The government has indicated it will scrap its policy which limits the number of children per family through tough fines — and ...
Proliferation of marine parks in China fueling shadowy trade in cetaceans
Eight beluga whales jump in unison out of a bright blue indoor pool, flipping their tail fins and spewing water ...
Melbourne's Herald Sun reprints 'racist' cartoon of Serena Williams
An Australian newspaper republished a controversial cartoon of tennis star Serena Williams on its front-page Wednesday, dismissing as "politically correct" ...
A rare look behind the wire in Australia's 'Pacific Gulag' on Nauru
A cluster of prefabricated huts pokes out of Nauru's sweltering rocky landscape to reveal refugee settlement camp No. 5, a place defined by desperation and rarely visited by outsiders. Although access to the weed-infested camp is severely restricted, with the Nauru government seeking to prevent ...
In sign of further easing of childbirth controls, China shuts family planning offices
China's health commission is getting rid of three offices that were previously dedicated to family planning, it announced late on Sunday, the latest signal that Beijing may further reduce restrictions on childbirth to combat an aging population. State-media has hinted in recent weeks that China, ...
Beijing city authorities have banned one of the largest unofficial Protestant churches in the city and confiscated "illegal promotional materials," amid a deepening crackdown on China's "underground" churches. The Zion church had for years operated with relative freedom, hosting hundreds of worshippers every weekend in ...
India's top court has struck down a colonial-era law that makes homosexual acts punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The court gave its ruling Thursday on a petition filed by five people who challenged the law, saying they are living in fear of ...
Myanmar victim of 'bride trafficking' tells of six years of brutal captivity in China
They were the first photos Marip Lu had ever taken of her son. It broke her heart to think they might also be the last. The 3-year-old was standing in their living room in the rural Chinese village of Gucheng, brown eyes beaming as he ...
Seoul to check public lavatories daily as anger boils over 'spycam porn' targeting women
Amid anger over "spycam porn," authorities in Seoul have pledged to conduct daily checks in public toilets, but campaigners on Monday called for stronger regulations on hidden cameras commonly used to target women. The Seoul city government announced that the number of workers tasked to ...
China state TV sorry for 12 minutes of ads before education program
China's state broadcaster issued an apology Sunday after parents complained that a compulsory television program targeted at millions of school children was preceded by almost a quarter of an hour of non-stop advertising. All elementary and middle school students and their parents were told by ...
After 70 years apart, Korean brothers' 12-hour reunion 'way too short'
Ninety-three-year-old Ham Sung-chan's eyes widen with excitement as he describes the shock and euphoria of reuniting with his baby brother, now 79, during three days of family reunions in North Korea. But there's a deep and bitter regret, too, and it stems from a simple ...
U.N. warns of 'lost generation' of Rohingya children as half a million languish in refugee camps
The United Nations warned on Thursday of what it described as a lost generation of Muslim Rohingya children, with half a million in refugee camps in Bangladesh facing dangers including disease and floods and those still in Myanmar lacking access to proper education. One year ...
Dozens of elderly South Koreans crossed the heavily fortified border into North Korea on Monday for heart-wrenching meetings with relatives most haven't seen since they were separated by the turmoil of the Korean War. The weeklong event at North Korea's Diamond Mountain resort comes as ...
Two Chinese academics have proposed a controversial idea to encourage childbirth as their country faces an aging population: Make people with no or fewer than two children pay into a "maternity fund." The suggestion sparked a furious social media debate in a country whose population ...
Chinese women create WeChat group in wake of wave of sex harassment cases
Battling censorship and stereotypes, Chinese women are organizing online to harness the momentum of the country's nascent #MeToo movement in a push for authorities and businesses to end sexual misconduct. The latest wave of claims of sexual misconduct emerged last month after Lei Chuang, the ...
