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[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The images were exactly what the Chinese government was hoping to avoid in the months leading up to the Summer Olympics: Red-robed monks in Tibet clashing with Chinese […]

By the afternoon of May 25, 1966, a group of radical professors at Peking University had finally finished drafting a large political poster. They took it to a campus commons […]

Pastor Tim Ferguson's fire-and-brimstone lessons to his flock have caused him a devilish time with folks in Littleton, Colorado, location of last May's Columbine High School shootings. For nine years, […]

They call him the sultan of the shape-up, the master of the Number One Fade, the quick answer to the bad hair day. Pedro Quinones, 19, known to his customers […]

By the time 17-year-old Sadhvi Konchada enters college in the fall, she will have taken 22 separate college entrance exams. Sadhvi, a high school senior, has daily tutorials, studies constantly, [...]

Economic growth tops 9 percent! Textile exports jump 500 percent! The steady stream of statistics trumpeting China's booming economy is often viewed by the rest of the world with a […]

Thousands of people poured onto the streets of China in April to protest Japan's approval of textbooks that they said gloss over Japanese atrocities in China during World War II. […]

For farming families in the lush mountains of coastal Fujian Province, the most popular crop is oolong tea and the favorite source of labor is sons. The leafy bushes of […]

The article discusses consumers' awareness of where, how and under what conditions their clothes are produced following the 2012 collapse of a clothing factory in Bangladesh that killed over 1,100 workers and injured 2,500 more. Investigations showed that the owner of the building illegally added extra floors and installed heavy equipment. The cost of labor of clothing production in third-world countries is discussed. INSET: The Triangle Disaster.

The article discusses the economic progress in India. It relates the story of Ashok Khade, who made his way from an untouchable to a millionaire after establishing an offshore oil-rig engineering company. In 1991, the government opened India to foreign investment and adopted other free-market practices, which led to economic growth. Analysts predict that India will have 12% of the world's college graduates by 2020.

The article focuses on the gender imbalance in Asia. It reports that since a woman can find out the sex of her baby with ultrasound scanners, women in countries like China and India have begun to decide not to have their baby if it was going to be a girl. Brigham Young University professor Valerie Hudson remarks on how much of a problem gender imbalance is. The book "Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls and the Consequences of a World Full of Men," by Mara Hvistendahl is also cited.

This article looks at challenges facing India as the country emerges as a major global economic power. It discusses the social condition of agricultural, uneducated and very poor Indians amidst the country's economic growth. It identifies some obstacles to the growth of India, including its democratic, but chaotic, system of government. The impact of Hinduism on the economy is also noted.

A timeline is presented of events in China after the overthrow of the last Qing Dynasty emperor in 1912 to the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong in 1966 and the boom of Chinese economy in 2010.

The article discusses the challenges faced by China in the wake of its human rights abuses within China and Tibet and its relationship with the government of Sudan as the world's attention focuses on the Beijing Olympics. According to the article for as long as the modern Olympics has existed, it has served as a stage for politics and the games is a unique lever with the Chinese. As shouts of protests grow louder nearing opening day, the real barometer of success will be whether the Olympics can force the communist party to allow political reforms.

Presents international news for the week ended May 9, 1999. Popularity of barber Pedro Quinones among hip-hop celebrities; Director Monty Whitebloom's concept for singer Lauryn Hill's video `Doo Wop (That Thing).'

The article discusses several important issues to know about the terrorist attacks in Paris, France on November 13, 2015. Topics mentioned include a concert given by the American rock group Eagles of Death Metal during the attacks, the attack against the satirical French newspaper "Charlie Hebdo," and brief information about the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The article discusses how Pope Francis reshapes the public perception of the Catholic Church. Vatican observers are saying that although Pope Francis has not changed any official Church doctrine, he has put less emphasis on divisive issues such as homosexuality being a sin, and urged the world to tackle immigration and climate change. However, conservative Catholics are worried claiming the Pope has blurred the lines about opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage.

The article features Pope Francis, the 226th leader of the Roman Catholic Church. It mentions the pope being on the cover of an issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine. It discusses the changes Pope Francis made including his decision to move into a modest apartment in the Vatican instead of staying in the opulent palace where popes have lived for 110 years and his move to replace traditionalists with more moderate cardinals.

The article states that Indian students have to take a lot of tests in order to enter college. Given example is Sadhvi Konchada, a high school senior who has daily tutorials, studies constantly and considers her schedule ridiculous because she is about to take 22 separate college entrance examinations. The author states that in India, families of high school students are obsessed on testing as they gossip about scores and pray over them. The students spend months in order to prepare for tests.

This article describes the magnitude of the problem of pollution in China as of January 2006 and examines its impact on the country's economy. The total number of Chinese who die prematurely every year from diseases linked to pollution is noted. Some of the measures launched by the Chinese government to curb pollution are mentioned.

Focuses on the use of text messages and instant online messages as organizing tools for anti-Japanese protesters in China. Influence of text messaging on democracy movements; Legality of political organizing in the country; Challenges facing the government in cracking down on people who use technologies to foment anti-Japanese protests.

The article reports that U.S. President Barack Obama, while traveling in Europe, has authorized the use of the White House autopen to sign an extension of the Patriot Act law that gives the federal government more power to combat terrorism.

The article profiles Kent Koch, a 23-year-old college student at the St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, second baseman of the school's baseball team and Mayor of Loretto, his hometown.

The article presents statistics on various topics, including the number of gatecrashers to the birthday party of a 16-year-old German girl who accidentally invited millions of people on Facebook, percentage of Egyptians who want a democratic government and average student loan debt.

The article reports that the town of Somerville in Massachusetts has mailed out a survey together with its local census forms to ask residents to rate the level of their happiness on a scale of 1 to 10.

The article reports on results of a study conducted in Israel which showed a strong link between the time judges ate and how sympathetic they were on the appeals for parole by prisoners.

The article reports that nobody applied for the job of an executioner to hang a convicted murderer in India.

The article discusses the results of a Stanford University study which confirmed that Albert Einstein's 1916 General Theory of Relativity is correct.

The article features a 13th-century mummified Peruvian woman, part of the mummy exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The article discusses the business of Giovanni Petrin of Vedelago, Italy, which specializes in giving jeans a worn-out appearance. His company, Martelli, takes denims made in low-wage countries and stylizes them for clients like Armani, Gap, Levi Strauss, and Calvin Klein. The jeans are washed in giant machines with pumice gravel and then workers rough up the denim by poking holes, creasing, discoloring and patching it.

The article discusses the actions of China's Tibetan nomads to trade their horses for motorcycles. They use their motorcycles not only for traditional tasks, like livestock and herding, but also for long distance-travel. Those nomads who have moved into relocation centers must travel to buy supplies, and most of them use their motorcycles primarily to ride into the nearest town.

The article reports on the prehistoric cultivation of figs. Scientists discovered the charred remains of figs in the ruins of a prehistoric village in West Bank near Jericho. When compared with modern ones, the researchers found out that the figs, which are about 11,400 years old and existed before the development of staple crops, were mutant strains that yield no fertile seeds. They concluded that the figs could only have been reproduced by deliberately planting their shoots.

The article focuses on the TV program "Indian Idol." Indian Idol contestants are in their late teens and 20s and are dreaming to be in Bollywood. Chosen by popular vote, the winner would receive a recording contract from Sony and a brand-new car. The program, which has a similar format with the American Idol, is one of the TV talent shows that have become popular in India. The 2006 Indian Idol winner is Sandeep Acharya from Bikanter.

The article features Marty Siegel, a train conductor for New Jersey Transit. Siegel developed his 21-year passion for 7-Eleven when he saw a Brooklyn, New York branch opened. According to Siegel, The store was bright and nice-looking. He has visited almost 2,000 7-Eleven stores and had collected items like caps, T-shirts, beach towels and coffee cups.

A graph that shows the U.S states that gained and states that lost the most number of residents from 2000 to 2004 is presented.

The article features Kelly Kulick, the first woman to qualify for the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Tour. The 29-year-old Kulick finished sixth out of 140 bowlers at the five-day qualifying event for the PBA Tour. She believes that she plays well against men because of her experience working in his father's auto-body shop. While some men object to her joining the PBA Tour, eight-time champion Tommy Jones thinks Kulick deserves the chance to play against the men.

The article presents an interview with Mitchell Duffy, a student at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, Washington. Duffy invented the Butter Blaster, a device that evenly disperses butter throughout an entire bucket of popcorn. When asked what the device was made of, he replied that it is made of a stainless steel tube. He wants the device to get licensed and be used in theaters. He argues that coming up with the idea was easy but producing the prototype device was not.

The article presents quotes from notable persons in current events. Hyke Van Der Heijden, who completed treatment for video game addiction, describes his addiction to video games. Jon Stewart of the Daily Show comments on Israeli warplanes dropping leaflets with a caricature of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. A Wal-Mart spokesman articulates their stand on the trademark issue with SmileyWorld.

The article focuses on the use of music in surgical operations. Some surgeons claim that music relaxes them and focuses their attention. Recent research also showed that music provide patients with mild benefits. Loud rock music are used by some doctors for routine operations while classical, jazz, reggae or opera for difficult ones. Brian Jacob, a surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York believes that music helps everyone in the operating room since it make it appear safer.

This section presents statistics on various topics. Some of the topics included are the percentage of increase in pencil sales in Great Britain due to the sudoku craze, the price paid at auction for rare U.S. Revolutionary War battle flags, and the weight in pounds of the world's heaviest college textbook.

Provides information on the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Number of Arab and Jewish musicians who play in the orchestra; Purpose of Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim and the late Palestinian writer Edward Said for founding the group; Nationalities of the members.

Reports on a study on the driving habits of teenagers conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the U.S. in 2005.

Presents statistical data on the most common ancestries in the U.S. in 2000, including the percentage of U.S. citizens who reported their ancestry was German.

Interviews Daniel Kent, founder of nonprofit organization Senior Connects in Indiana, about his volunteer work. Reason of Kent for setting up computers and computer classes for senior citizens; Number of volunteers who work for Senior Connects; Benefits of computers for older people.

Reports on the proliferation of selling illegal or potentially illegal wildlife items online as of November 2005. Outcome of an investigation conducted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare on the sale of endangered animals over the Internet; Role of Internet marketers in slowing the spread of the online market for endangered species.

Presents quotes about various social issues as of November 14, 2005. Views of Valeriya Novodvorskaya, head of the Democratic Union, on the remains of Russian political leader Vladimir Ilich Lenin; Information on a U.S. state legislation which bans the use of cellular phones and other distracting behavior while driving; Stance of Dennis Adams, a professor at the University of Houston in Texas, on wireless classrooms.

Looks at the popularity of bargain shopping among teenagers in the U.S. as of November 2005. Advantage of shopping at discount chains; Rate of decline in spending by teenagers in 2004.

Reports on the popularity of the TV show "The Mongolian Cow Yogurt Super Girl Contest" in China as of November 2005. Number of people who watched the program's finale; Impact of the show on the Chinese political climate; Views of Zhu Dake, a Chinese commentator, on Super Girl.

Presents statistical data on various social issues in the U.S. as of November 14, 2005. Average cost of tuition, room and board for a student attending a private university in the U.S.; Percentage by which paid music downloads have increased; Number of tigers living as pets.

Reports on the plan of California attorney general Bill Lockyer to require companies selling french fries and potato chips to place warning labels on their products as of November 2005. Role of acrylamide in the development of cancer; Food manufacturers which have been filed with lawsuit by Lockyer; Argument given by the defendants.