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Reports that Asia is urbanizing at a rapid pace, and that cities will come to dominate Asian economies and national politics. Predictions that in 25 years most Asians will live in cities and towns; Population growth in Asia; Growing influence of Asian mayors, such as Toyko's Shintaro Ishihara; Challenges facing Asian cities, including traffic, poverty, red tape, and the need to attract investment; Conflicts between Ishihara and the central Japanese government; Rise of city politicians to positions of power in national governments; Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian, former mayor of Taipei; Seoul mayor Lee Myung Bak, who is running for national office in South Korea; Achievements of Lee, Chen, Ishihara and other Asian mayors;.

The article reports on the politics of Asia, where incumbents are being voted out with the hope that new leaders will be able to increase growth and social mobility. Countries such as South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan have all voted in common-sense conservatives who preach free trade and multi faceted development strategies. The article discusses why the rapid growth of the 1990s may not be possible.

This article focuses on the community awareness of youth in Asia despite notions of a "me generation," comprised of self-serving young Asians with buying power. Alongside the spread of unbridled capitalism and conspicuous consumption, the Asian region is also experiencing a profusion of new nongovernmental organizations (NGO), a religious resurgence and rising nationalism. Seventy-three percent of Indonesian college students, in one study, said they would prefer to work with an NGO than for the government. The author notes that Asians are embracing the power of groups to enhance the common good.

This article reports on populism and a worldwide populist rebellion against globalization. According to Cas Mudde, Western Europe is experiencing a "populist zeitgeist" which will have long-term consequences. From Asia to Eastern Europe, countries that were once at the forefront of economic reform, opening to the outside world, are now turning inward, reverting to the kind of state handouts their leaders once deplored.

This article reports that, in 2006, there was a growing trend toward the creation of government investment agencies and state-sponsored ownership of companies. While western countries supported privatization, the east embraced direct government involvement in commerce. China, Singapore, Russia and the United Arab Emirates have either nationalized large industries, formed government business enterprises, or both.

Looks at the growing number of tourists from China and India. Travel as a mass-market enterprise in Asia; Asia's scramble to accommodate their new travelers; Re-examination of the tourism industry in China and India; Rise of China's middle class; Belief that it is only a matter of time before Asia's newest travelers are fanning out across the globe.

Those who follow Japan's economy know the pattern: the government releases a budget dripping with red ink, ratings agencies criticize it for glossing over problems, then senior officials hit back, alleging undue negativity. The same drama played out earlier this month, only this time the venue was Hong Kong. Financial Secretary Henry Tang's new budget for the territory evoked disappointment from Standard & Poor's and Fitch, which questioned his rosy growth forecast and the city's wobbly tax base. Hong Kong residents have seen their per capita income fall 10 percent over the past decade, and today 7.9 percent of them are jobless, up from just 1.9 percent in 1994. For now, Hong Kong officials seem content to preach the cure-all of economic integration. It's still true that no mainland city can match Hong Kong when it comes to international financial services. And if the territory's nascent recovery proves sustainable, then the naysayers will slowly fall by the wayside as the economy

The article reports on the poor working conditions and essential servitude of migrant laborers in Malaysia. The authors suggest that the abuse of workers is a detrimental result of globalization. Also under examination is the use of forced or underpaid labor as practiced in other Asian countries including Thailand and China.

Focuses on economic conditions in South Korea. President Kim Dae Jung's economic recovery plan; The pursuit of democracy and a free-market economy; The effect of chaebols on South Korean economy; The impact of the Asian financial crisis; Debt levels and poor planning; The role of automakers, Hyundai, Daewoo, Kia, and Samsung; A lesson in the story of Korea's automobile sector. INSET: `Open Arms, Open Doors'.

The article discusses the political health of young democracies in Asia. The author discusses the fragility of Asian leaders and dissatisfaction with their leadership from citizens. The article speculates on the role of globalization in the weakness of democratic institutions in Asia. The author argues that globalization has led to increasing economic inequality in Asia and this is placing pressure on political leaders.

The article focuses on the increase in worldwide oil prices is effecting the Asian energy market. Energy, or the lack of it, is in the news across Asia. Gas lines in China. Record losses for India's state-owned oil companies. Jakarta's fruitless struggle to staunch the outflow of foreign reserves now being spent to meet Indonesia's energy needs. The immediate cause of the trouble is that the global price of oil has tripled since late 2001, closing last week at $68 per barrel. But the way this squeeze is playing out in Asia also reflects government policies meant to shelter national economies from energy shocks by subsidizing everything from electricity to airline fuel to kerosene.

Discusses the need for changes in Asia's financial structure. How Hong Kong Financial Secretary Henry Tang cut the city's government spending in his 2005-06 budget; Speculation on whether raising taxes will solve financial problems; Description of the current tax system in Asia; Efforts of the government to build a "Nordic-style" welfare state in Taiwan.

Questions whether the economic difficulties that have plagued southeastern Asia and Korea in the fall of 1997 will spread to China. Reassurances from China's economic czar Zhu Rongji; Presence in China of problem factors from other nations including a real estate bubble, industrial overcapacity, rampant corruption and unsound banks; Drop in planned foreign investment in the first half of 1997.

Focuses on Judith Mackay, 50, a British-born pediatrician living in Hong Kong since 1967, who for the past ten years has been Asia's leading antismoking crusader. Success of her one-woman campaign; Indonesia, Mongolia and China, her next fronts; Chinese Prime Minister Li Peng.

The article discusses slowed economic growth in Asia in 2008. Falling gross-domestic product (GDP) rates are compared between China and India, with a special focus on the dips in Hong Kong and Singapore. Real property market issues in China are examined in connection to the country's poor stock exchange performance, and a quote from a Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. (HSBC) report about airlines responding to higher fuel costs is included.

The article discusses the potential economic growth of Asia to 2020. Discussed is a study from former Sony chairman Nobuyuki Idei and former U.S. Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers that suggests that Asia could raise itself out of poverty if it makes vast business changes. Economic growth is not enough, and emerging economies like China must consider issues like industrial pollution and its effect on agriculture and population health.

The article discusses Thaksin Shinawatra, prime minister of Thailand, and the pressure he is facing to step down due to criticisms of state power abuse. Protesters in Bangkok are attempting to force the prime minister to resign, yet opposition parties have refused to participate in a snap vote proposed by Thaksin. The author argues that these frustrations with the electoral system are representative of a growing disillusionment with democracy throughout Asia.

Discusses the collapse of the Cancún trade summit meeting and what it means for the poor of the world. Push of poor countries' demands to the top of the agenda; Plans that the talks would focus around future development, including the boost in exports of rice and cotton from Asia and Africa; United States and Europe, who make the rules governing global trade in farm goods, and how the poor of are tired of not being included in the rulings; Details of the meeting.

Discusses how the George W. Bush Administration blames U.S. job loss on weak Asian currencies, particularly the Chinese yuan.. U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow's tour of Asia in which he approved Japan's intervention to prevent a sharp rise in the value of the yen, which makes some believe that this is a political posturing war instead of a currency war; Vice finance minister of Japan, Eisuke Sakakibara, and why he is convinced that the U.S. won't push for an early floating yuan because it is too risky.

Examines how the outbreak and rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has affected Asian economies. Impact of SARS on commerce in Asia; How analysts across the region are forecasting losses; Damage to air travel and the tourist industry; Possibility that SARS could trigger a global downturn; Outlook for economic recovery.

Focuses on the plan to extend the Trans-Siberian Railway through North Korea and South Korea. Agreement on the plan by Kim Jong Il, president of North Korea, and Russian president Vladimir Putin; Description of the project; Details of the rail trade in Asia; Economic benefits of railways; History of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The article reports on improvements to the global economy that would result from assignment of a minimum wage rate in Asia or provision of pay raises. The author argues that Asia's large group of consumers would exercise international demand for global products if paid sufficiently to purchase them. This would stimulate the global economy and help balance global imports and exports.

The article presents an interview with Jim Walker, head of the economic research firm Asianomics. When asked about what the economic analysts did not see about the global economy in 2006, he answered the most significant factor was the U.S. housing market. He discussed how the reduction in U.S. demand impacted Asia and he explained why he believes the growth forecasts by government agencies like the International Monetary Fund and investment banks are too high.

This article reports that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised the Asian Poverty Line from one dollar per person per day to $1.35, while the World Bank has raised its global poverty line to $1.25. It is stated that this has increased the number of Asians estimated to be living in poverty and decreases the likelihood that the United Nations (UN) will be able to achieve its Millennium Development Goals, set for 2015.

In this article the author reports on the impact on Asian economies of a significantly increased money supply. The infusion of capital from central banks in the United States, Europe and Japan to counter the ill effects of the subprime mortgage crisis have increased global cash flow and, as a result, dangers of inflation in countries whose foreign exchange rate is pegged to the U.S. dollar.

The article reports that dogs are increasingly popular as pets in Asia. As Asian families have shrunk and the multi-generational home has become less common, people are turning to dogs for companionship. The animals have become a popular fashion accessory and sparked a profitable market in dog products and dog care services. Animal-rights activists are concerned that the craze for canines will be short-lived, leaving the animals homeless.

The article discusses how national security plays a role in the decline of birthrates in Asia. Birthrates that had been declining slowly for decades due to rapid urbanization suddenly fell off a cliff around the millennium--suggesting to demographers a new variable at play. Pessimism is a potent contraceptive. Beginning with the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, external developments have weighed heavier on childbearing decisions, experts now theorize. Events like 9/11, the U.S. invasion of Iraq and this month's terrorist bombing in Jakarta give people economic jitters and a sense of hopelessness about the future. The impact on childbearing has been dramatic. South Korea's total fertility rate (the number of children a woman has in her lifetime) fell from 1.47 in 2000 to 1.17 in 2002, the largest two-year decline on record. In Singapore, the TFR has dropped from 1.6 to under 1.3 in the past three years; between 1980 and 2000 the figure had crept down 0.2 points. Hong Kong's fertility rate (0.93) is among the world's lowest. Despite official efforts to prop up birthrates, all four tigers have slipped below Japan for the first time since industrialization. Efforts to pump up fertility have a poor track record. Singapore's programs to facilitate dating and marriage, begun with much fanfare in the 1980s, only slowed the decline in births per family.

Lines outside Tokyo's trendiest boutiques are a common sight in recession-weary Japan. But recently crowds have started forming at an unlikely venue: a Porsche dealership. Earlier this month groups of sports-car enthusiasts flocked to the German automaker's new flagship showroom in Tokyo's Meguro ward to check out slick Boxsters and 911s priced at $60,000 and up. In recent months spending on everything from gourmet coffee to minivans, digital cameras and travel has tracked upward--suggesting that Japan's long-hibernating consumers could be emerging from their dens at last. Cautious optimism is spreading. Fresh data showing growth in both retail sales and household spending indicates that Japan's expansion has broadened beyond export-oriented manufacturing and capital expenditures, the twin drivers of growth last year.

This article looks at American influence in world politics. Recently, Japanese diplomats traveled to North Korea on a secret mission. Ostensibly, these envoys to the Hermit Kingdom--the first dispatched by Tokyo since 2002--arrived last Tuesday to extradite a suspected drug smuggler. But the item likely topping the team's agenda was North Korea's recent offer to free the Korea-born children of five Japanese citizens abducted decades ago. The announcement was but the latest in a string of recent North Korean moves to improve its standing ahead of critical six-party talks on the peninsula's ongoing nuclear crisis. It also has proposed a nuclear "freeze" and--to applause in Beijing and Seoul--telegraphed a willingness to engage in another round of intensive diplomacy. Says Paik Hak Soon, of the Sejong Institute in Seoul, "North Korea looks proactive and flexible, while the U.S. looks passive and reactive." Deft North Korean diplomacy may be driving a wedge between America and its allies. While Pyongyang continues to signal its interest in dealing with Washington, its recent overtures to the other parties may suggest a plan B. The more reasonable North Korea can appear in the eyes of its neighbors, the less important talks with the United States become.