Shanghai, China — The whole of China went into mourning Monday afternoon at 2:28 p.m., exactly one week after a disastrous earthquake hit Sichuan province. People in every corner of the country bowed their heads for three minutes while horns honked and sirens wailed, in an outpouring of grief for the quake’s victims.

Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi warned the country's media on Friday that they need to cooperate, be responsible and ethical. The Thai prime minister has given similar advice to his country's media. It's a shame that they and other Asian leaders don't adhere to the same guidelines.

Hong Kong, China — The Beijing Olympic torch made a triumphant journey through Hong Kong Friday, its first stop on Chinese soil after a tumultuous trip around the world. Local residents turned out in force, sporting red T-shirts and waving Chinese flags in a rare display of patriotism.

BEIJING, China — "Patriotism" seems to be a magic word for the Chinese. As long as a Chinese person claims to be a patriot, he or she immediately assumes the moral high ground. Whatever he or she says or does in the name of patriotism is perfectly justified, and other citizens are classified as either patriots or traitors.

Seoul, South Korea — President Lee Myung-bak is facing a fresh political test following his decision to fully open the South Korean market to U.S. beef. Lee branded previous moves against U.S. beef imports as "politically motivated," ruling out any health risks from U.S. beef. But many South Koreans believe otherwise.

Hong Kong, China — The Chinese People's Liberation Army opened its barracks at three locations in Hong Kong Thursday, allowing local residents a rare glimpse of their living quarters and lifestyle, in a bid to promote understanding and trust of the troops garrisoned here.

Manila, Philippines — The global food price crisis has revived the population debate in the Philippines. Analysts insist the high population growth rate of the Philippines is not sustainable. Food production may be increasing over the years but the number of Filipinos is increasing at a faster rate.

New York, NY, United States — Bangladesh, a poverty-stricken country of 150 million people, suffers from inadequate healthcare. State-funded medical schools produce many doctors, but they tend to go abroad to work. Expatriate doctors and health professionals could do a lot if they pooled their resources to help their country.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea has expressed "strong regret" over violence by Chinese students and residents during the Olympic torch relay in Seoul, with concerns that public outrage here may harm Seoul-Beijing ties. Some 6,000 Chinese residents assembled to defend the beleaguered Olympic torch against 300 protesters.

Hong Kong, China — A record 5.4 million children in Afghanistan are attending classes in the new school year that began March 23. This is despite attacks on 10 schools in various parts of the country by unidentified gunmen since classes began last month. The will to study is strong despite the danger.

Kolkata, India — Pope Benedict's visit to the White House in an election year seems to be manna from heaven for the Bush administration. The papal visit also accidentally coincided with the furor over Barrack Obama's "bitter" speech, in which he described the religion of small-town Americans in unflattering terms.

BEIJING, China — Some influential people in China wish to take advantage of the government's cultural development policy to pursue their own pet projects. A typical example is the proposal to turn Jining, home of Confucius and Mencius, into a "Symbol of Chinese Culture City." This would be a cultural disaster.

Goa, India — Cultural diversity is a fact of modern life and it exists now in practically all countries of the world. In addition to conventional elements such as race, religion and language, cultural diversity is accentuated by new factors including globalization and the emphasis on individual choice.

Nakhonratchasima , Thailand — Many have argued legitimately that the Thai police are extremely corrupt. Even Thais themselves will accept this postulation, yet like others fail to note that the police force in Thailand is not a separate entity from the rest of society, and that people make up police staff.

Hong Kong, China — "Are you a vegetarian, Mr. Kumar?" asked Dr. Shailesh Chaugule, a psychiatrist from the Indian city of Pune. A senior citizen in his early seventies, Kumar had been feeling low for months. He lacked interest in everything, got tired easily, was awake at night, and often felt listless and anxious.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea in February adopted a new system whereby a jury will be present during court trials, in an effort to make its legal system more democratic. However, the jury's ruling is not legally binding upon the judge, who still holds the right to determine the verdict and the sentence.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean citizens waited anxiously Tuesday night as a Russian spacecraft carrying the country's first astronaut prepared to blast off from a launch pad in Kazakhstan. Watching a live telecast of the Soyuz capsule's successful lift-off, thousands of Seoul citizens in front of City Hall turned jubilant.

San Francisco, CA, United States — April 7 is the one-year anniversary of the young Kurdish girl Du'a Khalil Aswad's tragic stoning at the hands of men who misguidedly believe she had sullied her family's honor. I wish to appeal to King Abdullah II of Jordan to overturn penal code articles that allow similarly brutal and unjust incidents.

Bangkok, Thailand — The global information society is threatened by extensive state censorship of information, including on the Internet, by ruling elites in non-democratic countries. Thailand has had decades of difficulties with information management and the public's lack of access to facts.

Nanjing, China — Chinese authorities have been advocating "liberation of the mind" in a recent campaign. But only in a society where thinking is monopolized by state authority is the liberation of the mind necessary. True liberation of the mind should encourage free thinking.

Hong Kong, China — Hormonally speaking, a woman's life has three important stages: the beginning of menstruation, the reproductive period and pregnancy, and the termination of the childbearing period with the end of the menstrual cycle, or menopause -- which can bring trying physical symptoms and psychological issues.

Beijing, China — In Beijing, the 11th day of every month is to be "queuing-up day," teaching the citizenry how to stand in orderly lines, while the 22nd is to be "yield one's seat day," encouraging courtesy toward the weak or elderly on trains and buses. This is all designed by officials who travel snugly in luxury cars.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korea has made a "humiliating" decision to drop its first astronaut, who was to be sent into space next month on a Russian spacecraft, after Moscow blamed him for violating training rules. Astronaut Ko San will be replaced by female engineer Yi So-yeon on the Soyuz capsule in early April.

Kokata, India — When a top-drawer editor and author like M. J. Akbar is forced out of office for his independent editorial stance and India's mainstream print and electronic media choose to ignore the development, serious questions arise about the ethical parameters of this fraternity.

Tokyo, Japan — A legacy of Takeo Fukuda, the late father of current Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, is being revived, says a veteran diplomat. Former Ambassador Nagao Hyodo says there is resurgent momentum toward the U.N. adoption of a "Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities," originally proposed in 1998.

BEIJING, China — Two incidents have attracted attention in China of late: a pronouncement by the authorities that their medical reforms are a failure, and the trial of entrepreneur Gu Chu-jun on corruption charges. These events lend themselves to a judgment concerning the sorry state of China's reforms.

Seoul, South Korea — Professor Karl Polany predicted in 1944 that a global market economy would erode social stability as people crossed borders in pursuit of higher paying jobs. Fortunately, reality is less gloomy than his prediction, due to the global prosperity the world now enjoys.

Seoul, South Korea — South Korean sports officials are upbeat about exchanges with North Korea after the New York Philharmonic played the U.S. national anthem in Pyongyang Tuesday, with the U.S. flag onstage. They hope the South Korean anthem and flag could debut in North Korea at next month's soccer World Cup qualifying match.

Hong Kong, China — India's upcoming domestic cricket tournament, the Indian Premier League, created auction history last week in Mumbai when it "sold" 75 of the world's best cricketers at a whooping US$40 million to eight local groups franchised to represent eight regional zones that will battle for the trophy.

Hong Kong, China — One morning, Harish woke up with excruciating pain in his right ankle. An Indian in his mid-thirties, Harish had suffered a similar episode in the recent past. Being too stressed at his new office to care for his health, he had let it pass. But this time he went to a doctor, and was diagnosed with gout.

Seoul, South Korea — Can an overture of cultural diplomacy open up North Korea, as it did the Soviet Union and China decades ago? The New York Philharmonic is set to make a musical overture to North Korea, playing a historic concert in the nation U.S. President George W. Bush described as part of an "axis of evil."

BEIJING, China — Chinese university students are being asked to sign a letter of guarantee that they will not cheat on English exams required for graduation. The letter serves the same function as the slogans authorities used to paint on walls, and now hang up on banners. Can this guarantee honesty in the exam hall?

Kathmandu, Nepal — As Nepal faces the uncertainty of elections and an indefinite bundh, or strike, in the southern Terai region, the perfect match between entrepreneurial expertise and not-for-profit networking has been hammered out to create a nationwide movement aimed at self-sufficiency for the underprivileged.

Hong Kong, China — Encouraging public participation to tackle pollution is an important feature in new environmental legislation introduced by the Chinese government, a report released today in Hong Kong, by the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs and World Wide Fund, has said.

KOLKATA, India — Hot on the heels of a comment by the Archbishop of Canterbury on BBC Radio 4 that recognition of some aspects of Islamic Sharia law was unavoidable, Chancellor Alistair Darling is now mulling over the issue of Islamic bonds to pay for Gordon Brown's public spending program.

Seoul, South Korea — South Koreans are gripped by a deep sense of shock and dismay after their top treasure, the ancient city gate of Namdaemun, was destroyed by fire Monday, possibly caused by an arsonist. The 610-year-old wooden gate in the heart of Seoul was known as the "pride of the nation."

Kolkata, India — "Honor killings" are on the rise among Asian immigrants from the Indian subcontinent in the United Kingdom. These crimes are committed mostly against women by men from tribal, feudal and patriarchal rural societies with little or no education. They have nothing to do with Islam, Hinduism or Sikhism.

Nagercoil, India — "Ram Rajya" is described as a society where a beautiful young girl decked in the finest gold jewels can walk on a deserted road at midnight, unmolested. Whenever someone tries to justify an attack on a woman because of her "provocative dress" I remember this definition of the ideal moral state.

Shanghai, China — An old Chinese saying goes that heavy snow predicts a good harvest next season. But China's current snow may mean just the opposite, as many crops have been destroyed in the country's worst snow in 50 years. The situation was improving somewhat as Lunar New Year dawned Thursday.

Hong Kong, China — Raju, a healthy 14-year-old boy weighing 60 kilograms, goes to a reputed school for the elite in the Indian capital city of New Delhi. "I love sports," he says, meaning he loves watching cricket on television. He hardly plays any games, except during his biweekly physical education class at school.

Tokyo, Japan — In China, the worst snow disaster in 50 years has turned this huge country into a drowned rat. Reports from around the country sound like some kind of odd competition as, in 14 provinces in south and central China, people struggle to cope with no electricity, no water and no roads.

QINGDAO, China — Authorities have informed a group of 204 laid-off workers in China's southwestern city of Chongqing that they will have to pay 350,000 yuan (US$48,500) for arbitration in a dispute over unpaid wages, Xinhua reported last week. It is far more than they can afford.

Meerut, India — Mohandas K. Gandhi, both inside and outside his native India, is respectfully referred to as "Mahatma," an honorific used for a spiritually elevated soul. As the world remembers Gandhi on Wednesday, the 60th anniversary of his death, it is instructive to review his life to understand why he merited this title.

Trat, Thailand — Why are sea turtles that are raised in an aquarium released at night, not during the day? And what is the connection between turtles and tourism in Thailand? These and other issues were addressed during the launch of a project between the Thai government and an NGO to promote "eco-tourism."

Beijing, China — Despite eight years of setbacks and criticisms, China's National Grand Theater, a showcase for the performing arts, is now open. Only time will tell whether the leadership in Beijing has unveiled an oblong pearl for future soft power projection and cultural development, or will be left with egg on its face.

Toronto, ON, Canada — A recent India-Australia cricket match in Sydney, which Australia won, was despoiled by acrimony and bad umpiring. Australian fans enjoyed their hour of victory, but India swung into action to win the battle of prestige. In India, cricket is taken seriously.

Shanghai, China — China's Ministry of Health says that life expectancy for Chinese citizens had risen to 73 by 2005 from 71.4 in 2000. This is good news for the Chinese people, who traditionally value long life. The Chinese people are also comparably much richer. But is this happiness?

Beijing, China — After scandals involving former gold medal winner Marion Jones, the Mitchell report in Major League Baseball, and the most recent winner of the Tour de France testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, the spotlight shifts to China and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing.

Taean, South Korea — Lee Chung-young, a taxi driver in South Korea's northern border city, rushed to this west port town of Taean soon after he heard the scenic coastline had been blackened by the country's worst oil spill in early December. He was one of hundreds of thousands of volunteers who joined hands to clean up the blackened coast.

Hong Kong, China — Vitamin D is well known for its importance in maintaining good bone health. Recent studies suggest, however, that there is a positive relation between vitamin D and several types of cancers, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, heart diseases and even diabetes.