Nobel economics laureate Joseph Stiglitz used an invitation to Myanmar to urge the military rulers to make political reforms to revitalize the stagnant, mostly agriculture-based economy. His well-intended advice is likely to go unheeded, as the present system, in which

The United Nations' special representative to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, has launched a blistering attack on his sacked former deputy, American Peter Galbraith, claiming that he plotted to unconstitutionally depose President Hamid Karzai. Karzai remains in power, with a new five-year

When Portugal returned Macau to China in 1999 after centuries of misrule, it seemed unlikely the city would achieve prosperity. Today, Macau is the world's leading gaming destination and has pulled in billions of foreign investment dollars. So why isn't

According to a new study, India could be an ancient "motherland" of Asia. The findings reveal a twist in the history of human migration, pointing to India, then Thailand and Southeast Asia, as the ancestral home to most Asians -

It will cost American taxpayers US$57,077.60 per minute to get President Barack Obama's additional 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, based on the (low) figure of $30 billion overall that he has offered. This is a drop in the bucket when it

One Nation Under Contract by Allison Stanger This is a rare insight into the true nature of the outsourcing of government roles, as varied as development aid and security in conflict zones. This practice has created an accountability gap that

Vast empty spaces of Kazakhstan may soon be populated by Chinese farmers - 15 million, according to opponents - if President Nursultan Nazarbayev follows through on what he says is Chinese interest in renting 1 million hectares of Kazakh farmland.

Shanghai and Hong Kong shares took a fall this week as momentum flagged across the region. Amid a general lack of direction, there is a risk that minor breakdowns could cascade. R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups

The ever-expanding empire of Google is now entering phone territory, with the US-based company planning to bring out its own handset in the new year. With the gadgets linked to Google's search data, you could soon be seeing a Big