Asia Blog - September 2010

India Passes Historic Judgment on Disputed Land

Policy

The Allahabad Court in India today passed a historic judgment over 2.7 acres of land that surround a mosque, which is disputed between Hindus and Muslims. The verdict may have been as good as could be hoped for: The land was divided equally among the three parties that made claims to the land—two Hindu and one Muslim.

September 30th by Komal Hiranandani | Comments

Photo of the Day: Young and Patriotic

Lifestyle

A boy poses for pictures on Tiananmen Square in Beijing on September 30, 2010, on the eve of China's National Day. China is scheduled to celebrate its 61st anniversary with a week-long holiday scheduled from October 1 to 7, 2010. (Liu Jin/AFP/Getty Images)

September 30th by Jeff Tompkins | Comments

Documentary Maker on Taliban Wins Emmy

Arts

Finally, some good news out of Pakistan. Journalist and filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has received an International Emmy Award in the Current Affairs category for her brave, fascinating documentary Children of the Taliban.

September 29th by | Comments

Photo of the Day: A Quick Touch-Up in Agra

Lifestyle

A photographer poses a tourist the Taj Mahal on September 29, 2010 in Agra, India. Completed in 1643, the mausoleum was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who is buried there alongside Jahan. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

September 29th by | Comments

Vishakha Desai on Middle Class Growth in China & India

This morning's episode of The Takeaway featured Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai, who commented on the booming middle class populations in China and India. What are the implications for the two countries' growth, and will it strengthen calls for democracy in China?

Listen to the entire segment below or here:

September 29th by | Comments

Author Yiyun Li Named 2010 MacArthur Fellow

Arts

Congratulations to Chinese fiction writer Yiyun Li on having been named one of 23 MacArthur Fellows for 2010. Commonly referred to as the "genius grants," the MacArthur Fellowships are awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T.

September 29th by Jeff Tompkins | Comments

India and Pakistan in Diplomatic Spat... Again

Policy

So, India's Minister of External Affairs Shri S.M. Krishna visited Asia Society today to talk about India's strategic challenges and its future. His Pakistani counterpart was in the building last week, talking about Pakistan's numerous internal and external challenges. After a "he said-she said," or in this case, "he said-he said," a diplomatic spat of sorts surfaced earlier today.

September 28th by | Comments

This Post Will Probably Give You Hope to Excel in Math

Education

Salman Khan (the educator, not actor) has been tapping into the anxieties of millions across the globe by devoting his time to teach math and science on the Internet.

September 28th by | Comments

Photo of the Day: An 'Aww-shucks' Moment from China

Lifestyle

Four-year-old male chimpanzee Yangyang (R) holds the hand of six-year-old female chimpanzee Wan Xing as they get married at a zoo in Hefei, in east China's Anhui province, on September 28, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

September 28th by | Comments

Going Out in Style

Lifestyle

What better way to go into the afterlife than being escorted in a 24-carat casket to your grave? After all, families want the best for their loved ones in life... and death. Right?

Right. Because that's what they're doing in Southeast Asia, in countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Taiwan.

From $100,000 gold-plated caskets to burial plots worth millions of dollars, a growing number of the rich are making their passage to the afterlife with the best that money can buy.

September 27th by | Comments

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Asia Blog - September 2010