Asia-Pacific | GlobalPost

Meet India's tampon king

Jason OverdorfMay 20, 2010 06:46Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

NEW DELHI, India — Not long ago, women in the small south Indian town of Coimbatore were convinced that 47-year-old A. Muruganantham was some kind of pervert.

5 things you need to know about Bangkok's crisis

Patrick WinnMay 19, 2010 16:02Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

BANGKOK, Thailand — Wild battles and torched malls now light up Bangkok, currently suffering one of its most unruly chapters ever. After occupying sectors of Bangkok for 10 weeks, protesters demanding the ruling party’s downfall finally dispersed when soldiers overran their encampment. But while most protesters from the so-called “Red Shirts” faction have returned home, a faceless band of hardliners has remained to wage an arson campaign.

Opinion: A year on, Sri Lanka suffers

AnonymousMay 20, 2010 07:41Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

One year ago, the war in Sri Lanka ended. But the events since May 2009 have proven that the country is still in need of critical dialogue and reflection. This week marks the one-year anniversary of Sri Lanka’s military defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the end of the island’s civil war. In Colombo, the mood is festive — or was until heavy rains postponed a celebratory parade planned for May 18th. During rehearsals, decorated soldiers hoisted Sri Lankan flags and filled Galle Face Green in preparation for the affair.

Burning down Bangkok

Patrick WinnMay 19, 2010 10:53

Tonight in Bangkok, the air is bitter. The breeze carries a stinging black smoke, pouring from flaming walls of tires and symbols of power and wealth: the Stock Exchange of Thailand, branches of prominent banks and Central World, Asia's second-largest mall.

Taliban's assault on NATO base suggests shift in tactics

Jean MacKenzieMay 19, 2010 11:35Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

KABUL, Afghanistan — A brazen assault today by up to 20 Taliban fighters on the largest NATO base in Afghanistan was the second attack in as many days on U.S. military targets here, suggesting to some observers that the Taliban appears intent on switching tactics from solo suicide bombings to more coordinated missions. The attacks also raise the possibility that the insurgents are trying to bring the fight into the capital even as the U.S. and NATO allies prepare for a mounting offensive this summer in the southern province of Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold.

Behind the scenes with Generation Wave

Alex EllgeeMay 19, 2010 08:00Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

Sanctions underway, but will they work?

cmsennott@globalpost.comMay 18, 2010 11:13

So it looks like the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have finally closed ranks in recognizing that the game Iran is playing is just too dangerous to let it continue any longer. The entire Security Council — including Russia and China, plus Germany — have drafted a resolution setting out a new sanctions package designed to impose international pressure on Iran to curtail its nuclear program.

NATO contemplates a broader mission

Teri SchultzMay 18, 2010 07:35Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Eleven years ago, few people other than south-Asia watchers had any idea what the Taliban was, much less could have imagined why more than 100,000 soldiers would be needed to fight it. At that time, the world’s premier military alliance, NATO, had never fought a ground war, operated outside of Europe, or invoked its Article 5 collective-defense clause. But Sept. 11, 2001 changed everything for the alliance. Well, almost everything.

Counting Bodies, One Click at at Time

Patrick WinnMay 15, 2010 12:41

As I trudged through the late-afternoon heat Friday, into an urban conflict zone between the Thai military and anti-government protesters, I encountered this man on a pedestrian bridge. Several distressed Thai women led him by the arm to meet me, insisting that I see a morbid image on his point-and-shoot digital camera.

In Iraq, Americans have one foot out the door

Jane ArrafMay 16, 2010 09:22Updated May 30, 2010 13:33

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The hot dry wind kicks up the dust around the plywood table and broken chair that pass for a police checkpoint in east Baghdad. The lone policeman is unusually nervous. For once, the police are afraid of us rather than the other way around. After a series of shootings at checkpoints by gunmen with silencers, even a reporter and an Iraqi bodyguard getting out of the car could be potential assassins.