Learning on a jet plane: Taiwanese find a vehicle for global success

Mandy Chun leaned forward in seat 5A of her flight from Taipei to Vancouver and considered her options. "I like chicken please," she said, slowly pronouncing each word as she peered over her oval glasses at the flight attendant.

UN slashes Afghanistan contingent

A deadly attack on its staff and a fraudulent presidential election prompt the world body to withdraw half of its international workers

CHINA'S WILD, WILD WEST

By one measure, the new ChiNext is an expensive place to find earnings

India's bitter harvest

India expects its summer harvest will fall at least 10 per cent this year after devastating floods and the direst monsoon since 1972. The government plans to import massive amounts of sugar, vegetables and, for the first time, rice. Pictured is a sugar cane vendor in the northern city of Jammu

WORLD REACTION

International leaders were quick with congratulations and advice once Hamid Karzai was declared re-elected.

Ottawa's ally is 'damaged goods'

Layton argues tainted election throws 'goals into question,' while MacKay focuses on institutions, not individual

ENERGY / GAZPROM'S MAN IN HOUSTON

There's not much in John Hattenberger's corner office on the 25th floor of the Bank of America tower to indicate that he's Gazprom's man in America's oil and gas capital.

Oligarch's IPO attempt plods on

Oleg Deripaska's Rusal stock sale fighting headwinds as the final details slowly emerge

Asian nations feel heat from low yuan

Keeping a lid on its currency is both boosting exports and resentment among China's neighbours in the region

Peshawar blast signals switch to civilian targets

Increasing pressure on government to abandon its Taliban offensive, extremists waging 'battle of nerves'

Health Care

Indians suffer in a land awash with painkillers

Drugs are cheap but patients can't get them due to complex laws and lack of training on opiate use

Health Care

India touts expertise in 'medical tourism'

Many patients seek to avoid long wait times; others want cutting edge treatments not available at home

IED kills Canadian officer 10 days into mission

Justin Garrett Boyes was leading a foot patrol of Afghan National police through a district heavily populated by Taliban yesterday morning when the ground exploded beneath him.

Maybe the golden time is up for 'Made in Taiwan'

The island that rocketed to the top of Asian exporters has quickly lost its grip on prosperity

JAPAN'S LOST DECADES

Anyone who can recall the country's industrial heyday has a long memory

Inflation fears spur India to plan rate hikes

Country's central bank leaves key lending rate unchanged, but lays groundwork for future increases

The more troops, the more violence

Deaths of eight more U.S. soldiers makes October the bloodiest month of the war

Tensions soar as Karzai rejects opponent's call to fire election officials

Tension between the two contenders for Afghanistan's presidency reached new heights yesterday after President Hamid Karzai flatly rejected his opponent's demands to fire a high-profile list of election officials and politicians ahead of November's run-off vote.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE TIGERS' MERCHANT VESSELS?

The crude markings and mismatched maritime ID number on the ship that brought 76 Sri Lankan Tamils to British Columbia last week were signs that the rusty freighter's real name wasn't what it claimed to be and that it had a more shadowy origin.

Catching up with China

South Korea is emulating its neighbour's oil resource buying spree