A S I A
CHINA: Opiate Wars
As citizens look outside the Communist Party for solace, officials struggle to harness the unwieldy tentacles of religion
• Viewpoint: How Beijing mishandled the Karmapa case

MALAYSIA: Payback Time
Some Mahathir opponents get their knuckles rapped

INDONESIA: Calm Before the Storm
Religious differences have turned the Moluccas into a battlefield, filled with hate and the prospect of more violence
• Eyewitness: On the ground, confusion reigns

TAIWAN: Balls and Brickbats
Gangsters and illegal betting send baseball into a tailspin

JAPAN: Killer Concrete
Shoddy materials plague the bullet trains and other projects

T H E   A R T S
CINEMA: Lights!
Director Ann Hu's debut feature looks at how movies first came to China

E N D   P A G E S
MILESTONES

SPOTLIGHT

TRAVEL WATCH: Watch Japan's Chefs Colonize World Cuisine