THE NEW ORDER: Farewell, Old Friend?
If Bill Clinton's China visit heralds a new, closer Sino-U.S. relationship, then the big loser appears to be Japan. Why is America neglecting its staunchest and richest ally in Asia?

Viewpoint: Bao Tong evaluates the President's visit

Dalai Lama Q&A: "The important thing is to build up trust"

Road Show: Behind-the-scenes with Clinton's entourage

Japan in Denial: Ordinary folks worry more about preserving jobs than about reforming their bloated economic system

Lesser Evil: Apathy may return Hashimoto to office

VIETNAM: Poverty Amid Plenty
Farmers grow lots of food, but they are still going hungry

INDONESIA: Winds of Change
A new openness in Jakarta raises hope that even the intractable problem of East Timor may bend to compromise

Gusmao Q&A: "The solution is to hold a referendum"

AFGHANISTAN:
The Taliban militia continue to tolerate opium production

MULTIMEDIA: Web Spawn-- With one cyberbarrier broken, what's to come?

EUROPE: Seeking Balance in Kosovo
While no admirers of Slobodan Milosevic and his brutal ways, Western countries are wary of Kosovar separatists

Schroder's Path: With a better than even chance to end Helmut Kohl's long reign in Germany, Gerhard Schroder sheds old dogmas in a search of a new political model

MIDDLE EAST: A Bomber Comes Home
Hussein Mokdad is back in Beirut, ending a journey from accountant to failed Hizballah guerrilla to Israeli prisoner

BUSINESS: Russia's Alarm Bells Ring
Fat cats and politicians alike have begun to panic as the ruble crumbles and the threat of devaluation looms large

South Africa: The Speculators' Latest Target

Can They Be Buddies?
Two brewers are locked in what may be an endless struggle over one of the world's great beer brands

Moneywatch

SPORT: At the World Cup, the big guns are still firing

SPORT: How The French Learned Italian

BOOKS: Two British journalists have managed to make splendid sense of an America rich in vitality

TELEVISION: Australian TV's new Kiwi accent

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