What's Next (Cover Story)
From cool gadgets to tomorrow's hottest films, we offer a vision of what’s to come


Is Pakistan a Friend or Foe?
As the war on terror drags on, is Pakistan helping or hindering the U.S.?

Great Leap Skyward
As the country's super-secret space program prepares for its first manned mission, China shows it's ready to be a global player

Close Encounters
I Had Sex with an Alien!

A Long-Distance Friendship
The struggles of two starkly different friends highlight the many problems facing women in a not-so-new Afghanistan


The Road to Redemption
A wartime trail becomes a symbol of Vietnam's future

More Than Chick Flicks
From Thai martial-arts heroes to a sultry Gong Li, the Toronto International Film Festival showcases the best in Asian cinema


Down the Drain
After death and taxes, life offers one more inevitability: your tax dollars will undoubtedly pay for something overpriced or ridiculous. Asian nations like to spend, and the amounts they waste are anything but small change

Thank You for the Music
"(Lifting the ban) will help boost the Korean film industry's competitiveness"

Verbatim
Quotes of the Week

Milestones
Ali Imron is the third principal in the Bali case

Letters
Letters: Is the U.S. Stretched Too Thin?