The Philippines and Vietnam are putting aside their competing claims on the South China Sea in order to present a united, and stronger, front against China. What better to break the ice than a beach party?

Twin reports from a commission of Los Angeles professionals show a city in decline but reluctant to change course.

Massachusetts universities have long been a magnet for planet’s best and brightest, but visa woes too often send them packing before they’ve hit their stride. Now Governor Deval Patrick wants to help them stick around.

Pakistan awards a disputed parliamentary seat to the leader of a banned anti-Shi‘a organization. This is bad sign for the country’s persecuted Shi’a minority.

While Japan may have expressed remorse over its wartime actions in the Philippines, it hasn’t yet offered an apology to China and Korea.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is out of a job. That tells you all you need to know about Obamacare’s reputed success.

Labor unrest is the latest crisis to confront Egypt’s military government, which will deal with protest leaders in the usual brutal way. The people want stability, but at what price?

ExxonMobil claims to have produced a greener fracking fluid. Will it be green enough to convince Europe to tap its sizable reserves of shale gas?

A commission of local business and union leaders in LA is advising the city to adopt Warren Buffett’s lower estimates on pension investment returns. It’s a smart move, but can the city afford it?

As conservatives work to repeal and replace Obamacare, Vermont has started to build a single-payer system.