China has taken a modest step into diplomacy in the Middle East, hosting back-to-back visits from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas.
Jim Middleton speaks with Ben Suffian, the Program Director of the Merdeka Centre in Kuala Lumpur, an opinion research firm that's monitoring voting in the Malaysian elections.
One man has translated the entire works of Shakespeare into his native tongue, Punjabi. India correspondent Stephanie March met the scholar at his home in Chandigarh.
Malaysia is working with the Philippines to investigate if a third party orchestrated the month-long security crisis in the state of Sabah, as Kesha West reports
Jim Middleton speaks with Dr Chung Min Lee, a former adviser to South Korean President Park Geun-hye during her election campaign, about North Korea's declaration that the ceasefire agreement between the two Koreas is null and void.
The issue of rising pollution in China has taken centre stage at the annual session of parliament - and a shake-up in the Environment Ministry appears to be on the cards, as China correspondent Huey Fern Tay reports from Beijing.
The Indonesian rupiah is among Asia's worst performing currencies, losing about six percent of its value last year, as Indonesia correspondent Helen Brown reports from Jakarta.
This year's Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art exhibition includes everything from performance masks from Papua New Guinea to Indonesian punk music, as Pacific correspondent Sean Dorney reports.
Jim Middleton interviews the director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, Thitinan Pongsudhirak.
A program in Melbourne is reaching out to Burma refugees through growing and serving food. In Werribee Park a group of refugees have revitalised the park's kitchen garden, while learning valuable life skills and meeting their local community.
Human rights groups have accused North Korea of systematic abuse of its people and of foreign nationals. The United Nations Human Rights Council is expected to vote on the establishment of a commission to inquire into the secretive country's human rights record. Kesha West
Following last year's rape and murder of a young woman in New Delhi, many Indian women are starting self-defence classes. Although the Indian Government has made changes to legislation to try to curb sexual assault in the city, many New Delhi women say the reforms have not gone far enough. Stephanie March reports.
Chairman of the Security Innovation Network, Robert Rodriguez, says Washington must find a way to confront China's new leadership without worsening what's increasingly being called the "Cyber Cold War".
Although justice is expected to be swift and severe for the six men accused of raping and murdering a young Indian woman in New Delhi last year, as Karishma Vyas reports, the government is being accused of failing to protect its citizens.
D-grade Melbourne cricketers the Abbotsford Anglers have toured the world, with their visit to India being the inspiration for a feature film, as Kate Arnott reports.
Kate Arnott reports while soccer is facing match-fixing allegations worldwide,t experts say the problem is particularly prevalent in Asia, where betting laws are lax.
Weeks of toxic smog in Beijing have taken a toll on the health of the young and old, forcing Chinese officials to announce a number of measures to stamp out some of the pollution, as Huey Fern Tay reports.
Poor kids in India are getting access to an elite private school education under a government policy that is forcing schools to open up 25 per cent of places to slum children, as Stephanie March reports.
Business groups in Indonesia are urging the government to take urgent steps to prevent future flooding disasters, which they warn will drive international investors away, as Helen Brown reports.
Jim Middleton interviews Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr about the war in Syria, Australia's position on the UN Security Council, and Fiji governance.
Auskar Surbakti speaks to a group of young Indian leaders in Australia about the recent rape case in New Delhi that has sparked protests against government inaction to prevent violence against women.
The adaptation of the musical Cats into Mandarin is getting rave reviews in Beijing and helping to win over a new broadway audience, as Huey Fern Tay reports.
Just three months after deadly ethnic clashes in northern India, fresh violence has erupted between the indigenous Bodo tribe and Muslims in Assam, as Karishma Vyas reports.
K-pop's catchy songs, dance moves and policy of inclusiveness are making stars out of performers from right across the region, as James Oaten reports from Seoul.
Dr Surin Pitsuwan has been ASEAN's secretary general for the past five years, and he spoke with Jim Middleton ahead of the end of his term in December.
Jim Middleton speaks with Robert Kuhn, a corporate strategist and author, who's been an adviser to Xi Jinping and has seen China's new leader up close.
With a disturbing increase in maternal and child mortality rates, the Philippine President, Benigno Aquino, is supporting legislation aimed at allowing free access to fertility control and sex education, as Kesha West reports.
With a disturbing increase in maternal and child mortality rates, the Philippine President, Benigno Aquino, is supporting legislation aimed at allowing free access to fertility control and sex education, as Kesha West reports.
ASEAN Secretary General, Surin Pitsuwan, discusses free trade in the region and the ongoing territorial disputes between China and other Southeast Asian nations.
A new book and documentary examines the Chinese brand of rock music and a group of musicians resisting the country's modern values and aspirations, as Joanna McCarthy reports.
Philippines President Benigno Aquino speaks to Kesha West about the Mindanao peace agreement, South China Sea tensions, and his tough approach to protecting the country's 'rights'.
As India and Australia commit to formal negotiations on uranium sales and annual leaders meetings, both countries are seeking to usher in a new chapter in bilateral relations.
Former Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva talks to Jim Middleton about his government’s handling of the 2010 anti-government protests in Bangkok in the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings.
An Australian theatre director has embarked on a history-making trip to East Timor to help preserve the country's ancestral stories, as Kate Arnott reports.
China is striving to have a tiny island, dubbed "Piano Island", listed on the United Nations World Heritage list due to its classical heritage, as Huey Fern Tay reports.
US President Barack Obama has defended free speech and called for a united stance against the recent wave of violence triggered by an anti-Islamic video.
Vali Nasr from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington talks about US-Pakistan relations as President Asif Ali Zardari visits New York.
Kesha West speaks to Singapore's former ambassador to the United Nations, Kishore Mahbubani, about Asia's growing influence in international affairs and Australia place in the region.
India's economic transformation is being slowed by a huge infrastructure gap and huge cities like Mumbai are feeling the pinch most, as Richard Lindell reports.
Jim Middleton speaks to journalist and Burma observer Pravit Rojanaphruk about the disparities between Burma's growing media freedom and its treatment of ethnic minorities.
Indonesia remains concerned about the hundreds of its citizens, many of them teenagers, in Australian jails facing people smuggling charges, reports Helen Brown.
Anti-corruption campaigner and India's first female police officer Kiran Bedi speaks to Richard Lindell about the fight to stamp out the country's debilitating corruption.
Australia's new Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Defence Minister Stephen Smith have met their Indonesian counterparts in Canberra for the inaugural 2+2 dialogue.
Huey Fern Tay reports on the bid for Olympic glory for China's female boxers.
A weekly analysis of the biggest stories affecting Asia and the Pacific, the program features interviews with key decision-makers from across the region.
