Fascinated by armed conflict and military technology, Samson Young once noted that cannons and bells are made from the same materials, melted down and reforged depending on whether war drums are sounding or peace currently prevails.

In February, Bhutan welcomed the birth of its crown prince, Jigme Namgyal Wangchuck, the first child of the reigning King Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Citizens of the small, oil-rich Sultanate of Brunei enjoy an impressive standard of living. 

With a population of just eight million, the kingdom of Jordan has more than 2.7 million refugees, including 655,000 Syrians.

The most populous tropical Pacific Island nation, with more than 750 languages, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has recently experienced strong economic growth

Taiwan elected its first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, in January 2016. Though Tsai’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, leans toward formal independence from China

On September 2, 2016, longtime strongman president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov died suddenly and without an apparent political heir.

There is no “biennale” in biennales. The art calendars in Asia and in the West are quite different from one another.