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A South Korean soldier stands next to loudspeakers near the border with North Korea on Jan. 8. South Korea responded to the North's latest nuclear test by resuming the broadcasts that include news, criticism of the North Korean regime and pop music.

A South Korean soldier stands next to loudspeakers near the border with North Korea on Jan. 8. South Korea responded to the North's latest nuclear test by resuming the broadcasts that include news, criticism of the North Korean regime and pop music. Lim Tae-hoon/AP hide caption

toggle caption Lim Tae-hoon/AP

Parallels

Responding To Nuclear Test, S. Korea Cranks Up The K-Pop

South Korea is again blaring news, music and propaganda from banks of loudspeakers along the border. At a minimum, it seems to annoy North Korea.

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Business

Chinese Company Dalian Wanda Buys Legendary Entertainment

Chinese company Dalian Wanda has bought Legendary Entertainment, the film company which made Jurassic Park among many other movies. The move marks one of the largest American cultural acquisitions ever by a Chinese company.

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Economy

China Views Untapped Consumer Market As Key To Stimulating Economy

The Chinese are famous savers, putting away large amounts of the money they make. The government sees its untapped, vast consumer market as a way to stimulate growth. But doing so requires some painful tradeoffs between entrenched interests.

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Pag-asa island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, is claimed by both the Philippines and China. It's the only inhabited island in the Spratlys.

Pag-asa island, part of the disputed Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, is claimed by both the Philippines and China. It's the only inhabited island in the Spratlys. Rolex Dela Pena/Pool/AP hide caption

toggle caption Rolex Dela Pena/Pool/AP

Parallels

In The Tussle For The South China Sea, A Mayor Tries To Protect His Island

China's claims of territory in the South China Sea are alarming its neighbors. The Filipino mayor of the disputed Spratly Islands is on the front line of the dispute.

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A colored enhanced scanning electron micrograph of Burkholderia pseudomallei. These motile bacteria are the cause of melioidosis, a tropical disease spread through contaminated water and soil. The bacteria can infect the skin, causing inflammation and muscle aches, or the lungs, causing chest pain, cough and in some cases pneumonia.

A colored enhanced scanning electron micrograph of Burkholderia pseudomallei. These motile bacteria are the cause of melioidosis, a tropical disease spread through contaminated water and soil. The bacteria can infect the skin, causing inflammation and muscle aches, or the lungs, causing chest pain, cough and in some cases pneumonia. Eye of Science hide caption

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Goats and Soda

This Germ Can Live Decades In Distilled Water, Kill Humans In 48 Hours

It causes melioidosis, whose yearly death toll of 90,000 is about the same as for measles. But the disease hasn't been on the global health radar — until now.

Young South Koreans in the Hongdae neighborhood of Seoul, the weekend following North Korea's latest announcement of a nuclear test.

Young South Koreans in the Hongdae neighborhood of Seoul, the weekend following North Korea's latest announcement of a nuclear test. Haeryun Kang/for NPR hide caption

toggle caption Haeryun Kang/for NPR

Parallels

For Young South Koreans, The North's Nuclear Test Is Barely A Blip

As the world refocuses its attention on North Korea after the rogue nation's fourth nuclear test, in neighboring South Korea, day-to-day life has barely been affected.

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A US B-52 Stratofortress is escorted by a South Korean fighter jet (left) and a U.S. fighter jet (right) as it flies over the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Sunday.

A US B-52 Stratofortress is escorted by a South Korean fighter jet (left) and a U.S. fighter jet (right) as it flies over the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, on Sunday. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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The Two-Way

U.S. Flies Bomber Over South Korea In Show Of Strength, Alliance

A nuclear-capable B-52 flew over Osan Air Base, an hour south of Seoul, in a show of force. Tensions between North and South Korea have been high since North Korea's recent nuclear test.

Economy

Amid Chinese Uncertainty, U.S. Economy Shows Strength With Jobs Report

After a frightening week for global financial markets, the U.S. economy showed real strength on Friday when the Labor Department released the December jobs report. It showed employers added 292,000 jobs, which is a strong number.

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Why 'Star Wars' Tickets May Be A Tough Sell In China

The franchise isn't well known in the world's second-largest movie market. When the first Star Wars film debuted in 1977, Chinese were still wearing Mao suits and were largely cut off from the world.

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A sign promotes a real estate project last month in Kunming, China. Construction of residential and commercial properties has outpaced demand in China, a factor that some analysts cite in forecasting another global economic downturn.

A sign promotes a real estate project last month in Kunming, China. Construction of residential and commercial properties has outpaced demand in China, a factor that some analysts cite in forecasting another global economic downturn. Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images

The Two-Way

China's Woes Are Growing, Along With A Debate: Is It 2008 Again?

China's economy and stock market are taking hits. Billionaire George Soros says it's setting the stage for another global meltdown. But others argue China's troubles will not trigger a crisis.

A South Korean soldier looks through a pair of binoculars near the village of Panmunjom, which sits at the border between the two Koreas.

A South Korean soldier looks through a pair of binoculars near the village of Panmunjom, which sits at the border between the two Koreas. Lee Jin-man/AP hide caption

toggle caption Lee Jin-man/AP

The Two-Way

South Korea To Resume Broadcasting Propaganda To The North Over Loudspeakers

South Korea made the announcement after Pyongyang claimed it tested a hydrogen bomb.

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Family members of Shafqat Hussain, who was convicted and hanged in Pakistan in August for killing a boy in 2004, waited to receive his body outside the central jail in Karachi. Pakistan executed more than 300 people last year.

Family members of Shafqat Hussain, who was convicted and hanged in Pakistan in August for killing a boy in 2004, waited to receive his body outside the central jail in Karachi. Pakistan executed more than 300 people last year. Fareed Khan/AP hide caption

toggle caption Fareed Khan/AP

Parallels

Fewer Countries Are Relying On Death Penalty, But They're Executing More

Saudi Arabia's spate of 47 executions last week continued a trend from 2015, in which several countries that have the death penalty used it more often.

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