COVER

Soldiers of Fortune

They once cut off human heads for luck. Today, the Wa are Asia's deadliest traffickers in opium and methamphetamines. TIME penetrates Burma's infamous speed tribe

ASIA

Going Up in Smoke

Riots in East Timor, the world's newest nation, prove independence isn't easy

BUSINESS

Back from the Brink

You thought they were dead? Chinese portal stocks are skyrocketing as the companies finally turn a profit

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

BRIEFING

Purring Tigers (Notebook)

With a desire for peace on both sides, an end to Sri Lanka's 19-year conflict looks possible

Civic Envy (Notebook)

Shanghai wins the right to host Expo 2010; will keeping up with Beijing be worth it?

Milestones (Notebook)

Mourning a crusading historian, a legendary actor and a television pioneer

TRAVEL

Detour

Sulabh International Museum of Toilets