Wall Street Journal reports calls for punitive action echoed around the world after North Korea's nuclear test on Friday, but the narrow scope for international cooperation against Pyongyang is putting pressure on Washington to act on its own. South Korea's president said she would seek stronger sanctions through the United Nations Security Council, and the top U.S. and Russian diplomats called for discussions about a course of action.. In the face of growing reluctance from China to intervene, two options emerged for a U.S. response: Pressure Beijing by activating U.S. sanctions authority to penalize Chinese firms that do business with North Korea; and accelerating the installation of a sophisticated missile-defense system in South Korea, a deployment that represents a major irritant in the Washington-Beijing relationship.

New York Times reports fewer Chinese people are getting married, a shift with profound implications for China's economic and social life. The decline in marriages means a decline in the number of babies, and potentially less spending on homes, appliances and other family-related purchases — the kind of spending China needs to drive economic growth. Already some businesses are thinking single. Jewelry makers are offering cheaper baubles for unmarried sweethearts. One appliance maker is selling smaller rice cookers. Foreign fertility services are advertising for Chinese women who want to freeze their eggs — a process that is prohibited for single women in China — to have children later...But the marriage slump — caused in large part by China's aging population and the legacy of its harsh one-child policy — has a silver lining. It also stems from the rise of an educated population of women. Specialists in economics, demography and sociology say some of those women are delaying marriage to build careers and establish financial footing, resulting in a more empowered female population that no longer views marriage as the only route to security.