asia

Graphic of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Free speech
China’s tech weapons roll in to quell demonstrations, identify protesters
A protester holds a placard as she takes part in a small demonstration against the holding of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in China, at Piccadilly Circus in London, Feb. 3, 2022. 
Human rights
Uyghurs in Saudi Arabia risk deportation to China
Anti-coup protesters walk through a market with images of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi at Kamayut township in Yangon, Myanmar, April 8, 2021. They walked through the markets and streets of Kamayut township with slogans to show their disaffection
Conflict & Justice
‘Our unity is our hope,’ exiled Myanmar envoy says
A protester from the Uighur community living in Turkey, participates in a protest in Istanbul, Oct. 1, 2020, against what they allege is oppression by the Chinese government to Muslim Uighurs in far-western Xinjiang province. 
US bans cotton products from China’s Uighur region over forced labor concerns
A man cast his ballot during the early voting ahead of the Nov. 8 general election, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread in Yangon, Myanmar, Oct. 30, 2020.
Elections
Myanmar prepares for a remarkable but messy election 
A farmer works in a paddy field under the power lines near Nam Theun 2 dam in Khammouane province in Laos, Oct. 28, 2013.
Development
How a Chinese company took control of an entire nation’s electrical grid
Sihanoukville, Cambodia, has become a construction site in recent years, with dozens of Chinese projects to build business and apartment high-rises, and with roads under construction around town.
On China's New Silk Road
Opening the door to Chinese investment comes with risks for Southeast Asian nations
Kazakhs protest what they see as excessive expansion of Chinese influence in Kazakhstan, including new Silk Road investments, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Dec. 2019.
On China's New Silk Road
China’s new Silk Road traverses Kazakhstan. But some Kazakhs are skeptical of Chinese influence.
A room full of mostly elderly Asian residents of San Francisco's sit in a large room as they attend a talk on protecting themselves from immigration enforcement.
Commentary
What it’s like being a lawyer for Cambodian deportees
A woman's face appears amidst colorful signs protest against China's Uyghar detention centers.
Justice
China says Uighur detention centers fight terrorism, rejects UN criticism
Pope Francis is welcomed as he arrives at Yangon International Airport, Myanmar November 27, 2017.
Conflict
The pope may not use the term ‘Rohingya’ during his trip to Myanmar. Here’s why.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, smiles during a news conference after Japan’s lower house election, at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 22, 2017.
Global Politics
Japan’s Abe promises to ‘deal firmly’ with North Korea after resounding election victory
South Korean officials trying to convince youth of importance of unification
President Obama announces complete withdrawal from Iraq by year’s end
Palestinian Americans wary of statehood bid
Israel to Palestinians: Only way to statehood is negotiation
Violence returns to Iraq as America plans withdrawal
US suspends $800 million of military aid to Pakistan
hand phone illustration by  Leslie Agan
Culture
If you’re placing a phone call to North Korea, it may be answered on a ‘hand phone’
Activists from Hefajat-e-Islam, a Bangladeshi fundamentalist Muslim group that calls for the executions of atheist bloggers in the country, shout slogans during a 2013 rally.
Conflict
Bangladeshi bloggers are only the latest victims of rising anti-free speech forces
Some of the lucky ones: A group of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants admitted into Indonesia in May 2015. Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are now pushing away boats holding thousands of migrants.
Conflict
Another migrant crisis is brewing in the Bay of Bengal
Culture
Persian poetry and proverbs are this US government spokesperson’s strong suit
A Nepalese army personnel stands in front of a collapsed temple in Bhaktapur, Nepal a day after the April 25 earthquake rocked the country. The quake devastated the heavily crowded Kathmandu valley, killing thousands and triggering a deadly avalanche on M
Environment
Earthquakes create as well as destroy
Samrat Upadhyay teaches creative writing at Indiana University in Bloomington. He says it's a difficult time for his country.
Development
After the earthquake, this Nepali writer dreads an upcoming visit home
Although same-sex marriage isn’t legal, Vietnam is at the forefront of gay rights in the region and gay weddings are not uncommon.
Culture
Photographer Catherine Karnow captures a changing Vietnam
Poet Yu Xiuhua lives in her home village in China's Hubei Province. She became an internet sensation with the publication of her poem, "Crossing Half of China to Sleep With You."
Arts
1,200 years later, is Chinese poetry entering a new golden age?
Soy Sauce
Food
Tsunami-proof: Japanese soy sauce rises from ruins of 2011 disaster
Youngsters surf the Internet near the ruined Darul Aman Palace, which was built in the 1930s. Only 5.5 percent of Afghan youths have access to the Internet, but technology played a role in connecting youth during last year's presidential elections.
Arts
See the surprising ‘new’ Afghanistan in these 18 photos
German players celebrate with their trophy after winning the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
Sports
Brace yourselves: A Winter World Cup is coming
Aerial view of the dust storm in Western Iran.
Environment
You think the snow in the US is bad? Spare a thought for Iranians caught in a dust storm
State of the Union 2015
Global Politics
What Obama didn’t mention in the State of the Union
A Syrian girl covers herself with a blanket at a refugee settlement in Bar Elias in Lebanon.
Conflict
Sorry, we’re full — Lebanon ends its open border policy for Syrian refugees
Kevin and Julia Garratt shown with two of their three children, Peter and Hannah.
Belief
China is cracking down on the missionary lifeline that helps North Korean refugees
China highlands
Environment
A new book documents China’s exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources
The Underground Girls of Kabul
Development
Why some Afghans are raising their girls as boys
Syrian volunteer
Education
Turkey faces a daunting challenge in trying to educate hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees
A handmade walrus skin boats lies along the shore of the Bering Sea. These boats, also known as bidarkas, are used for hunting marine mammals. In the summer, teams of men and women race them.
Culture
Arctic cultures could be under threat as mining and oil come to their lands
US President Barack Obama speaks at a meeting with more than 20 foreign defense chiefs to discuss the coalition efforts in the ongoing campaign against ISIS at Joint Base Andrews in Washington on October 14, 2014.
Conflict
American warplanes have effectively become Assad’s best weapon
Immigrant_veggies4
Food
Immigrants in New Hampshire are creating an unlikely ethnic food hub
Afghanistan's new President Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai speaks during his inauguration as president in Kabul on September 29, 2014.
Global Politics
Afghanistan’s new president looks to break from recent history
Graffiti in an abandoned building overlooking Syria. The building used to be a Syrian army post before Israel captured the Golan Heights territory.
Conflict
Al-Qaeda arrives at Israel’s doorstep in the Golan Heights
Will these Kazakh schoolchildren use Cyrillic or Latin script in the future?
Global Politics
A University of Kansas linguist is risking Russia’s ire in helping Kazakhstan change its writing system
A woman pushes at Chinese paramilitary police wearing riot gear as a crowd of angry locals confront security forces on a street in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region on July 7, 2009.
Conflict
How China squeezes its Uighur minority — and how they’re fighting back
Usama Hasan
Conflict
Hundreds of Britons, including the man who killed James Foley, are fighting for ISIS
People with portraits of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki rally in support of him in Baghdad on August 11, 2014.
Conflict
The fight against ISIS takes a back seat to squabbles in Baghdad
A local woman on a crutch shouts at Chinese paramilitary police as a crowd of angry locals confront security forces on a street in the city of Urumqi in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region in 2009.
Conflict
A Chinese city plans to ban Muslim clothing — to fight terrorism
Children, who are internally displaced due to the fighting between rebels and the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, play inside Al-Tah camp in the southern Idlib countryside July 4, 2014.
Conflict & Justice
Children tell their own grim stories from war zones
Lifestyle & Belief
Dispatches from a desperate Pakistan
Conflict & Justice
Regional Reactions to Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions
Arts, Culture & Media
One Teacher and 70,000 Students
Conflict & Justice
Hezbollah chooses Lebanon’s new Prime Minister
Watching the 2014 World Cup final at a pub in Moscow.  Russia hosts the next World Cup in 2018, and Russian fans are hoping it will go as well as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Sports
Russians will be proud to host the 2018 World Cup, if their team can up its game
Global Politics
Iraq’s New Government: A Turning Point?
Riot police attack a man during an anti-Muslim riot in Hlegu, outside Yangon, in April. More sectarian riots flared up in Myanmar in July.
Conflict & Justice
Who’s to blame for Myanmar’s spate of sectarian riots?
Riot police attack a man during an anti-Muslim riot in Hlegu, outside Yangon, in April. More sectarian riots flared up in Myanmar in July.
Conflict & Justice
Who’s to blame for Myanmar’s spate of sectarian riots?
People attend a mass rally against "U.S. Imperialists" at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang June 25, 2014.
Global Politics
Two Americans went to North Korea as tourists — now they’re both going on trial for ‘hostile acts’
Lifestyle & Belief
Back from Afghanistan, soldiers look to a New Year and new life
Nabih Bulos
Conflict & Justice
Your questions answered: What is going on in Iraq?
Conflict & Justice
Japan’s Military Priorities Now Focus on China
Arts, Culture & Media
Future World Cup hosts: Qatar and Russia