All Asia: South & Central
First LookWhy a Dhaka foundation is delivering fruit baskets in a pandemicThe Bidyanondo Foundation, previously known for its work with street children, is stepping in to support virus victims and their families. Volunteers hope to promote a "humanitarian approach" to caring for Bangladesh's ill.
First LookIndia, China clash on Himalayan border in deadly confrontationSoldiers have been facing off in the region for weeks, but the Indian soldiers' deaths mark the first fatal confrontation between the two Asian giants since 1975. China released no details on any casualties from their side.
First LookLandmark trade deal: Vietnam and EU forge new relationshipAs the European Union is attempting to diversify its supply chains, Vietnam has emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse. The nation has ratified a significant trade deal with the EU in the midst of the coronavirus lockdown.
First LookIn India's slums, neighbors unite against a pandemicIn Dharavi, Mumbai, home to a million people in one square mile, young community leaders have been stepping up to help those affected by the coronavirus.
First LookWhy New Delhi's Sikh kitchens cook 100,000 meals dailyThe Bangla Sahib Gurdwara has remained open through wars and plagues, serving thousands of people food. During India's ongoing coronavirus lockdown about four dozen men have kept the Sikh temple's kitchen open, cooking up to 100,000 meals a day.
First LookMillions in India, Bangladesh head for safety amid cyclone, virusA strong cyclone struck coastal India and Bangladesh on Wednesday sending millions of people to seek shelters, as evacuation measures become more challenging by the coronavirus.
First LookTrump praises malaria drug and India ups its productionPresident Donald Trump’s previous endorsement of hydroxychloroquine to fight the coronavirus catalyzed a tremendous shift in India to make much more of it and prescribe it for frontline health workers. But there is evidence against using the drug for COVID-19.
‘Bridge to health’? Why some question India’s contact tracing app.India is aiming to gradually reopen the economy, while limiting the spread of COVID-19. But its Aarogya Setu contact-tracing app has raised concerns.
What a lockdown means when home is hundreds of miles awayIndia’s COVID-19 lockdown has shone a spotlight on migrant workers, among the most vulnerable to both the public health and economic crises.
India’s lockdown: Where community is prized, isolation proves toughSocial distancing is hard enough in cultures that prize independence. What does it mean for places like India, where community is even more key?
First LookIndia's bustling train stations empty as Modi calls for curfewPrime Minister Narendra Modi's call for a 14-hour voluntary curfew was the first nationwide effort to enforce social isolations practices meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
As Delhi riot wounds heal, neighbors look for ‘the way ahead’Al Hind hospital and the Mustafabad neighborhood have become the center of relief efforts after New Delhi’s worst sectarian violence in decades.
After Delhi’s burst of violence, a Muslim artist takes stockNew Delhi’s riots, which began during Donald Trump’s state visit to the capital last month, left dozens of people dead, mostly Muslims.
First LookAfghan peace process hits prisoner-release bump in the roadAfghanistan's president rejected the release of thousands of Taliban prisoners as a confidence-building step before Afghan power-sharing talks.
First LookStreet clashes over citizenship rights in India turn deadlyThe worst street rioting in decades hit in New Delhi Tuesday, as India's Muslims and Hindus, who have mostly coexisted peacefully for centuries, turned on each other. Religious tensions under Prime Minister Narendra Modi continue to rise.
First LookTrump focuses on trade amid India's citizenship law protestsAs President Trump tours the Indian capital, hundreds of supporters and protestors of the new citizenship law that excludes Muslims clashed in the streets. The U.S. president is keeping the focus of his trip on sealing a trade deal with India.
Difference MakerSaving India’s storks: How smelly pests became a point of prideGreater adjutant storks, once common in India, are now endangered. But a small army of women led by Purnima Devi Barman is out to change that.
First LookModi's Hindu nationalist party defeated in New Delhi electionsIndian Prime Minister's Hindu nationalist party succumbed to a regional party in Delhi's legislative assembly elections on Tuesday. The stunning victory by the "common man's" party is seen as a response to India's new citizenship law.
First LookA soldier carried out Thailand's worst mass shootingMajor shootings are rare in Thailand but the nation's worst mass shooting that killed 29 people over the weekend by a distraught soldier has prompted soul searching in the southeast Asian country of 69 million that sees its military as a protector.
First LookLGBTQ people to be counted in Nepal's census for the first timeHomosexuality remains taboo in Nepal but the 2021 survey will help LGBTQ Nepalis access social services and inform minority group quotas, advocates say.
