All Asia: South & Central
First LookIn fight for freedom of speech, Myanmar journalists urge authorities to ditch oppressive lawJournalists take a stand with planned marches as two journalists face defamation trial.
First LookUnidentified gunman torches Philippine casino, his motive still in questionAfter storming a casino in Manila, torching gambling tables, and causing dozens of deaths from smoke, police insist attacker's motive was robbery and not militant terrorism.
With stones – and phones – Kashmiri youth show deepening resolve against IndiaThe killing of an iconic rebel commander has kicked popular sentiment against India into higher gear since last summer. A new generation of protesters is determined to project their message outside the Kashmir Valley.
First LookAmid fighting in Marawi, video from captured priest says hostages being held by militantsFighting between militants linked to the Islamic state and Philippines military forces has been raging for a week.
First LookPhilippine forces launch attacks against ISIS-linked militants in MarawiMilitants have been causing violence in the city since Tuesday and the island has been placed under martial law by President Duterte.
First LookISIS-linked militants lay siege to city in southern Philippines, Duterte declares martial lawThe attack is taking place in Marawi, a mostly Muslim city of 200,000 people on the southern island of Mindanao.
Attack on Afghan base a reminder: Taliban pose the greater threatThe sophisticated and deadly attack on one of northern Afghanistan's most secure bases served as a reminder that the Taliban, not ISIS, are the most potent Islamist insurgency in the country.
First LookOver objections from China, protestors, US moving THAAD defense partsProtestors clashed with South Korean police as the US military transferred parts of a missile-defense system that would help protect the South from the North.
First LookTorture by Afghan security forces still widespread, says UNA new report notes an alarming spike in the use of torture by Afghan police, soldiers, and intelligence officers.
First LookIn South Korea, Pence proclaims new era of US policy toward the NorthThe vice president made an unannounced visit to a border village that is the only place where North Korean and South Korean soldiers stand face to face.
First LookUN urges Sri Lanka to investigate civil war atrocitiesZeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, gave an oral report on the situation in Sri Lanka on Wednesday as the global institution weighs whether to extend the deadline for addressing crimes committed during the civil war.
As world's support ebbs, Myanmar refugees feel pushed back to unsafe homesThe refugees, mostly members of the Karen ethnic group, have been living in camps in Thailand. But funding for the camps is dwindling as international donors turn to what they see as more urgent crises.
First LookISIS claims attack targeting Pakistani Sufi worshippers, one of country's worst in yearsA deadly bombing in Pakistan underscores the terror group's hostility towards Muslims who don't share its worldview.- First LookValentine's Day? Not in Islamabad. Pakistani judge bans public celebrations in capitalA Pakistani judge has ruled Valentine's Day inconsistent with Islamic teachings. But the holiday has critics all around the world who oppose it as a commercialized, Western import.
First LookMalaysian boat with aid for Rohingya arrives to protests in MyanmarThe Rohingya are a Muslim minority in the primarily-Buddhist country, and have faced discrimination for years. But since October, a counterinsurgency crackdown has likely resulted in mass killings, according to a new UN report.
FocusHow Nepal got the electricity flowingHours-long daily blackouts ended suddenly last October after an engineer approached the problem differently – and got the government's backing to solve it.
In Nepal, 'appalling' river runs cleaner in wake of unusual partnershipCampaigns to clean the river have often quickly fizzled out. But the Safai Abhiyaan is in its third year and attracts hundreds of people who are willing to brave the polluted waters every Saturday to fish out trash.
Vietnam battles erosion of beaches – and of tourismWalking along Cua Dai is like visiting a beach-restoration technology exhibition, with efforts ranging from stone seawalls to fiber-and-sand wave breakers.
The ExplainerThe Trump presidency: What's in store for US allies?On the campaign trail, President-elect Trump repeatedly challenged the status quo regarding key US allies, including NATO, Japan, and South Korea. But his actual intentions are unclear.
The ExplainerThe Trump presidency: What will it change in the Middle East?US relations with Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey are some of the most challenging in the region, and Donald Trump's election looks likely to unsettle them all.
