All Asia: South & Central
- British troop exit from Afghanistan stirs questions at home over mission
British and US military bases in Helmand Province have been handed over to Afghan forces. Some former British military officials question the strategy of their military's 13-year combat mission.
- Pakistan court upholds death penalty in Christian woman's blasphemy case
Asia Bibi's blasphemy conviction is symbolic and highly charged. But there's an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty in Pakistan with only one carried out since 2008. She also has several paths of appeal.
- Nepal avalanche: Climate change in action?
Avalanches and landslides in Nepal's Himalaya mountain range have been blamed on extreme weather during the peak trekking season. Glaciers are shrinking as a result of what scientists say is man-made global warming.
- Global hero, local lightning rod? Why Malala's Nobel rankles many Pakistanis
Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani education advocate shot by the Taliban, is the co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. In Pakistan, TV coverage quickly shifted to domestic politics, and conspiracy theories abounded.
- Salman Rushdie, who? India's new star author speaks to the masses
The latest novel by Chetan Bhagat goes on sale in New Delhi today. Mr. Bhagat is credited with helping popularize inexpensive English-language books.
- Rebels without a cause? In Kashmir, returning militants left dangling
A few hundred Kashmiri rebels in Pakistan have moved back to India-controlled Kashmir under a government rehabilitation program that hasn't panned out as they hoped. Cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan continues today.
- India, Pakistan trade gunfire in Kashmir. What happened to the relationship reset?
Indian and Pakistani soldiers traded fire over the disputed Kashmir border, killing nine and causing thousands to flee. The altercation comes just months after outreach from Indian Prime Minister Modi sparked hopes of a detente.
- Can Pakistani 'VIPs' learn to wait in line? They may be forced to.
Well-connected elites are used to preferential treatment. After passengers on a delayed Pakistan International Airlines flight pushed back last month, tolerance for the so-called 'VIP culture' may be waning.
- Invoking Gandhi, Modi vows to 'Clean India' by 2019. Is that possible?
Prime Minister Modi required bureaucrats to clean toilets and sweep today, the national holiday for Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. Poor sanitation causes India to lose 6.4 percent of GDP, the World Bank estimates.
- What's a White House dinner without dinner? Modi and Obama will find out.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with President Obama for a private dinner tonight, but the prime minister is fasting for a Hindu religious festival. This is Modi's first official visit.
- How India beat China to Mars (for less than the cost of a Hollywood movie)
India brought its spacecraft Mangalyaan into Mars' orbit today, the first Asian nation to do so. Its mission cost less than the budget for "Gravity," a 2013 Hollywood blockbuster, thanks in part to a lighter craft that kept down fuel costs.
- Aid volunteers in flooded Kashmir Valley ask: Where is the Indian Army?
Volunteers from across India are traveling to the Kashmir Valley to join flood relief efforts. But they are finding a big difference between the official relief efforts shown on television, and what's happening on the ground.
- Malala's attackers arrested. Why did it take two years?
Pakistan's Army says they captured Taliban gunmen who shot Malala Yousafzai in 2012. The arrests come amid a crackdown on militants after the June attack on the Karachi Airport.
- India and Pakistan scramble to send aid to flooded Kashmir Valley
Monsoon rains have inundated towns and villages in northeast Pakistan and India-administered Kashmir, killing nearly 140 people in both countries. Pakistan's Army is leading aid efforts there.
- Has Imran Khan overplayed his hand in fomenting Pakistan unrest?
Cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan risks alienating his base of young, urban voters, who are increasingly disillusioned with his role in the protests rocking Islamabad.
- Pakistan faces a major political crisis: 6 things to know
Street protests in Islamabad haven't yet forced Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign, but they are boosting the role of the powerful Army.
- India's Gandhi family is a dynasty on the rocks
The Nehru-Gandhi family's star power is at its lowest point after a historic trouncing in the national election. The Congress Party is mulling an end to dynastic politics.
- From rape to the economy, Indian PM ranges wide in Independence Day speech
Narendra Modi's first Independence Day speech as India's leader showcased the government’s domestic goals, but stayed away from relations with Pakistan.
- India’s Modi accuses Pakistan of waging a proxy war. Will it deter peace talks?
Stern remarks from India’s prime minister could hurt efforts to restart peace talks over Kashmir, which are scheduled for later this month.
- The ExplainerWhy did India block the first global trade reform in 19 years?
The country stunned WTO negotiators by its last-minute objections to a deal to cut red tape and reduce tariffs.