All Asia: South & Central
Benazir Bhutto's son takes up the family trade in PakistanThe son of Pakistan's slain former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, launched his political career Thursday, vowing to continue his mother's fight for democracy.- Muslim scholars and clerics: suicide bombings are un-Islamic.A conference of religious leaders is set to meet in January in Afghanistan specifically to publicize the fact that suicide bombing violence is not in the Quran.
Delhi gang-rape case could be turning point for India's rape lawsIndia is considering a fast-track court process to expedite rape cases and step up punishment for sexual violence on the heels of the bus rape incident that spurred outrage across India.
In India, a Hindu nationalist rebuilds image with Muslim votesHindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi secured his fourth term as chief minister of India's Gujarat State, despite his alleged role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, in which some 1,000 Muslims were killed.
Five women shot dead in Pakistan for fighting polioFive female health workers vaccinating children against polio have been shot dead in Pakistan as Islamic militants raise suspicions about immunization efforts.
Most Pakistani lawmakers dodge taxes as world gives aid, loansOnly 126 parliamentarians out of 446 filed income tax returns in the previous fiscal year in a country that relies on international loans and aid to meet its fiscal challenges.
Taliban attack on Pakistani airport highlights changed tacticsTen men from the Pakistani Taliban attacked the international airport in Peshawar last night. Six people were killed after a stand-off between the militants and Pakistani forces.
In Afghanistan, a girl's killing stands out – for police responsePolice have arrested suspects in the recent beheading of a girl, but a new report released today by the UN finds that violent acts against women remain under reported and often ignored.
New UN plan to get girls in school boosted by Malala's fatherThe father of Malala Yousufzai, the girl shot in Pakistan for speaking on behalf of girls' education, attended the unveiling of a new plan to get girls around the world into schools.
India tests ways to help farmers cope with climate changeConcerns about how climate change may be affecting India are bringing fresh urgency – and funding – to longstanding challenges in sustainable agriculture.
Human rights report names names in Kashmir, invokes international lawThe report analyzes 214 cases and for the first time names 500 specific perpetrators working for India of crimes including enforced disappearance, killings, rape, and torture.
India's sports bureaucracy booted from the OlympicsThe International Olympic Committee decided Tuesday to suspend the Indian Olympic Association, citing bad governance and meddling by the Indian government.
In Pakistan, big perks and big risks to being a journalistA bomb was found under the car of prominent journalist Hamid Mir, highlighting the difficulties facing journalists in Pakistan.
Deadly Bangladesh garment factory fire spotlights poor working conditionsAfter two fires in three days at Bangladesh garment factories – one of which killed at least 112 people – thousands took to the streets to protest violations such as locked doors and lack of fire escapes.
A new party emerges in world's biggest democracySupporters of India's new Aam Aadmi Party gathered in New Delhi to cheer on its goal of fighting corruption from the inside.
With Kasab execution, Indian gears of justice unusually swiftIndia executed the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Kasab, in a move prompting surprise, cheers - and charges of politics.
Kasab execution unlikely to impact India-Pakistan peace processOn Wednesday morning, India executed Ajmal Kasab, the lone survivor amongst the 10 terrorists who killed 166 people in Mumbai in 2008.
In historic move, blasphemy case against Pakistani girl to be droppedHuman rights activists in Pakistan say the decision to end the prosecution of Rimsha Masih is positive and will set a precedent in the future for the judiciary and law enforcement agencies.
Woman hits 'like' on Facebook, gets arrested in IndiaThe offending post against recently deceased leader Bal Thackeray resulted in two arrests, the latest in a string of crackdowns on Internet speech in the world's largest democracy.
Bal Thackeray: godfather of nativists in India's most cosmopolitan cityIn death as in life, Bal Thackeray divided Mumbai. Mumbaikars shuttered shops fearing violence, while hundreds of thousands thronged the funeral today of the Shiv Sena founder.
