Asia

Residents walk by a security guard in protective suit browsing his phone at a main entrance gate to a neighborhood in Beijing, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022.

Confusion and falsehoods spread as China reverses its 'zero-COVID' policy

8:02pm December 20, 2022

by Huo Jingnan

As China lifts its stringent zero-COVID policy, public health messaging has taken a U-turn. People are grappling with the whiplash, trying to find a way to protect themselves and loved ones.

'The Taliban took our last hope': College education is banned for women in Afghanistan

6:14pm December 20, 2022

by Diaa Hadid

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced the women could no longer attend university. One educator in Afghanistan called it "gender apartheid." The highest grade girls will be able to attain now is grade 6.

Politics & Government

Rep. Mike Gallagher's committee will push back against China

8:02am December 20, 2022

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, chairman of the China select committee, about the economic and security challenges posed by Beijing.

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South Korea sets up a Truth and Reconciliation commission to investigate adoptions

5:05am December 20, 2022

South Korea says it will investigate hundreds of adoptions out of the country that may have involved fake records. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Kaomi Lee, one adoptee whose case is under review.

Indonesia has updated its criminal code with a raft of free speech restrictions

5:06am December 19, 2022

by Julie McCarthy

Indonesia's overhaul of its criminal code has alarmed human rights advocates, who say the updated version enshrines numerous anti-democratic practices.

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Health & Safety

China's COVID-19 surge

5:09pm December 17, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Helen-Ann Smith, Asia correspondent for Sky News, about the growing wave of COVID-19 in China.

Rescue teams on Saturday continue the search for victims caught in a landslide in Batang Kali, Malaysia.

World News

Malaysia landslide death toll rises to 24, with 9 still missing

10:49am December 17, 2022

by The Associated Press

The 24 victims included seven children and 13 women. Authorities were still carrying out autopsies and waiting for next of kin to identify the victims.

Servers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi are still not back to normal two weeks after they were hacked and the data was held for ransom.

Cyberattacks on hospitals thwart India's push to digitize health care

8:33am December 17, 2022

by Raksha Kumar

Prime Minister Modi's ambitious plan to transition all Indians' health records online is running up against weak cybersecurity systems and a lack of data protection laws.

World News

China is facing what could be the world's biggest COVID surge yet

4:57pm December 16, 2022

China is facing possibly the world's biggest coronavirus surge yet. At the high end of estimates, 800 million people in China could become infected. What does this mean for China and other countries?

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World News

Japan shifts away from its post-war defense policies

4:41pm December 16, 2022

by Anthony Kuhn

Japan announced a major shift away from its post-war defense policies, beefing up its defense spending and aiming to acquire weapons, including U.S. missiles, capable of striking other nations.