Asia

The Philippines government hopes a surge in tourists will save its economy

6:06am February 22, 2022

by Ashley Westerman

Boracay Island, the most popular beach in the Philippines, is making a comeback after nearly two years of pandemic restrictions. It comes as the Philippines finally reopens its borders to tourism.

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Audience members sit separately for social distancing at a cinema in China's eastern Zhejiang province in July 2020.

Hollywood relies on China to stay afloat. What does that mean for movies?

1:40pm February 21, 2022

by Terry Gross

Wall Street Journal reporter Erich Schwartzel says that film studios increasingly need Chinese audiences to break even — which can result in self-censorship. His new book is Red Carpet.

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A U.S. combat veteran tries to help former colleagues escape the Taliban

6:11am February 21, 2022

by Quil Lawrence

Combat veteran Christy Barry has been working to help her former Afghan colleagues escape the Taliban — including a former brigadier general, who was a key U.S. ally and is on the run.

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Controversy brews in India over school dress codes and Muslim headscarves

6:04am February 21, 2022

by Lauren Frayer

At a high school in southern India, Muslim girls now have to take off their hijabs inside. Six girls refused and sued — their fight has drawn attention to discrimination against Muslims in India.

World News

Hong Kong is facing a severe outbreak of Omicron cases

12:06pm February 20, 2022

by John Ruwitch

Hong Kong is struggling to contain a severe outbreak of coronavirus infections.

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Kevin Tranbarger poses with his two children outside the Hong Kong International Airport in July, before they left for the United States. A few weeks later, Tranbarger decided to permanently move away from Hong after living there for nearly three decades.

World News

He loved Hong Kong. Its COVID crackdown made him leave without even saying goodbye

8:06am February 20, 2022

by David Gura

Hong Kong has imposed severe restrictions to fight COVID-19. For many expatriates, it's proving the last straw after years of seeing its autonomy erode as China tightens its grip on the territory.

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A medical helper takes a photo of the Zhangjiakou National Ski Jumping Center during the Winter Olympics on Feb. 14.

Beijing Olympic organizers are touting a green Games. The reality is much different

7:00am February 19, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

Authorities in China said they planted nearly 200,000 acres of forest and green areas prior to the Winter Games. But they also transplanted nearly 20,000 trees, which could endanger animal habitats.

Three screen grabs from a video that recently went viral in China show a woman chained to a wall in a doorless shed in a rural Chinese village. The video got nearly 2 billion views and has prompted a heated discussion about the trafficking of women.

Health & Safety

The mystery of the chained woman in China

8:15pm February 17, 2022

A video shows her chained inside a shed. It got nearly 2 billion clicks and has sparked a national debate over her identity, whether she is mentally ill — and whether she was trafficked as a bride.

Why many expats are choosing to no longer be based in Hong Kong

3:28pm February 17, 2022

by David Gura

Hong Kong's autonomy from China has eroded, and the city has some of the strictest COVID-19 policies in the world. And that's making it a difficult place to do business.

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China's politics — not sports — spill out during heated Olympic news conference

3:48am February 17, 2022

by Emily Feng

Each day the International Olympic Committee holds a press conference to answer a variety of press questions. Today, the spokeswoman for the Beijing Games interjected several times to defend China.