Asia

Politics & Government

A U.S. congressional delegation visits China — the first since 2019

5:06am October 09, 2023

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer held a rare one-on-one with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The visit by a bipartisan delegation represents political engagement absent during the pandemic.

Afghan residents sit at a damaged house after an earthquake in a village in Herat province on Saturday.

World News

Hundreds are feared dead after powerful earthquakes hit Afghanistan

4:20pm October 07, 2023

by Diaa Hadid

Images shared by Afghan journalists showed at least one village reduced to rubble after a series of quakes flattened stone and mudbrick homes in the country's west.

The giant white marble boulders that line the Agos River just north of the Philippine village of Daraitan are sacred to the Indigenous Dumagat people. They use the boulders to perform rituals to ward off sickness and keep their village safe. If the Kaliwa Dam is built upriver, the Dumagat say these rocks will be destroyed to make way for the increased water flow.

The Philippines' capital is running out of water. Is building a dam the solution?

10:15am October 06, 2023

by Ashley Westerman

Officials say the Kaliwa Dam will help alleviate an impending water shortage in the capital that's being exacerbated by climate change. But the project is plagued with controversies and questions.

Philippines dam aims to solve water shortage exacerbated by climate change

5:12am October 06, 2023

by Ashley Westerman

A dam being built in the Philippines to mitigate an impending water shortage is drawing controversy, and highlighting the disjointed conversation about development in the country.

South Korean teachers participate in a rally in front of the National Assembly on Sept. 4, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. School teachers rallied to mourn the recent suicide deaths of fellow teachers distressed by disgruntled parents and unruly students, and to call for measures to prevent such tragedies.

South Korea teachers seek protection from harassment by students' parents

11:26am October 05, 2023

by Se Eun Gong

Many South Korean teachers say they have suffered from parents' harassment and excessive demands. This summer, they came out to the streets voicing anger and demanding protection for their rights.

Pakistan orders undocumented migrants out of the country by Nov. 1.

5:14am October 05, 2023

Migrant's who don't leave by the deadline will have their property and assets seized, and face arrest and deportation. NPR's A Martinez talks to journalist Ahmed Quraishi about the crackdown.

Politics & Government

Morning news brief

5:11am October 05, 2023

The race is on to find a new speaker of the House. A record number of migrants are dying trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Pakistan orders undocumented migrants to leave by Nov. 1.

Pakistan is planting lots of mangroves — but it's upsetting some environmentalists

5:41pm October 04, 2023

by Diaa Hadid

An initiative to revive the Indus River hopes to save this major waterway from overuse and pollution. Some 240 million people are riding on the outcome. But the financing of it is controversial.

Queue Listen Now

What can China's autumn festival tell us about the state of the country's economy?

8:06am October 04, 2023

China is in the middle of an eight-day nationwide holiday to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. The government is hoping it will give a big boost to the economy.

Queue Listen Now

Armenia scrambles to absorb the flood of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh

5:16am October 04, 2023

by Peter Kenyon

More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians have fled from Azerbaijan to Armenia. The country is struggling with the sudden loss of the self-declared autonomous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.