Asia

Tokyo's proposed National Stadium, a key part of its 2020 Olympics plan, is being reopened to design proposals after Japanese officials said new cost estimates had risen sharply.

Mocked And Maligned, Japan Spikes Plan For $2 Billion Olympic Stadium

5:24pm July 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Its cost had swollen; its design sparked an unflattering meme. Now Japan's prime minister is telling Tokyo organizers to start over with their plan for a centerpiece stadium.

WATCH: Magnus Effect Whisks Basketball Into The Spin Zone

4:59pm July 17, 2015

by Scott Neuman

A viral video by the Australian trick basketball team How Ridiculous demonstrates a property of physics that can make the ball appear to momentarily defy gravity.

Here's the group of "teen advisers" who spoke with Goats and Soda at the 2015 Girl Up conference in Washington, D.C. Top row: Amy Gong Liu, Janet Diaz, Janet Ho, Kennede Reese, Rebecca Ruvalcaba. Middle row: Ruhy Patel, Celia Buckman, Simone Cowan, Jessic

Haters Gonna Hate. Teen Girl Activists Shake It Off And Try Again

9:27am July 17, 2015

by Marc Silver

These Girl Up leaders know that it's hard being a girl anywhere in the world — whether you're fighting to go to school or convincing boys that yes, girls can run for student council, too!

World News

A Siberian Town Throws A Party For Pests — And Masochists

7:55am July 17, 2015

Many towns hold festivals to celebrate a famed native son or daughter, or its dominant agricultural product. In Berezniki, Russia, they celebrate mosquitoes — partly by getting bitten by them. A lot.

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On July 9, 2013, heavy floodwaters swept through Beichuan in southwest China's Sichuan province.

How Air Pollution May Have Caused Catastrophic Flooding In China

6:45am July 17, 2015

by Jessie Rack

Scientists believe soot that hangs over the mountains of Sichuan Basin — a byproduct of factories and cars — brought about the floods that devastated the region in 2013.

Japan's Lower House Approves Changes To Military Powers

7:55pm July 16, 2015

The lower house of Japan's parliament passed legislation Thursday giving the country's military limited powers to participate in armed conflicts. NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Sheila A. Smith, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, about what this decision means.

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Chinese Authorites Detain Nearly 150 Human Rights Lawyers

6:26pm July 16, 2015

by Anthony Kuhn

State media are accusing the lawyers of stirring up opposition to the government. Activists are calling for President Obama to cancel President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington, D.C., in September.

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World News

To: MelbourneElm22; Subject: My Dog Peed On You Today; Body: (◕︵◕)

3:09pm July 16, 2015

In Melbourne, Australia, the city assigned trees email addresses so citizens could report problems with them. Instead, people wrote thousands of love letters to their favorite trees.

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In some Indian states, efforts to serve eggs to malnourished children are a political minefield. See the related animation, "Power Lunch: India's Mid-Day Meal Program," produced by Mathilde Dratwa for the Pulitzer Center and based on Rhitu Chatterjee's re

Egg War: Why India's Vegetarian Elite Are Accused Of Keeping Kids Hungry

5:20pm July 14, 2015

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Serving eggs in free school meals could boost the protein-deficient diets of poor, lower caste Indian school kids. But in some Indian states, powerful vegetarian politicians have thwarted these plans.

Saroj's teenage son watches her comb her hair before she heads to work.

World News

How One Woman Found The Courage To Say No To Domestic Abuse

3:35pm July 14, 2015

by Rhitu Chatterjee

An Indian woman suffered through domestic violence for 20 years. Then she changed her life by going to school, but it wasn't to learn. It was to cook.

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