World Asia: South & Central
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Poachers become protectors: How tigers bounced back in an Indian park
Who knows how to fight poaching better than former poachers themselves? A program in Periyar Tiger Reserve has reduced poaching by not only policing the park, but also by giving former poachers an alternate economic lifeline.
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First Look South India's 'Tollywood' film industry addresses sex trafficking
Tollywood, an influential film industry, has produced six short anti-trafficking films designed to deter young men from buying sex in an effort to counter the number of trafficked girls and women lured by acting opportunities.
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First Look Malala returns home with promise to continue fighting for girls' education
Six years after she was shot by the Taliban for attending school, Malala returns home to Pakistan. She continues to work for girls' education and asks that Pakistan be united on such issues as providing better health care and education.
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First Look Pakistan's first transgender newscaster breaks barriers
Marvia Malik is the first trans TV anchor in a conservative Muslim country where members of her community are often ostracized and targeted in violent attacks. She aims to use her profession to change the perceptions of Pakistani society toward transgender people.
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Global decline in democracy? The lesson from India may be 'Not so fast.'
Many of the world’s established democracies are showing strains, and India is no exception. But the world's largest democracy also offers a portrait of a remarkably diverse, complex society resisting some antidemocratic pressures.
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First Look India offers assistance in boosting use of solar power around the world
India, the top contributor to growth in energy demand, is now in partnership with France to take its growing knowledge on solar power and use it to help other tropical countries around the world implement programs of their own.
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First Look Slum dwellers in the Philippines build homes through community programs
Through state-backed programs partnered with charities and private firms, many Philippine families are leaving behind their fear of eviction in the Manila slums to build their own homes, finding a greater sense of peace and community.
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Hindu prayer service? There’s an app for that.
The combination of religion and hand-held technology isn't new, but its horizons may be widest in India. A new crop of start-ups has caught the attention of temples and techies alike.
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First Look After fleeing violence in Myanmar, Rohingya refugees struggle in India
Thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have settled in India face significant hurdles to secure jobs, homes, and documentation in a country that is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention nor does it have laws to protect their rights.
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First Look Myanmar's farmers shift from growing poppies to raising silkworms
Farmers in the hills of eastern Myanmar have grown poppies for generations, much of which ends up as heroin. A Chinese company is working with locals to help them raise silkworms to export to China in hopes that opium loses its foothold in the nation.
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First Look Indian journalists face consequences if critical of Modi's administration
Some journalists say they increasingly face threats with physical harm and abuse on social media when they run stories critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India ranked 138th out of 180 countries surveyed in the latest World Press Freedom Index.
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First Look As water scarcity worsens, 'Day Zero' becomes commonplace in India
A fast-growing population, rising demand for water, and poor management of resources has led to water scarcity in India where more than 1 in 10 people lack access to clean water near their home, according to a WaterAid report.
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Cover Story The girls who took over a town in rural India
Development experts around the world are increasingly focused on girls as a linchpin of economic and social progress. In Thennamadevi, though, teen girls have taken action on their own, improving their village with a speed that would make any official envious.
Photos of the Week 0625 Photos of the Week
A standing guard soldier gets his sweat wiped off by his chief at the Mamayev Kurgan World War II memorial complex in Volgograd, Russia, on June 21.
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For Indians rethinking college abroad, home has new degree of possibility
A new US administration, red tape, and the high costs have discouraged some applicants from abroad. But in India, many university students say they see a growing sense of opportunity right here, for their college years and beyond.
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First Look India's plan for an eco-friendly city asks farmers to give up their land
The new city of Amaravati, designed to be eco-friendly and sustainable, is seen as a new direction for Indian cities that are typically polluted and congested. However, there's been a push back from local farmers unwilling to relinquish fertile land to construction cranes.
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First Look Myanmar bulldozes remnants of Rohingya villages
Satellite images of Myanmar's Rakhine state show dozens of Rohingya villages have been leveled by authorities. Human rights advocates say the government is demolishing what amounts to scores of crime scenes before any credible investigation takes place.
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First Look Rohingya refugees could find new home on Floating Island
In what its prime minister said would be a 'temporary arrangement,' Bangladesh is turning an uninhabited island into a home for 100,000 Rohingya Muslims. But aid workers said they remain seriously concerned the island can't sustain livelihoods for thousands of people.
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First Look To avoid global watchlist, Pakistan takes control of Islamist charities
Pakistan's government assumed control of a vast web of charity organizations previously run by Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation charities, two groups viewed as terrorist fronts by the United States.
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Amid Kashmir's unrest, girls' sports are more than a game
Young Kashmiri sportswomen are pushing boundaries in everything from rugby to karate. It's a source of both empowerment and escape in a region where opposition to Indian rule often flares into violence.
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Fighting sexism, India's police ask: When is 'women only' good for women?
A vicious gang rape in 2012 spurred a groundswell for reform to combat rampant harassment and gender-based violence. Some police have turned to all-female patrols and stations – but the approach has plenty of critics. Part 6 of Reaching for Equity: a global series on gender and power.
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First Look Chinese solar company takes root in India to avoid import taxes
Global complaints of Chinese trade policies have risen recently, and several countries are considering import taxes against the nation. In response, one of the China's largest solar suppliers announced plans on Tuesday to invest in manufacturing facilities in India.
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For Afghan women, rocky path to respect exacts a steep price
Western donors have spent heavily to improve women's lives in Afghanistan and teach them to fight for their rights. But the efforts would be more successful, some say, if they better fit the Afghan cultural context. Part 4 of Reaching for Equity: a global series on gender and power.
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First Look India moves to deny tobacco industry's right to trade
In a legal argument relying on a Roman-era law doctrine, the Indian government aims to take away the tobacco industry's right to trade in an effort to limit opposition to new regulations.
