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World | Asia: South & Central
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To fight trafficking, Indian groups turn to the experts: survivors
Survivors' perspectives are key to prevention and rehabilitation efforts, advocates argue. Young women are helping each other heal, while challenging the attitudes that contribute to trafficking in the first place.
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First Look Indian transgender activist challenges norms at Hindu festival
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, one of India's best-known transgender activists, is expanding on the ruling Hindu nationalist party's emphasis on the nation's Hindu heritage to carve out a place for transgender people and her inclusive monastic order among the country's religious elite.
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First Look Pakistan's top court upholds acquittal of Christian woman accused of blasphemy
The Pakistan's Supreme Court's decision is a blow to radical Islamists, who demanded the execution of Aasia Bibi. Her lawyer hopes that Ms. Bibi's acquittal will deter false blasphemy allegations in the future. She will join her family who has fled to Canada.
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First Look Freed from death row, Pakistani Christian woman still fears for her life
Pakistan's Supreme Court acquitted Aasia Bibi of blasphemy after eight years on death row on Oct. 31. As she awaits the final verdict, extremists and angry mobs are still calling for her death because she refuses to convert to Islam.
Photos of the Week 02/18 Photos of the week
Revelers march and shout to the crowd during the Chinese Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown, New York, Feb. 17.
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First Look Days before Bangladesh election, Facebook shuts down fake news sites
Facebook has identified a series of its pages and fake accounts that spread false information about events in Bangladesh. The accounts were created by anti-opposition Bangladeshis with government ties, says Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity.
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First Look After Rohingya refuse to go, Bangladesh puts return plans on hold
On Nov. 15, Bangladesh had planned on beginning the repatriation of 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, where they had previously faced violence. But the Rohingya people – fearing for their own safety – refused to return when the buses appeared.
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Lure of Europe loses shine for Afghans
Not long ago, there were almost as many Afghans as Syrians applying for asylum in Europe. But their numbers dropped by 75 percent last year. Why? Part 6 of On the Move: the faces, places, and politics of migration.
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First Look Aasia Bibi free in Pakistan as hard-line Islamists protest blasphemy
After spending 8 years on death row for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammed, Christian Aasia Bibi has left prison and is planning to seek asylum in Europe. Her case has sparked nationwide demonstrations by the extremist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Party.
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India’s Modi stakes claim to future – and past – with world’s tallest statue
Twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty, the Statue of Unity depicts an important freedom fighter. Hindu nationalists are making a bid to control his legacy, analysts say.
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First Look India's ruling party caters to Hindu nationalists ahead of elections
Calls to ignore court orders, demolish mosques, and vote as a religious bloc suggest the political party of India's Prime Minister Modi is heading toward the extremes of Hindu nationalism.
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First Look Rohingya teen looks beyond refugee camp to college and a career
Rahima Akter, born in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh, is one of only a few girls to complete a high school education. Now, she's preparing university applications and interviewing refugees who fled Myanmar last year, hoping to document their stories.
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First Look In Nepal, women learn how to build stronger homes after 2015 earthquake
In April 2015, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake ripped through Nepal, leaving more than 785,000 families homeless. Rebuilding efforts are frustratingly slow, and so Nepali women have started to build their own homes – but this time, stronger.
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First Look Can Asian leaders say no to Chinese-funded development as promised?
New leaders in Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Maldives all campaigned on promises to reevaluate Chinese-funded development projects that increase the national debt and bolster China's influence. Now that they've been elected, will they follow through?
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First Look Pope and China to jointly decide on appointing Catholic bishops
Since the Communist takeover in 1949, the Catholic Church has had limited control in China with a split between underground and state-sponsored churches. This new compromise could signal a new direction for the faithful and a step toward restoring diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Beijing.
