Asia : NPR

Hoping For Improved U.S. Ties, Pakistan's Prime Minister Set To Visit White House

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (right), shown here in April, will arrive in Washington, D.C., for a three-day visit that begins on July 21. His meeting with President Trump comes at a pivotal time for Afghan peace negotiations. Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Pool/Getty Images

World

Hoping For Improved U.S. Ties, Pakistan's Prime Minister Set To Visit White House

July 19, 2019 • Tensions have beset the U.S.-Pakistan relationship for years. The planned July 22 meeting between President Trump and Imran Khan comes as the U.S. tries to finalize Afghanistan peace negotiations.

Philippine President's War On Drugs Criticized As Crimes Against Humanity

July 19, 2019 • Global human rights activists are pressuring the president of the Philippines about his on-going war on illegal drugs, which they say amounts to "crimes against humanity."

Philippine President's War On Drugs Criticized As Crimes Against Humanity

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More Than 30 People Dead At Anime Studio In Japan After Suspected Arson

July 18, 2019 • NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Wall Street Journal Japan Editor Alastair Gale and anime fan Micaela Mussell about the fire at a beloved animation studio in Kyoto, which killed more than 30 people.

More Than 30 People Dead At Anime Studio In Japan After Suspected Arson

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Planet Money

How Americans — Some Knowingly, Some Unwittingly — Helped China's Surveillance Grow

July 18, 2019 • The Chinese government has created a surveillance state using DNA, voice, and face recognition technology to track and target China's Uighur population. Americans helped advance this system.

How Americans — Some Knowingly, Some Unwittingly — Helped China's Surveillance Grow

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Suspected Arson At Anime Studio In Japan Kills At Least 33 People

Smoke rises from an animation company building after a fire in Kyoto, Japan, on Thursday. Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jiji Press/AFP/Getty Images

Suspected Arson At Anime Studio In Japan Kills At Least 33 People

July 18, 2019 • Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the apparently deliberate act in Kyoto is "too appalling for words." A suspect has been taken into custody.

The Water Crisis In Chennai, India: Who's To Blame And How Do You Fix It?

A youth scouts for mud crabs and snakehead fish on the parched bed of Chembarambakkam Lake on the outskirts of Chennai, India. Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Goats and Soda

The Water Crisis In Chennai, India: Who's To Blame And How Do You Fix It?

July 18, 2019 • Reservoirs are dry in India's sixth biggest city. Municipal taps work only a few hours a day. Trains are delivering emergency water supplies.

The Water Crisis In Chennai, India: Who's To Blame And How Do You Fix It?

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As Scrutiny Of China Grows, Some U.S. Schools Drop A Language Program

In this 2011 photo, Hu Jintao, then China's president, visits the Confucius Institute at the Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago. China established more than 100 Confucius Institutes, which provide language and culture programs, at U.S. schools. But at least 13 universities have dropped the program due to a law that raises concerns about Chinese spying. Chris Walker/AP hide caption

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Chris Walker/AP

National Security

As Scrutiny Of China Grows, Some U.S. Schools Drop A Language Program

July 17, 2019 • At least 13 U.S. universities have shut down their Confucius Institutes, which are funded by China's government. Critics say the program could be used to recruit spies or steal university research.

U.S. Sanctions Senior Myanmar Generals Over Rohingya 'Ethnic Cleansing'

The senior Myanmar military leaders sanctioned by the U.S. include the commander in chief, Min Aung Hlaing, shown here as he delivered a speech last year. Lynn Bo Bo/AP hide caption

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Lynn Bo Bo/AP

U.S. Sanctions Senior Myanmar Generals Over Rohingya 'Ethnic Cleansing'

July 17, 2019 • "The United States is the first government to publicly take action with respect to the most senior leadership of the Burmese military," the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.

Irate Over Military Exercises, North Korea Threatens To Resume Nuclear, Missile Tests

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Trump met in the demilitarized zone between the Koreas on June 30. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

World

Irate Over Military Exercises, North Korea Threatens To Resume Nuclear, Missile Tests

July 16, 2019 • Pyongyang accused the U.S. of "unilaterally reneging on its commitments" and said North Korea is "gradually losing our justification to follow through" on its own promises.

China's Economy Falters; Slowest Growth In Nearly 3 Decades

People pass a store in Beijing on Monday. The government's figures show that China's pace of economic growth in the second quarter was at its slowest in nearly three decades. Andy Wong/AP hide caption

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Andy Wong/AP

World

China's Economy Falters; Slowest Growth In Nearly 3 Decades

July 15, 2019 • The pace of growth in the second quarter was its slowest since 1992. The National Bureau of Statistics attributed the change to a complicated international environment.

This Fearless Woman Is Fighting To Keep Slavery Out Of Your Seafood

Patima Tungpuchayakul (right), a Thai abolitionist, with members of her team on a trip to free enslaved fishermen. Courtesy of Ghost Fleet hide caption

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Courtesy of Ghost Fleet

The Salt

This Fearless Woman Is Fighting To Keep Slavery Out Of Your Seafood

July 15, 2019 • Ghost Fleet, a gripping new documentary about modern-day slaves in the global fishing industry, follows Patima Tungpuchayakul, a Thai woman who's devoted her life to freeing men from forced labor.

Trade Issue Between Japan And South Korea Revives Memories Of Past Disputes

July 12, 2019 • Japan slapped export restrictions on materials South Korea uses in high tech manufacturing. South Korea's president says there's an unprecedented emergency in its relationship with Japan.

Trade Issue Between Japan And South Korea Revives Memories Of Past Disputes

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U.N. Human Rights Council To Investigate Abuses In Philippines' Antidrug War

Retired Roman Catholic Bishop Nicanor Yniguez (left) joins families of victims of alleged extra-judicial killings in President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs." Bullit Marquez/AP hide caption

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Luis M. Alvarez/AP

National Security

Ex-State Department Worker Gets 40 Months In Prison For Secret Dealings With China

July 10, 2019 • Prosecutors say that over a span of five years, Chinese intelligence agents gave Candace Claiborne, then an office management specialist, lavish gifts in exchange for information.