Asia : NPR

Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

Asma Jehangir, a human rights advocate and lawyer in Lahore, Pakistan, is an outspoken critic of the military. Jim Wildman/NPR hide caption

toggle caption

Jim Wildman/NPR

Criticizing Pakistan's Military: Dangerous, As Is Life

May 31, 2011 • Asma Jehangir, a human rights advocate and lawyer in Pakistan, has sharp words for the country's dominant institution. The military is under pressure from the U.S. following the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound.

N. Korea Threatens Military Action Against South

May 30, 2011 • Pyongyang said in a statement that it will no longer deal with Seoul, accusing South Korea of aiming propaganda at the North and worsening animosity by holding firing drills near the border. The South quickly downplayed the North's warnings.

Ex-Minister: 'Grave Damage' To Pakistan's Ethos

May 29, 2011 • Former Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that U.S. accusations against his country after the death of Osama bin Laden have changed its psyche. He says Pakistanis are the victims of homegrown terrorism, giving them ample room for introspection.

Rep. Rogers: Pakistan A Fair-Weather, But Vital, Ally

May 28, 2011 • The House Intelligence Committee has spent the last month trying to find out exactly which, if any, Pakistani officials knew about Osama bin Laden's whereabouts. Guest host Rachel Martin visits Michigan Congressman Mike Rogers, who chairs the committee. He says the jury's still out on Pakistani knowledge of bin Laden's hideout.

Conspiracy Theories Permeate Pakistan

May 28, 2011 • The views on the Pakistani streets are very different from those being expressed through diplomatic channels. That from Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep, who talks with guest host Rachel Martin from a market area in Lahore, Pakistan.

Books

Review: 'Miss New India'

May 27, 2011 • Novelist Bharati Mukherjee offers a view of modern India in her new novel Miss New India.

Attack On Pakistani Base Renews Nuclear Qualms

Aircraft wreckage is seen at the Mehran Pakistani naval air base a day after militants attacked it. Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Rizwan Tabassum/AFP/Getty Images

Attack On Pakistani Base Renews Nuclear Qualms

May 27, 2011 • Amid a wave of retaliatory attacks in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, militants with the Pakistani Taliban stormed a naval base earlier this week. The sophistication of the attack has analysts worried about Pakistan's ability to keep its nuclear arsenal secure.

North Korea To Release Jailed American

May 27, 2011 • North Korea announced that it is releasing an American who was arrested last November. Eddie Jun. a Korean-American from California and an evangelist, reportedly was accused of spreading Christianity. North Korea's Central News Agency said Jun was being released on "humanitarian grounds."

In Pakistan, Doubts Persist Bin Laden Is Dead

The shrine to Data Ganj Baksh in Lahore, Pakistan. K.M. Chaudary/AP hide caption

toggle caption

K.M. Chaudary/AP

In Pakistan, Doubts Persist Bin Laden Is Dead

May 27, 2011 • A recent poll found 49 percent of Pakistanis do not believe the al-Qaida chief was killed in the way the U.S. says. The country embraces conspiracy theories – though in all fairness, that could make sense in a place where so many killings go unresolved, and many conspiracy theories turn out to be true.

Suicide Bomber Targets Police In Peshawar, Pakistan

May 25, 2011 • A suicide bomber in Pakistan attacked a police building in Peshawar. The Pakistan Taliban claimed responsibility and promised more attacks to avenge Osama bin Laden's death.

Poll Looks At Views Of Young Afghan Men

May 23, 2011 • Robert Siegel interviews Norine MacDonald, president and founder of The International Council on Security and Development, about a new poll of Afghanistan men ages 15 to 30 in various sections of the country. They shared their opinions on Osama bin Laden's death, the Taliban and the international military forces in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Troops Corner Militants On Naval Base

May 23, 2011 • Insurgents stormed a major Pakistani naval base in Karachi — setting off a prolonged gun battle with security forces. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, saying it was revenge for the U.S.-led military raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Alex Rodriguez, the Islamabad bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, talks to Mary Louise Kelly about the fighting.

Law

Chicago Trial To Put Pakistan Spy Agency On The Spot

May 23, 2011 • Pakistani-Canadian Tahawwur Rana is accused of helping facilitate the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India. But in the lead up to his trial, the focus hasn't been on Rana's guilt or innocence: It's been on Pakistan.

Business

Tackling Inflation Is China's Top Priority

May 20, 2011 • There is growing concern about inflation in China. Last month, overall inflation was up 5.3 percent compared to the year before. Food prices were up 11.5 percent. Chinese consumers are angry, and the government fears that could lead to social instability.

Chinese Farmers Watch As Watermelons Explode

May 18, 2011 • Hundreds of watermelons have been spontaneously combusting. According to China Central Television, many farmers in one eastern province are newcomers to the lucrative melon market. Apparently they've been applying lots of a chemical that accelerates growth. Add heavy rainfall, and the watermelons grow until they burst.