A satellite photo of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea on Wednesday. Digitalglobe hide caption
Parallels
Many Stories, One WorldAsia
Tourists walk along a beach in Malay town, on the Philippine island Boracay, last week. President Duterte's decision to close Boracay has rocked the island. The Philippines is set to deploy hundreds of riot police to keep travelers out and head off potential protests before its six-month closure to tourists. STR/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
As Philippines Shuts Down A Popular Tourist Island, Residents Fear For Their Future
South Koreans at a railway station in Seoul watch a news report showing President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on March 9. Trump agreed the day before to a historic first meeting with Kim. Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman presents the book The Art of the Deal to North Korea's Sports Minister Kim Il Guk last June in Pyongyang, North Korea. Until this week, Rodman was believed to be the only person who had met both Kim and the U.S. president. Kim Kwang Hyon/AP hide caption
On Karachi beach where residents splash in the Arabian Sea, Arioch William, 18, and his girlfriend Sheza, 17, celebrated Valentine's Day a few days early. Diaa Hadid/NPR hide caption
Every ad in the Seoul Metro's Apujeong station is for a plastic surgery clinic. In response to a growing number of complaints from riders, the Seoul Metro announced it will ban advertisements for cosmetic surgery at its stations. Elise Hu/NPR hide caption
In Seoul, A Plastic Surgery Capital, Residents Frown On Ads For Cosmetic Procedure
U.S. troops, in tan uniforms, look over maps with Afghan rebel commander Rashid Dostum (center) in October 2001. A dozen U.S. soldiers teamed up with Dostum's force to defeat the Taliban in northern Afghanistan. Courtesy of Bob Pennington hide caption
'12 Strong': When The Afghan War Looked Like A Quick, Stirring Victory
President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to continue to square off in 2018. Evan Vucci, Wong Maye-E/AP hide caption
Jadav Payeng, "The Forest Man of India," has planted tens of thousands of trees over the course of nearly 40 years. He has made bloom a once desiccated island that lies in the Brahamputra river, which runs through his home state of Assam. Furkan Latif Khan/NPR hide caption
A Lifetime Of Planting Trees On A Remote River Island: Meet India's Forest Man
Rahul Gandhi (center), the new president of the Indian National Congress, waves while being garlanded during a political rally at Chilloda village on Nov. 11. Gandhi takes over the party leadership this week from his mother, Sonia Gandhi, who steps down after nearly two decades as the head of the party the Nehru-Gandhi family has dominated for 70 years. Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Lawmakers in the Kumamoto Municipal Assembly talk with member Yuka Ogata, who brought her infant son to work. The Asahi Shimbun/The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Imag hide caption
Last summer, South Koreans left messages of their sexual harassment and assaults on Post-it notes at an exit of Gangnam subway station. Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
A man rides a Mobike bicycle past the CCTV Headquarters building in Beijing. Mark Schiefelbein/AP for NPR hide caption
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the 19th Party Congress held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last week. Ng Han Guan/AP hide caption
What Motivates Chinese President Xi Jinping's Anti-Corruption Drive?
A woman wearing a face mask walks on a street as Beijing is hit by polluted air and sandstorms on May 4. Andy Wong/AP hide caption
China Shuts Down Tens Of Thousands Of Factories In Unprecedented Pollution Crackdown
Japanese Prime Minister and ruling party president Shinzo Abe smiles after the general election Sunday in Tokyo in which his ruling party won a clear majority. The Asahi Shimbun/The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images hide caption
Japan's Prime Minister Isn't Popular, But His Coalition Won A Supermajority
Yu Zu'en stands in front of one of the few wall decorations in his new, government-issued apartment: a poster of China's leaders. The 84-year-old veteran lost his right eye fighting the Americans in Korea in 1951. Rob Schmitz/NPR hide caption
Xi Jinping's War On Poverty Moves Millions Of Chinese Off The Farm
South Korea has the worst air pollution among the developed nations in the the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Pakistan's prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (shown here Aug. 1), says that U.S. sanctions against Pakistan will only hurt its efforts to fight militants in the region. Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks to garment workers during a visit to a factory outside Phnom Penh on Aug. 30. His government has slapped the English-language Cambodia Daily with a $6.3 million tax bill and ordered it to pay by Sept. 4. If it doesn't, Hun Sen said, it should "pack up and go." Heng Sinith/AP hide caption
A chair sat empty for Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in Oslo, Norway, in 2010. The rights activist was imprisoned in China in 2009. Heiko Junge/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Over the years, Beijing has tightened its political grip over Hong Kong, a city of more than 7 million people, and income inequality has risen. Rob Schmitz/NPR hide caption