World | Asia: South & Central
- How India’s crackdown on Kashmir – and the blowback – transformed the region’s politics
India’s curb on separatist militancy and other forms of dissent pushes new candidates – and voters – to participate in local elections in Kashmir.
- The kids are all right: How rural India’s ‘goat nurses’ help animals – and themselves
In rural India, a goat is a valuable asset. For the women who have been trained to care for them, they’re also a path to greater dignity.
- First LookSri Lanka elects Marxist lawmaker as president after years of economic turmoil
Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s victory is seen as a rejection of Sri Lanka’s old political guard that has been widely accused of pushing the nation toward economic ruin.
- First LookShe’s chubby, wet, and fierce. Meet Moo Deng, a baby hippo and internet darling.
Spawning memes, merch, and crowds at the zoo, baby hippo Moo Deng went viral within weeks of being born. Appropriately, she likes to “deng,” or bounce, and her zookeepers post clips of her giddy frolics. Now, the Thai zoo seeks to patent “Moo Deng the hippo.”
- The ExplainerWhy Kashmir’s local election could usher in a new political era
With fresh faces emerging to challenge the traditional political powerhouses, the region’s political dynamics already appear to be changing.
- A former prime minister facing military trial? Pakistan flirts with risky precedent.
Pakistan’s democracy is at an unprecedented crossroads as the government, army, and judiciary decide whether to try Imran Khan in a military court.
- To reach Kashmir’s Himalayan nomads, teachers bring classrooms to the pasture
Access to education looks different depending on the community. In the hilly pastures of Kashmir, mobile schools meet little shepherds where they are.
- Protests over women’s safety in India are taking cues from an unusual source
India has long struggled to tackle gender-based violence. But as Kolkata reels from a brutal attack on a young doctor, some protesters point to neighboring Bangladesh as proof that with enough solidarity, change is possible.
- Five years after India stripped it of statehood, Kashmir prepares for elections
The return of elections to Jammu and Kashmir won’t restore the political agency lost over the past decade – but it’s a step forward that many in the heavily militarized region hope to build upon.
- Young, educated, and jobless: Is India’s unemployment crisis ‘waiting to explode’?
Amid high unemployment and higher-education scandals, young Indians are questioning traditional, merit-based paths to prosperity.
- On paper, Bangladesh was on the rise. Why didn’t progress translate on the ground?
Bangladesh’s impressive advancements overshadowed a growing discontent, which erupted into weeks of violent protests. Some hope Mr. Yunus’s interim government marks a fresh start.
- First LookWorld’s longest-serving female prime minister flees Bangladesh amid protests
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned from her job and fled the country following weeks of protests. What began as peaceful student-led protests against job quotas have evolved into a violent uprising against Ms. Hasina.
- Bangladeshi youth bore the brunt of last week’s violent protests. They want accountability.
Bangladeshis are reeling from one of the most violent weeks in their country’s recent history. At the center of the chaos are young people striving to be heard.
- First LookIn Malaysia, royal families take turns on the throne. This king rides a motorbike.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar was officially installed on July 20 under a unique system where nine ethnic Malay state rulers take turns as Malaysia’s king. The 65-year-old monarch from southern Johor state is outspoken about Malaysian politics and corruption.
- CommentaryNew editor at The Christian Science Monitor
- Election week could be just as long, and fraught, as in 2020
- In Gaza or Ukraine, peace can look impossible. Here, there’s hope.
- With Senate hopes dwindling, Democrats look, once again, to Texas
- On immigration, Harris and Trump talk tough – with critical differences