South & Central Asia

Taliban officials in southeastern Afghanistan said Monday that an overnight landmine explosion had killed at least nine children. The “unexploded mine” was a remnant of past conflicts that went off on Sunday as a group of young boys…

New Delhi —  Top leaders of India's opposition coalition and thousands of supporters rallied in the capital Sunday, decrying "autocracy" in protest at the arrest of a senior colleague ahead of general elections. Arvind Kejriwal, chief…

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov must decide by April 14 whether to sign a controversial law modeled on Russia's "foreign agents law" over the objections of nonprofit groups who say it will stigmatize them and create unnecessary…

SRINAGAR, India —  Thousands of people in the remote region of Ladakh have been protesting for over two weeks in freezing temperatures, demanding constitutional provisions from the Indian government to protect their territory's fragile…

BENGALURU, India —  Abinaya Tamilarasu said her four cows are part of the family. She has a degree in commerce from a local college, but prefers being home milking cows and tending to her family's land. "Our family cannot let farming…

BANGKOK —  Thailand will face a population crisis should the country’s low birth rate continue, possibly shrinking its population by half. Experts say the government must prioritize boosting Thailand’s parenthood welfare to find a…

New Delhi —  In India, the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has triggered an outcry from opposition parties that accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of targeting the opposition weeks before the country heads…

islamabad —  A top U.S. diplomat for South and Central Asia has for the first time publicly addressed allegations of conspiring to oust Pakistan's then-Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Testifying before the House Foreign Relations…

ISLAMABAD —  Pakistan carried out cross-border aerial strikes against suspected militant hideouts in Afghanistan early Monday, killing several people, according to officials. A Pakistani security official, speaking anonymously to VOA…

ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN —  Uzbek law enforcement officials this month confirmed to VOA that an Uzbek extradition request was behind the February 15 arrest in Kazakhstan of Karakalpak activist Akylbek Muratov, known as Aqylbek Muratbai on X…

ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN —  Uzbek law enforcement officials this month confirmed to VOA that an Uzbek extradition request was behind the February 15 arrest in Kazakhstan of Karakalpak activist Akylbek Muratov, known as Aqylbek Muratbai on X…

Washington —  A U.N. report released Friday about the prevalence of female genital mutilation around the globe is drawing attention to the practice among the Dawoodi Bohra community, a Muslim minority sect based in India. India is not…

ISLAMABAD —  The United Nations warned Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities Friday that their bans on women’s education and work risk pushing the country further into deeper poverty and international isolation. The head of the U.N.…

New Delhi —  Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has issued "sincere apologies" following a remark by Taiwan's labor minister that has threatened to disrupt fast-warming ties between the island republic and India. In an interview with Yahoo TV…

PESHAWAR, Pakistan —  Pakistani authorities said Sunday at least 29 people died and 50 others injured due to heavy rains that swept across the country in the past 48 hours, causing several houses to collapse and landslides to block…

washington —  Four years after the signing of the Doha agreement, the U.S. and Taliban accuse each other of violating its terms, while analysts say that the agreement was “flawed” and has had “disastrous” outcomes for Afghans. “The…

Srinagar, Indian administered Kashmir —  The blanket of snow covering one of the prominent cricket grounds at the Magam neighborhood of Budgam district on the Indian side of Kashmir has melted. The ground is set to host a monthlong…

Islamabad —  Pakistan’s National Assembly swore in newly elected members Thursday amid protests by allies of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who say the general elections were marred by widespread rigging. The polls for the…

ISLAMABAD —  Afghanistan’s Taliban Monday carried out another public execution of a man charged with murder, defying international calls to stop the “inhuman” punishments. It was the third public execution within a week. The Taliban…

Islamabad —  Access to social media platform X, formerly Twitter, remained restricted in Pakistan late Friday, a week after services were suspended following a high-level official’s declaration that he was involved in election rigging.…

In the run-up to Pakistan's general elections this month, the country's 128 million voters were exposed to disinformation, including through artificial intelligence and deepfake videos. Aside from a much talked about AI video of former…

New Delhi —  Indian farmers paused their protest march for two days after clashes with police left one protester dead, the protest leaders said Wednesday. Indian police used tear gas and water cannons earlier Wednesday to disperse…

KATHMANDU, Nepal —  Nepal's gods and goddess are returning home. An unknown number of sacred statues of Hindu deities were stolen and smuggled abroad in the past. Now dozens are being repatriated to the Himalayan nation, part of a…

ISLAMABAD —  The Taliban have reportedly allowed female high school graduates in Afghanistan to enroll in state-run medical institutes for the new academic year that begins in March. The enrollment process has begun in more than a…

Doha, Qatar —  A two-day United Nations-led conference on the way forward in Afghanistan started in Qatar’s capital Doha, Sunday, without the Taliban, the de facto rulers, in attendance. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres convened…

islamabad, pakistan —  A week after Pakistan’s general elections delivered a hung parliament, runners-up are poised to form a coalition government while the winners continue to protest the results. Observers say the election delivered…

Islamabad —  Pakistan’s much-awaited election vote count concluded Sunday, with jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's allies winning the most National Assembly seats but not enough to form a simple majority.The Election Commission…

New Delhi —  At least eight people died and 80 were injured Tuesday in a giant explosion at a firework factory in India that saw balls of flames soar into the sky, officials said. Footage on Indian television showed a tower of flame…

ISLAMABAD —  Authorities in northwestern Pakistan said Monday that a pre-dawn militant raid had killed at least 10 police officers and injured six others ahead of national elections later this week. The attack occurred in the…

Karachi, Pakistan —  There's a scrum of people trying to get photos with the married couple at the Radiance banquet hall, and you can barely hear someone talk above the din of 400 guests tucking into biryani and chicken tikka, music and…

Colombo, Sri Lanka —  Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin was the guest of honor at Sri Lanka’s 76th Independence Day celebrations Sunday, as the island nation struggles to emerge from its worst economic crisis. Srettha joined Sri…

ISLAMABAD —  A new United Nations report warns that al-Qaida has established eight new training camps in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and is increasingly assisting anti-Pakistan militants to launch cross-border attacks. The report said an…

Dhaka —  Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus vowed Sunday to overcome scores of court cases that his supporters say are politically motivated to achieve his environmental and economic policies. "Our dream is to create a new…

KATHMANDU, Nepal —  Nepal has asked Russia to send back hundreds of Nepali nationals who were recruited to fight against Ukraine and repatriate the bodies of those who died in the conflict, Nepal's top diplomat said Thursday. The…

New Delhi —  India has achieved another milestone in space exploration by successfully placing a spacecraft in an orbit from which it will study the sun for five years. India joined a select group of nations already studying the sun…

NEW DELHI —  India said Friday night it had evacuated 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, from a commercial ship in the North Arabian Sea that had been targeted by hijackers. The rescue mission was mounted by an Indian warship.…

The de facto Taliban regime in Afghanistan has increased oil imports from Russia, rising from 246,000 tons in 2022 to more than 710,000 tons in the past 11 months, resulting in the expansion of oil trade to more than $300 million,…

LUCKNOW, India —  Millions of Indians celebrated Diwali on Sunday with a new Guinness World Record number of bright earthen oil lamps as concerns about air pollution soared in the South Asian country. Across the country, dazzling…

Karmila Purba revs her motorbike under the lights of an Indonesian night carnival and rides up horizontally inside a wooden cylinder called Satan's Barrel, drawing gasps from spectators looking down into the drum. With a smile on her…

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA —  Thousands of Sri Lankans rallied in the country's main business district and Christian clergy marched in the capital to observe a day of protest Saturday calling on the debt-ridden nation's president to resign, as…