Asia

News Brief: Climate Report, Taliban Gains, Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Trial

10:42am August 09, 2021

A landmark new report finds that climate change is accelerating. Taliban fighters took control of three Afghan cities on Sunday. The maker of Oxycontin, Purdue Pharma, returns to court Monday.

Queue Listen Now

Taliban Fighters Overwhelm 3 Major Cities In A Single Day

6:12am August 09, 2021

NPR's Debbie Elliott talks to Washington Post reporter Susannah George, who is in the Afghan capital Kabul, about the latest areas to be seized by Taliban fighters over the weekend.

Afghans inspect damaged shops after fighting between Taliban and Afghan security forces in Kunduz city, northern Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. Taliban fighters Sunday took control of much of the capital of Kunduz province, including the governor's of

World News

The Taliban Has Seized 2 More Provincial Capitals In Afghanistan As U.S. Exit Nears

12:55pm August 08, 2021

by Dave Mistich

Taliban gains in two key cities on Sunday are the latest locations to be overtaken by the group since it began a sweeping military offensive in May.

Sports

The Tokyo Olympics Closing Ceremony Caps Off The Summer Games

10:38am August 08, 2021

by Leila Fadel

Sunday marks the end of the Tokyo Olympics. Like the beginning, organizers planned a celebratory but subdued closing ceremony of a Games that battled through the pandemic and limited local enthusiasm.

China's Aim To Reverse A Declining Birth Rate May Increase Job Discrimination

8:48pm August 06, 2021

by Emily Feng

China wants couples to have more children. Women say that expectation is worsening the rampant gender discrimination that they face in the workforce.

How BTS Is Adding An Estimated $5 Billion To The South Korean Economy A Year

6:11pm August 06, 2021

by Stacey Vanek Smith

BTS has become a global economic force. The seven-member South Korean boy band is creating jobs, billions in revenue — and even moving the needle on South Korea's GDP.

A U.S. Navy hovercraft prepares to hit the beach during amphibious-landing exercises as part of an annual joint U.S.-Philippine military exercise on the shores of San Antonio, facing the South China Sea, in Zambales province, Philippines, on April 11, 201

4 Things To Know After The Philippines Kept Its Pact With The U.S. Military

5:57pm August 06, 2021

by Julie McCarthy

After threatening since last year to cancel it, President Rodrigo Duterte decided to restore the agreement that enables U.S. forces to operate in the Philippines. Here's why that matters.

The Olympic Debut Of Karate In Tokyo Is A Nod To Its 700-Year-Ago Origins

4:27pm August 06, 2021

by Mandalit del Barco

Karate made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics. It's a sport that traces its roots to Japan and karate experts (and fans) across Tokyo have cheered its inclusion at the Games.

The Beijing Winter Olympics are set to open in February. Visitors recently watched a light show at the newly built ski jumping center in northern China's Hebei province.

Winter Is Coming: The Beijing 2022 Olympics Start In Less Than 6 Months

3:01pm August 05, 2021

by Bill Chappell

Many facilities are brand-new, but some may look familiar: The famous "Water Cube" that hosted swimming in 2008, for instance, is becoming an "Ice Cube," to host curling.

Indian field hockey players celebrate after winning the men's bronze medal match over Germany at the Tokyo Olympics.

India's Men Win Their 1st Hockey Medal in 41 Years. Next, The Women Get A Chance

2:16pm August 05, 2021

by Lauren Frayer

Thursday's bronze is India's first field hockey medal since 1980 — before any of the current players were born. More history could be made Friday, when India's women go for their first Olympic medal.