Asia

World News

Myanmar's U.N. Ambassador Defies Military, Calls For Global Action To End Coup

8:00am February 27, 2021

NPR's Scott Simon asks human rights activist Kyaw Win about Myanmar's ambassador to the U.N., who publicly called for international help to overturn the military coup in Myanmar.

Queue Listen Now

In this photo posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry Facebook page, Third Secretary Vladislav Sorokin of the Russian Embassy in North Korea pushes a handcart toward the North Korea-Russia border.

World News

With North Korea's Border Closed To Trains, Russian Diplomats Push Their Way Out

1:33pm February 26, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

Travel in and out of North Korea — never easy — is now almost impossible because of pandemic restrictions. Some foreign diplomats still in Pyongyang are doing their creative best to get home.

A South Korean human rights group has detailed how North Korea's extensive prison camps ultimately fund the nation's missile and nuclear programs.

World News

North Korea's Network Of Prison Camps Funds Weapons Programs, Rights Group Says

9:00am February 26, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

A South Korean human rights group sheds light on how North Korean prison camps help the country support its military operations through "mafia-type" tactics.

World News

Japan Faces Dilemma On Decision To Get Involved With The Coup In Myanmar

4:46pm February 25, 2021

by Anthony Kuhn

Japan is engaged in behind-the-scenes diplomacy to roll back the coup in Myanmar. But it faces a dilemma between values-based foreign policy and protecting its economic and geopolitical interests.

Queue Listen Now

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2019.

World News

Armenia's Prime Minister Calls On Supporters To Rally Against A Possible Coup

11:10am February 25, 2021

by Scott Neuman

Nikol Pashinyan warned of a military takeover after the army issued a statement demanding he step down following last year's disastrous conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

World News

Rohingya Refugees From Myanmar Adrift In Indian Ocean

9:27am February 25, 2021

Human rights groups say a boat trafficking over 90 Muslim minority Rohingya from Myanmar has broken down. They have little food & water and nobody wants them.

Queue Listen Now

Visitors walk past the giant word "Data" during the Guiyang International Big Data Expo 2016 in southwestern China. China says it's determined to be a leader in using artificial intelligence to sort through big data. U.S. officials say the Chinese efforts

China Wants Your Data — And May Already Have It

4:41pm February 24, 2021

by Greg Myre

When COVID hit, a Chinese firm offered to set up testing labs in the U.S., which could have given it access to DNA data. The U.S. says this is part of China's effort to collect mass data on Americans.

William Burns, President Biden's nominee for CIA director, testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. Burns served more than 30 years at the State Department and would be the first career diplomat to lead the spy agency.

CIA Nominee William Burns Talks Tough On China

3:53pm February 24, 2021

by Greg Myre

Burns said his top priority as spy chief would be a rising China. He received strong bipartisan support in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee and was widely expected to be confirmed.

Polio vaccinator Zeenat Parveen, holding the clipboard, and a volunteer go door-to-door to reach children in Rawalpindi, a city near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Pakistan's Polio Playbook Has Lessons For Its COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

2:30pm February 24, 2021

by Diaa Hadid

The pandemic has slowed efforts to eradicate the contagious disease. Yet the country's polio effort offers insights on the launch of its coronavirus vaccine campaign.

Queue Listen Now

In a photo taken last week at Babushkinsky District Court, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny gestures during a hearing.

World News

Amnesty Rescinds 'Prisoner Of Conscience' Designation For Russia Activist Navalny

2:10pm February 24, 2021

by Scott Neuman

Amnesty International cites past comments by the anti-Kremlin activist that "reach the threshold of advocacy of hatred."