All Asia: South & Central
Is Islamic State penetrating Afghanistan? Rumors swirl.The self-described Islamic State has few cultural or ideological affinities with the Taliban. Scattered reports of its presence appear to have more to do with local militant rifts.- India and Pakistan exchange deadly fire on Kashmir borderSenior officers on both sides blamed the other for a gun battle lasting several hours that left one Indian soldier dead and two Pakistani soldiers wounded.聽
FocusCan Kashmir move forward after pivotal elections nod to Hindus and Muslims?Part 1: Kashmir at a crossroads. Will the valley inch closer to India?聽Part 2: Kashmiris can't forget their freedom struggle with India, but want a better life.聽
Kashmir elections: Is a Hindu-Muslim alliance now in the offing?In local elections, the governing BJP won in Jammu and a local Muslim party won in Kashmir. All eyes are now on Prime Minister Modi and a popular Kashmiri politician named聽Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.聽
Kashmir at crossroads on election eve. Will the valley move toward India?Prime Minister Modi has been steadily stumping in Kashmir despite the antipathy of many locals. He knows he won't win hearts and minds. But could his Hindu party form a governing coalition in a heavily Muslim region?聽
Kashmir elections: Locals can't forget struggle with India, but want a better lifeThe Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi has brought the first prosecutions of Indian Army misbehavior in Kashmir ahead of local elections that will be finalized Dec. 23.聽
After school massacre, Pakistan's media point accusing fingersEditorials in English-language media are casting blame on everyone from the prime minister to opposition firebrand Imran Khan to Army leaders. Across the border, Indian media are urging a further crackdown on the Taliban.聽
Pakistan outraged over school massacre. But will mood tip scales against Taliban?Popular sentiment against the US and West is so strong, and hardline religious ideology so pervasive, that the Taliban attack in Peshawar may not permanently sway public opinion.聽
Pakistan massacre: Taliban blowback against all-out Army offensive?The killing of 145 or more people, mostly children, at an Army-run school in Peshawar today came amid a six-month Army campaign in North Waziristan.
Secret files on India national hero remain shut. What's PM Modi afraid of?Subhas Chandra Bose defied Mahatma Gandhi, met Adolf Hitler, and raised an army to force the British out of India. Yet despite promises by India's new prime minister to open the archives, Bose's fate remains a mystery.聽
Attack in Pakistan underscores ongoing threat to polio workersGunmen killed four health workers and wounded three in Quetta. Polio cases are at a 15-year high in Pakistan, where suspicion of vaccination programs has run high.聽
Saints or frauds? India clashes over 'god-men' as guru Maharaj faces policeBaba Rampal rose from obscurity as a civil engineer to become the guru of millions. Yet police in Haryana decided it was time he answered questions about a murder in 2006 attributed to his private army.聽
Defying Hindu moral police, Indian students hold 'kiss of love' protestsHindu moral police emboldened by India Prime Minister Modi have faced crowds of smoochers and huggers in Kerela, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi. The 'kiss of love' crowds were organized by social media, including on Facebook.聽
Containing China? Japan ramps up investment, influence in SE AsiaPrime Minister Abe and President Obama arrive in Myanmar on Wednesday for talks following the APEC summit in Beijing. Japan is putting yen and influence into an economic zone here. China calls it containment; others call it cooperation.聽
'Good Taliban' and 'Bad Taliban.' New dynamic inside Pakistan?Pakistan's version of the Taliban may be seriously crippled. Key commanders have defected and created new factions, one of which claimed responsibility for last week's blast at the India-Pakistani border crossing outside Lahore that killed 60.聽
Indians stashing 'black money,' beware. High court wants your nameSupreme Court in Delhi tells lawmakers that a list of secret foreign bank account holders that may be hiding illegal funds must be handed over Wednesday.
Afghanistan: Out with NATO, in with China?Afghan President Ashraf Ghani arrives in Beijing today to talk minerals and stability. China is not ready to fight the Taliban but wants a regime that doesn't foment jihadi trouble in Xinjiang.
British troop exit from Afghanistan stirs questions at home over missionBritish and US military bases in Helmand Province have been handed over to Afghan forces. Some former British military officials question the strategy of their military's 13-year combat mission.聽
Pakistan court upholds death penalty in 海角大神 woman's blasphemy caseAsia Bibi's blasphemy conviction is symbolic and highly charged. But there's an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty in Pakistan with only one carried out since 2008. She also has several paths of appeal.
Nepal avalanche: Climate change in action?Avalanches and landslides in Nepal's Himalaya mountain range have been blamed on extreme weather during the peak trekking season. Glaciers are shrinking as a result of what scientists say is man-made global warming.
