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· Ryan General
Former finance minister of Afghanistan is now an Uber driver in Washington DC
Former Afghanistan Finance Minister Khalid Payenda, who served under Afghan President Ashraf Ghani before the Taliban took over in August last year, is now making ends meet as an Uber driver in Washington. Payenda resigned from his post a week before the Taliban captured Kabul…
· Myra Khan
Taliban curtailing women’s rights in Afghanistan, killing female activists
Since the Taliban takeover on Aug. 15, the Islamic extremist group has been violating women’s rights and targeting female activists despite promising the contrary, leaving many to wonder why Western allies have seemingly abandoned the people of Afghanistan. Broken promises:…
· Ryan General
US ends its 20-year military presence in Afghanistan
The U.S. officially concluded its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, with the departure of the last American military plane from Kabul on Tuesday. End of America’s longest war: The head of U.S. Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie, announced the completion of the military…
· Bryan Ke
‘Underground’ LGTBQ+ community in Afghanistan fear being ‘killed on the spot’ after Taliban takeover
Members of the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan expressed fear as the Taliban took over the country’s capital Kabul. Death as punishment: Many members from the hidden LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan are now talking to international media outlets to express how dangerous it is to…
· Ryan General
Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor fears for her family’s safety as Taliban takes over
A female Afghan mayor aired a plea of desperation as the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan sparks concerns for the safety of women in the country, particularly activists, journalists and politicians like her. Potential target: In a recent interview with iNews, Maidan Wardak…
· Carl Samson
Japanese Doctor Who Helped Bring in Clean Water to Afghanistan Killed by Gunmen
A Japanese doctor who brought canal-building techniques from his hometown to help irrigate arid areas in Afghanistan was killed by a group of gunmen in the eastern part of the country on Wednesday. Tetsu Nakamura, 73, founder of nongovernmental organization Peace Japan Medical…
· Ryan General
Meet the ‘Bruce Lee’ of Afghanistan
Abbas Alizada has been dubbed the “Afghan Bruce Lee” for his striking resemblance to the legendary martial arts icon. The 24-year-old Kung Fu fan from a Kabul suburb shot to social media fame about three years ago after posting a picture of himself striking a pose next to an…
· Ryan General
Asian countries lag behind European ones in UN’s global ranking for happiness
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network released its 2022 World Happiness Report, showing Asian countries lagging behind their European counterparts. In the index of 146 nations, the “happiest” Asian country is Israel at 9th place, and the least happy was…
· Carl Samson
Trump warns ‘Taiwan is next’ because US ‘did nothing’ in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump says “Taiwan is going to be next.” Trump told Fox News he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping has been watching the Ukraine crisis with “glee” and sees it as his opportunity to attack the island. The former president blames the…
· Ryan General
How Asian countries voted on UN resolution demanding Russia withdraw from Ukraine
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted in favor of reprimanding Russia for its recent display of “aggression against Ukraine.” The text of the resolution “deplores in the strongest terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine in violation of Article 2,…
· Bryan Ke
Family of dead British hostage-taker in Texas synagogue reveals suspect had mental health issues
Malik Faisal Akram, 44, was shot and killed during an 11-hour standoff with authorities in a hostage situation inside a synagogue in Texas on Saturday. The British citizen held four hostages inside the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue. He released the first hostage six hours…
· Myra Khan
Vietnamese Americans are opening their doors, offering support to Afghan refugees
Across the United States, Vietnamese communities have been opening their doors to refugees from Afghanistan, seeing themselves in the new arrivals. An unlikely bond: In cities like Philadelphia and Seattle, Vietnamese landlords, business owners, artists and neighbors have been…
· Editorial Staff
Report: Asia’s civic rights under attack, Taiwan the only territory ‘open’
Attacks against civic freedoms in Asia have been rife over the past year, with Taiwan being the only territory that can be considered open, according to a new report from global civic space tracker CIVICUS Monitor, a self-described “ongoing research collaboration between global…
· Myra Khan
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, culture lead to another vigilante justice death after man beaten by mob of hundreds
The murder of a Sri Lankan Christian man in Pakistan has sparked a national conversation around controversial blasphemy laws and the surrounding culture, which leads many religious extremists to take the law into their own hands. Mob lynching: Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana, the…
· Ryan General
Rep. Pham, daughter of Vietnamese refugees, comes ‘full circle’ to welcome Afghan refugees to Oregon
An Oregon state representative wants to give a proper welcome to the Afghan refugees who will be arriving in the state early next year. A proper welcome: Rep. Khanh Pham (House District 46), who was born to Vietnamese refugee parents, is among the leaders of the task force that…
· Ryan General
Report: Japan, Singapore have 2021’s most powerful passports, the US fails to crack top five
This year, Japan and Singapore are tied for the world’s most powerful passport, while South Korea and Germany share the second spot, according to a new report. The United States was not included in the top five. Passport hierarchy: The Henley Passport Index, created by residence…
· Khier Casino
26 Asian celebrities, activists, political leaders among TIME’s ‘100 most influential people of 2021’
TIME magazine has published its 100 most influential people of 2021 on Wednesday and the full list includes Naomi Osaka, Shohei Ohtani and Cathy Park Hong, among other Asian luminaries from around the globe. The 18th annual list of influential people features activists,…
· Bryan Ke
‘Please hold my hand and help me’: Afghan athletes arrive safely in Tokyo for Paralympics after evacuation from Kabul
After a public plea for help, Afghan athletes Zakia Khudadadi and Hossain Rasouli arrived safely at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced on Saturday. Safe evacuation: Khudadadi, 23, and Rasouli, 26, were evacuated from the now…
· Ryan General
‘White Savior’?: Lawyer of all-girls Afghan robotics team demands Oklahoma woman stop taking credit for their rescue
A lawyer representing an all-girls robotics team who fled Afghanistan has sent a formal cease-and-desist letter to an Oklahoma woman to stop her from taking credit for their rescue. Tragedy for personal gain: Digital Citizen Fund (DCF), the parent organization that oversaw the…
· Carl Samson
South Korea’s MBC sparks outrage over ‘inappropriate’ images for each country in Olympic opening
South Korean broadcaster MBC has apologized for its use of “inappropriate” images and captions to represent countries in its live coverage of the Tokyo Olympics’ opening ceremony. What happened: In its hours-long livestream that started on Thursday (local time), MBC used…