Skidding Off the Rails
NEED TO KNOW Skidding Off the Rails PAKISTAN Late last month, courts in Pakistan in different rulings convicted ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan […]
Target Practice
NEED TO KNOW Target Practice BALUCHISTAN Iran and Pakistan fired missiles and drones at each other this month ostensibly to kill separatists […]
All That Glitters …
NEED TO KNOW All That Glitters … BRUNEI Prince Abdul Mateen of the small Southeast Asian nation of Brunei was described in […]
Gross National Gloom
NEED TO KNOW Gross National Gloom BHUTAN In Bhutan’s recent elections – the fourth since 2008, when the Himalayan nation replaced its […]
The Loss of Patience
NEED TO KNOW The Loss of Patience TAIWAN Taiwan’s general election on Jan. 13 will have major implications for the small country […]
My Rival, My Friend
NEED TO KNOW My Rival, My Friend AUSTRALIA The AUKUS deal signed in 2021 by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United […]
The Fix Is In
NEED TO KNOW The Fix Is In BANGLADESH The prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, recently launched her ruling Awami League party’s […]
A Matter of Taste
NEED TO KNOW A Matter of Taste SOUTH KOREA Bruno, Max, Mia, Nana, Raspberry, Roxy, Trudy, and Zelda were not originally supposed […]
A Playing Field
Editor’s Note: Dear Readers, This holiday week we’re reprising some of our lead stories of the past year, ones that illustrate ongoing […]
Flower Power
NEED TO KNOW Flower Power KYRGYZSTAN The flag of Kyrgyzstan features a yellow sun on a red field. The sun evokes the […]
Death By Inches
NEED TO KNOW Death By Inches TIBET The Chinese government recently renamed “Tibet” as “Xizang” in official diplomatic documents. The move was […]
Countdown
NEED TO KNOW Countdown MYANMAR Ye Htut is a 64-year-old retired lieutenant colonel in the Myanmarese army, who also served as a […]
Hot Top of the World
NEED TO KNOW Hot Top of the World NEPAL United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently journeyed to the foot of Mount Everest […]
No Exit
NEED TO KNOW No Exit NORTH KOREA North Koreans face hunger, forced labor, shortages of medicine and other supplies, and no freedom […]
Pick Your King
NEED TO KNOW Pick Your King MALAYSIA Malaysia has a unique form of constitutional monarchy. Every five years, nine sultans convene at […]
Walking the Plank
NEED TO KNOW Walking the Plank PAKISTAN Around 700,000 Afghan refugees fled to neighboring Pakistan since 2021 when the Taliban assumed power […]
Down and Out, Down Under
NEED TO KNOW Down and Out, Down Under AUSTRALIA Australians over the weekend shot down a constitutional amendment to provide the country’s […]
Plus ça Change
NEED TO KNOW Plus ça Change NEW ZEALAND The former prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, who served from 2017 through […]
A Family Affair
NEED TO KNOW A Family Affair INDONESIA Kaesang Pangarep, a 28-year-old YouTube influencer and entrepreneur who is also the youngest son of […]
Despair in the Black Garden
NEED TO KNOW Despair in the Black Garden ARMENIA/ AZERBAIJAN Another nightmare appears to be unfolding on the far edge of Europe. […]
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
NEED TO KNOW R.E.S.P.E.C.T. SOUTH KOREA South Korean teachers say they have it tough. Their complaints include pupils assaulting them in the […]
Breaking Through the Sky
NEED TO KNOW Breaking Through the Sky INDIA The Vikram Moon lander recently hopped across the lunar surface, using its thrusters to […]
Where the Truth Goes to Die
NEED TO KNOW Where the Truth Goes to Die SRI LANKA On Easter Sunday in 2019, a series of bomb blasts at […]
Resetting the Rudder
NEED TO KNOW Resetting the Rudder MALDIVES In early August, the supreme court of the Maldives, the archipelago nation off India’s southwest […]