News in Asia

Welcome to another week of news!

For this week’s long read, Global Witness published the findings of a year-long investigation into the jade trade in Myanmar that is financing the drug trade and the military, but doesn’t help the everyday citizens of the country.

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan today, which could be felt in surrounding nations as well. The number of casualties is not yet known.

U.S. President Barack Obama urged Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is visiting the White House, to curb Pakistan’s nuclear program and restart peace talks with the Taliban.

Under Pakistan’s National Action Plan, 9,400 clerics were arrested for promoting religious hatred.

Pakistan has agreed to double spending on education by the year 2018.

Papua New Guinea is beginning to resettle refugees that fled Southeast Asian countries that have been housed in a detention center on Manus Island. The refugees were sent to Papua New Guinea as part of a deal with Australia in 2013; Australia would provide aid in exchange for Papua New Guinea taking in refugees.

The Hindu festival of Dussehra, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil, was celebrated this week. Effigies of the demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakaran were burned to mark the occasion.

An investigation has concluded that the death of a man killed by a mob in India for consuming beef was premeditated.

Korean families separated by the Korean war and split between North and South Korea had a brief reunion at a mountain resort.

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the Queen on his visit to England (and he met with David Cameron, too).

Many predict that the next wave of refugees seeking asylum in Europe will come from Afghanistan.

Finally, new research is showing that domesticated dogs may have first appeared in Central Asia 15,000 years ago.