A Hindu devotee looks on as he takes part in a religious procession of Naya Udasin Akhara ahead of the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj, India, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jan 13, 2025
Indian Hindu pilgrims take the plunge ahead of largest gathering
Organizers expect up to 400 million pilgrims from India and beyond in the six weeks running from January 13 to February 26.
Humaira Rafaqat, a senior traffic warden, teaches women how to ride a motorcycle while wearing an abaya, during a training session as part of the Women on Wheels program organized by the traffic police department in Lahore, Pakistan, on Oct. 1.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 31, 2024
Women on Wheels: How a driving school program empowers Pakistani women
The driving program for women has become increasingly popular as car prices have soared and motorcycles offer a cheaper alternative.
Hindu pilgrims take a dip along the banks of Sangam, ahead of the <i>maha</i> Kumbh Mela festival in the city of Prayagraj on Sunday. Beside India's holy rivers, a makeshift city is being built for a Hindu religious festival expected to be so vast it will be seen from space.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 26, 2024
India readies for 400 million pilgrims at mammoth festival
The Kumbh Mela, a millennia-old festival, is held once every 12 years at the site where the holy Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet.
A vendor selling spy cameras takes a phone call inside his shop at a market in New Delhi. Elaborate Indian weddings are big business, and for some families, the first step of celebration is not to call a priest or a party planner — but a private detective.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 23, 2024
Bride, groom, spy: India's wedding detectives
In a country where social customs are changing rapidly, more and more couples are making their own matches.
Hindu monks protest to stop the atrocities against Bangladesh's Hindu minority community, in Kolkata on Dec. 5.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 23, 2024
Minorities fear targeted attacks in post-revolution Bangladesh
Hindus make up about 8% of the mainly Muslim nation of 170 million people.
Residential buildings under construction at China Evergrande Group's Riverside Palace development in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, China, in November 2023
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 20, 2024
China’s economic rebound hangs on the fate of its richest cities
Preserving earning power in China was given fresh urgency as U.S. Presidential-elect Donald Trump says he will choke off critical Chinese exports.
A protester wears a mask depicting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol during a rally calling for his impeachment, in Seoul, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / ANALYSIS
Dec 12, 2024
South Korea's soft power gains at risk from extended political crisis
How the country — a top global destination for medical and plastic surgery tourism — gets through the period of uncertainty will impact foreign visitor numbers.

Longform

Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick