Geography of Asia
Stuck without passports in Kazakhstan, Russians who avoided the draft face a ticking clock
As hundreds of thousands of young men streamed into Central Asia to avoid the draft in Russia at the end of September, activists realized that many of the new arrivals were now jobless, homeless — and without legal papers.
Beit Safafa residents protest Jerusalem’s plan to build a highway through their town
Highway construction is rarely popular with the people whose neighborhood the highway must go through. In a small, largely Palestinian town outside of Jerusalem, residents are organizing to try and stop a highway that will have little benefit to them from ripping up their neighborhood.
Egyptian-American man sends a message while running last week’s Jerusalem marathon
Last week’s Jerusalem Marathon was replete with controversy, with Palestinian officials telling those signed up they should withdraw. But one man, an Egyptian-American, wanted to spread his own message, God is love, as he ran.
India trying to get Hindus to move back to contested Kashmir
India and Pakistan have long jostled for control of the Kashmir region along the border of their two countries. That jostling has also led to religious violence, which drove many Hindus out of Kashmir. But now India is encouraging them to come back.
Jerusalem moves to give names to street in Arab-dominated eastern neighborhoods
East Jerusalem has long been tough for emergency responders to get to. The area’s many streets don’t have names, or numbers, meaning directions have to be given by landmarks. Jerusalem’s municipal government is working to change that now, but many Palestinians who live in those neighborhoods are skeptical.