In Syria about a decade ago, while the Assad regime was focused on crushing an uprising that challenged its rule, it faced a problem. It had too many children in detention, who had been swept up when their mothers were arrested. An NPR investigation has found that hundreds of children were separated from family and placed in orphanages around Damascus by government intelligence agents. They ordered the orphanages to keep this a secret.

Now that the Assad regime has fallen, families are searching the Syrian capital for their missing children. We go to Damascus to learn more.

With the U.S. undertaking a tariff war with countries like China, India sees and opening. As goods from China sold in the U.S. get more expensive, India hopes to lure away manufacturers. But can they do that while avoiding being hit with U.S. tariffs themselves? We go to an Indian manufacturing hub to see what the strategy looks like.

The Trump administration is dismantling the United States Agency for International Development, USAID. They had been doing humanitarian work in more than 100 countries. We hear from NPR correspondents around the world about what the agency had been doing on the ground and what it's elimination could mean.

For most western countries January first is a holiday. In Afghanistan and Pakistan it is the date of many, many birthdays. We find out why.

The film "All We Imagine As Light" is an Indian film that has won rare international acclaim from Cannes and the Golden Globes. But at home in India the international buzz was ignored and it was passed over as India's entry for the Oscars. Our correspondent in Mumbai, where the film was shot, explores why it is not receiving the same acclaim in India.

The ruling Taliban in Afghanistan issued a sweeping morality law in August. Among other things, it bans women's voices outside the home: no laughing, speaking loudly or singing. Afghan women outside the country are protesting the restriction by posting videos of themselves singing. We hear from some of them.

Last month in Bangladesh, street protests grew into a movement that eventually ended the rule of the autocratic prime minister. Now the country is picking up the pieces and charting a new way forward. We board a double-decker bus in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, to talk to Bangladeshis about the future.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's third win is rare, but is tempered by his party's loss of a parliamentary majority.

As Indian six-week-long elections continue, critics are accusing the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP of incitement against the Muslim minority.

Nearly a billion people start going to the polls in India Friday, as the worlds largest democracy starts its mammoth election.

H-Pop refers to the music and poetry of Hindu nationalism in India. And critics are warning of what they say is H-Pop's destructive power ahead of Indian elections expected this spring.

Two restaurants tangle in a New Delhi court over who gets to say they invented the iconic Indian dish of butter chicken. But its origins might lie in an effort to please British tastes.

The ruling Hindu party in India has secured support from some Muslims, even though the party has been hostile to the religion.

Shehbaz Sharif returns as Pakistan's prime minister. He's widely seen as the army's pick to lead, but without apparent electoral legitimacy. Can he deal with the country's mounting challenges?

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is likely to assume power. His fortunes were boosted by an army-led crackdown on his rival Imran Khan, whose candidates still won the largest number of votes.

A man whose come to symbolize the whiplash rise, fall and rise again, of political fortunes in Pakistan says he's starting talks to form a coalition government after controversial elections.

Mobile networks were shut off and militants attacked some candidates. One popular leader — who was not on the ballot — essentially campaigned for his proxies via an AI-generated version of himself.

Pakistan's upcoming elections are about one man who isn't on the ballot. He's in jail, and his party is barred from campaigning.

Much of India celebrates as the prime minister consecrates a controversial temple to Lord Ram. Critics say its done with an eye to elections, and there's unease among Muslims.

India's prime minister lead the consecration ceremony for a temple. A Hindu group built it on the site of a historic mosque that was razed three decades ago.