Stephen M. Bland
The Country Where Rappers Are Forced to Suck Up to the Government
Since 2014, hip-hop has essentially been banned in the central Asian country of Tajikistan. So what have rappers done to get their songs on the radio? Compare their president to a god.
Uzbekistan's Dictator Is Dead – What Happens Next?
Gods don't foresee their own demise, so the death of Islam Karimov has left a power vacuum with a range of colourful candidates.
The Man Trying to Save the Philippine Tarsier from the Black Market
Plucked off trees and sent to market, the endangered primate faces a highly uncertain future.
Earth's Deepest Lake Is 'Seriously Ill'
From raw sewage to new dams, the future is uncertain for Russia's Lake Baikal.
The Laotians Clearing Their Country of America's Unexploded Bombs
During the so-called "Secret War," the US dropped more than 2 million tons of ordnance on Laos—that's the equivalent to a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years.