Asia

It seems mother nature has no remorse. As water levels were finally beginning to recede, another round of flash floods has undercut millions across eastern India and Bangladesh who had taken first steps in the long recovery.

In its annual 'State of the States' survey, India Today magazine – the South Asian equivalent to Time, right down to its red window cover – put Bihar at the bottom among large states in eight categories ranging from economic output to electricity consumption. This hardly comes as a surprise as Bihar has earned an 'F' each year since rankings were first published five years ago.

Andrew and I spent the last few days in the Sabari District in Khowst Province. The paratroopers from the 82nd are living out there, which is part of a new strategy to keep constant pressure on the Taliban by keeping a presence in the districts surrounding Khost city.

The paratroopers in Afghanistan travel in the same armored Humvees as the soldiers in Iraq.

Andrew and I spent the afternoon in Khost today interviewing a local journalist and the governor of the province. It was funny because driving into town people would stop and do a double take when they saw us. It is rare, I guess, to see Western faces not in uniform on the streets of Khost.

Rigorous scientific study of the effects of Agent Orange have been complicated by politics. Journalists document some of the lasting effects of the dioxin Agent Orange in Vietnam, including birth defects, cancer, and infertility. As featured on Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria.

Reporter Christie Aschwanden reports from Hanoi, Vietnam on initial meetings with victims to explore the effects Agent Orange sprayed by U.S. military over Vietnam during the 1960s and 1970s. Video shot by George Lerner, featuring reporter Christie Ashwanden.

Okay... I know all of you have been waiting for us to finally show up in Afghanistan.

It took us a week, but we are finally here. We arrived late yesterday on a C-130 flight from Bagram to Salerno, the base just outside of Khost City on the Afghan-Pakistan border.

For those in the know, waiting for a flight in Kuwait takes monk like patience and a little luck. We had neither...

To continue reading Kevin Maurer and Andrew Craft's blog, click here.

Jason Motlagh, for the Pulitzer Center
India

Flood victims I spoke with in some of the outerlying hamlets in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district kept complaining about the thieving "mukhias," elected local big men responsible for doling out government aid. Given their reputation I thought it might be hard to pin one down for an interview, until he found me.

In A Luoi Valley, Vietnam, Dioxin left from Agent Orange destroyed large swaths of ecosystem during the Vietnam War. While effects of Agent Orange remain pervasive, Phung Tuu Boi works to repair the forests by first addressing the needs of local tribes.

Botanist Phung Tuu Boi has been restoring the forests of Vietnam that were destroyed during the war. Christie and George shot a video of Phung touring the highlands of central Vietnam. The video, "Replanting Vietnam's War Zones," as well as a podcast, are both available on The New York Times' website.

To watch the video, click here.