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Reports say Baitullah Mehsud, the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan, has been killed in a U.S. drone attack. The Pakistani foreign minister, intelligence sources and some members of the Taliban say Mehsud died when an unmanned U.S. aircraft destroyed his father-in-law's house Wednesday. But no one has been able to offer definitive proof of his death.

In Pakistan's northwestern frontier, two men recently battled for the hearts and minds of people in Swat Valley. That's where the Pakistani government is trying to push back Islamist militants. One man is a leader of the Taliban, who is believed to be in hiding now. The other works for the publicity arm of Pakistan's military.

Human rights violations continue in Sri Lanka despite the end of the war: 250,000 Tamils are still incarcerated. In the last week, a journalist has been jailed for 20 years of hard labor, a U.N. official has been expelled for criticizing the government, and a dispute has broken out over TV footage broadcast on television that purports to show a Sri Lankan soldier executing Tamils.

Bollywood super star Shah Rukh Khan was detained at Newark airport when he arrived in New Jersey last week. Khan says his name came up on a computer alert list, and that prompted the questioning. While U.S. immigration officials deny he was formally held, the incident has enraged fans in India.

The Taliban in Pakistan appear to be on the defensive. The challenge for Pakistan's government and military is how to consolidate some recent gains. The U.S. is urging Pakistan to press ahead, but the Pakistanis say that's not as easy as it sounds.

The current political crisis in Pakistan centers on a campaign led by lawyers who say they are trying to establish a genuinely independent judiciary. Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association President Muneer Malik persuaded the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, to take his case to the streets of Pakistan after Musharraf tried to fire him.

The Aga Khan is a Muslim leader of global stature who rarely appears on the airwaves. He usually prefers to keep his distance from the media -- not least because the press has generally proved more interested in his race horses and immense wealth than his humanitarian work.

Former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif is deported hours after landing in Pakistan after seven years in exile. Soon after landing, Sharif was taken into custody and charged with corruption, then flown to Saudi Arabia.

Small, cheap drones like those Hamas used against the Israeli military are reshaping warfare. It's an evolution the Pentagon has noticed. The U.S. military is training troops in counter-drone warfare.

People in Gaza are fleeing an impending ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave. NPR's Scott Detrow talks with Morning Edition host Leila Fadel, who is in Israel.