Economy

Laborers work in a sewing section of a garment factory in Gazipur on May 2: Bangladesh's economic rise has been powered by the ready-made garment industry,
Opinion

Bangladesh goes from basket case to rising star

Recent success was far from preordained

4 June 2021
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reviews the Brexit trade deal with the EU that he signed at number 10 Downing Street in London, on Dec. 30.
Trade

UK knocks on TPP door harder after EU exports fall 16%

Britain also nearing trade deals with India and Australia

4 June 2021
Washington says moves by countries to levy digital-services taxes overwhelmingly target American companies such as Facebook and Amazon.
Trade

US to India and 5 others: You tax Big Tech, we tariff you

Washington urges talks for broader digital service levy

3 June 2021
A woman shops for produce at a market in Mumbai. Even with India emerging from pandemic lockdowns, the economy is not expected to see a quick rebound.
Coronavirus

Indian economy faces long slog to recovery from COVID carnage

Lockdowns ease but employment and consumption take a beating

2 June 2021
Singapore relies heavily on migrant workers from South Asia to perform labor-intensive jobs like construction and shipbuilding. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Coronavirus

Singapore's entry ban on India worsens COVID labor crunch

Grueling workloads raise safety concerns while shortage pushes up wages

1 June 2021
People walk at a crowded market amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in the old quarters of Delhi, India, April 6.
Economy

India's GDP expands 1.6% in January-March quarter

Second COVID wave clouds near-term outlook despite recent dip in cases

31 May 2021
Indian school girls look at plastic models of a man and a woman in Mumbai in February 2003: sex education would be a driving force in resolving many of the urgent problems plaguing Indian society.
Opinion

India, can we talk openly about sex please?

Comprehensive sex education programs are urgently needed

27 May 2021
Narendra Modi speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the "Make In India" week in Mumbai in February 2016: India has failed to develop and execute a holistic, comprehensive and coordinated economic development plan.
Opinion

India's all too frequent disconnect between ambition and reality

Structural economic weaknesses remain its Achilles heel

25 May 2021
Taiwanese Apple suppliers have been working to turn India into an alternative production base to China. (Source photos by Reuters and Nikkei)
Coronavirus

Taiwanese Apple suppliers grapple with India's COVID crisis

Foxconn and others repatriate workers amid safety concerns

21 May 2021
Narendra Modi participates in an online summit with EU leaders in New Delhi on May 8: resuming talks with the EU marks a major shift in policy. (Handout photo from India's Press Information Bureau)
Opinion

In Modi's India self-reliance means you are on your own

Resumption of EU trade talks an admission that isolationism has failed

20 May 2021
A woman is consoled after the hospital turned away her father from admission in New Delhi on Apr. 29: the Modi government declared premature victory.
Opinion

Narendra Modi's COVID catastrophe brings India to its knees

Failure raises questions about nation's future role on the world stage

6 May 2021
A woman sits inside an ambulance as she waits to enter a COVID-19 hospital for treatment in Ahmedabad, India, on Wednesday.
Economy

India central bank outlines $6.8bn of COVID relief measures

RBI move comes as nation posts record 3,780 virus-linked deaths

5 May 2021
The virtual meeting between U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi yielded a key pact on migration and mobility. (Photo by Andrew Parsons/ No. 10 Downing Street)
Indo-Pacific

India and UK unveil 10-year road map to stronger ties at virtual summit

Modi and Johnson eye more trade and defense cooperation in light of assertive China

5 May 2021
In spite of the current coronavirus setbacks, India's economy is expected to grow 11% this year, the ADB says in a report.
Economy

India set for big rebound but COVID danger lurks, says ADB

China and India to buoy emerging Asia's pandemic recovery to 7.3% growth in 2021

28 April 2021
Repatriated overseas Filipino workers arrive back in Manila in May 2020.
Economy

Asia's migrants face uneven road back from COVID: ADB-led report

Pandemic continues to depress labor demand in major destination countries

27 April 2021
A migrant worker's family sits next to a bus at a bus station, as they wait to return to their village, after Delhi government ordered a six-day lockdown.
Economy

India's economic outlook weakens as COVID variant rages

Lockdowns seen reducing consumer spending and jobs for migrant workers

22 April 2021
Hindu devotees take a dip in the Ganges River during the Pitcher Festival in Haridwar, India, on April 14, 2021.
Coronavirus

India's COVID cases surge amid Hindu fair and election rallies

South Asian nation becomes second after US to breach daily 200,000 mark

16 April 2021
A health worker shows Covishield vaccine in Gauhati on Mar. 1: the Modi government chose to be penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Opinion

Narendra Modi fails India's vaccine test

Rollout was meant to be a moment to shine

14 April 2021
The coronavirus has taken a heavy toll on Thailand's tourism.
Interview

Asia's recovery 'divergence' will last for years: IMF official

ASEAN countries expected to trail China and India in GDP growth for 2021

14 April 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to convince his country of 1.3 billion that "in every aspect of life, modernization is essential."
Asia Insight

Modi's structural reforms enter climax as vested interests dig in

Indian PM faces Thatcher moment as he sweeps away decades-old socialist residue

13 April 2021
The logo of the Reserve Bank of India on a smartphone: the RBI can afford to let real interest rates come down.
Opinion

Money in the bank provides hope for India's beleaguered economy

Reserve Bank of India should ease real interest rates

8 April 2021
The IMF now sees the U.S. economy growing 6.4% in 2021, up from 5.1% in January, while China is forecast to grow 8.4%. (Nikkei montage/AP)
Economy

China and US to power 6% global growth in 2021, IMF says

Vaccines and fiscal aid brighten outlook but worldwide recovery speeds diverge

6 April 2021
Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta. Analysts revised up Indonesia's economic growth for 2021.
Economy

Vaccines seen helping Singapore and Indonesia rebound: survey

Economists cut 2021 growth forecasts for Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand

6 April 2021
A worker at a cotton processing facility in Gujarat, India: Indian cotton exports to Pakistan are set to resume as early as June.
Trade

Pakistan to resume India trade in June after 19-month freeze

Planned sugar and cotton imports signal growing thaw in ties

1 April 2021
A rickshaw puller in Delhi in August 2020. Due to the pandemic, many Indians still use public transport only when they must, severely impacting transportation workers' income.
Coronavirus

India's poor hit hard by pandemic-induced downturn

Study shows number of those in poverty doubles, middle class shrinks by a third

30 March 2021