Economy

Taxes on petrol and diesel in India account for around 69% of the retail price, the highest in the world.
Opinion

Indian government stops consumers benefiting from cheap oil

New Delhi has not passed on reductions in crude price but in fact raised taxes

22 June 2020
Major China-backed infrastructure projects in Pakistan are being slowed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Belt and Road

Pakistan slashes budget for Belt and Road Initiative projects

Completion date for Karachi-Peshawar rail link even more uncertain

19 June 2020
A family wait outside a railway station in New Delhi on June 1: COVID-19 has laid bare the weakness of South Asia's economies.
Opinion

South Asia risks coronavirus lost decade

India and Pakistan's poor disease management will cost them dearly

17 June 2020
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan gave a televised address in March in which he said: "Ninety percent of cases of coronavirus are normal flu, and clear up without any treatment."
Coronavirus

Conspiracy theories help coronavirus take root in Pakistan

Religious fervor and distrust of government combine with deadly results

13 June 2020
A boy receives polio vaccine drops at a Karachi train station in 2016.
Politics

Coronavirus threatens to upend Pakistan's long war against polio

39 nations at risk as public funds are diverted to fight COVID-19

3 June 2020
A swarm of desert locusts flies over a ranch near the town on Nanyuki in Laikipia county, Kenya, Feb. 21.
Natural disasters

India and Pakistan brace for worst locust attack in 27 years

Amid COVID-19, Modi vows to 'salvage our crops' as drones and helicopters readied

1 June 2020
Repatriated overseas Filipino workers arrive at an airport after weeks of quarantine in Pasay City on May 26: they send home more than $35 billion annually.
Opinion

Coronavirus shock exposes Asian governments' addiction to remittances

Money which overseas workers send home has prevented needed reforms

28 May 2020
Pakistan has secured funding from China for a major hydropower joint venture in Kashmir, but the loan terms have not been revealed.  
Belt and Road

China ignores India over dam project in Pakistani Kashmir

Debt-laden Islamabad gets Beijing funds for joint venture opposed by Delhi

24 May 2020
Indians wait to board a repatriation flight from Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City, on May 9: There are reports that more than 400,000 Indians worldwide are trying to return home. © AFP/Jiji
Coronavirus

Coronavirus wrecks South Asian migrant livelihoods in Middle East

Some 900,000 stranded workers to test health care systems and economies

20 May 2020
A man attempts to fend-off a swarm of desert locusts in Kenya on Feb. 21: it is the worst outbreak to strike the country in 70 years.
Opinion

World must protect India and Pakistan from threat of locust swarms

Insects wipe out crops and pastures, damaging food supply and livelihoods

13 May 2020
Pakistan has plans to create a smart city in Gwadar Port, a major part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Belt and Road

Pakistan request opens door for Belt and Road project debt relief

COVID-19 economic hit gives China little choice but to help cash-strapped allies

11 May 2020
A doctor tests a patient for the coronavirus in Dharavi, one of Asia's largest slums, at the outset of India's nationwide lockdown, which has failed to conquer the novel coronavirus.
Coronavirus

India and Pakistan's 'red zones' keep COVID-19 trajectory on rise

New Delhi modifies strategy as stringent lockdown fails to flatten curve

7 May 2020
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, greets Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Beijing, in November 2018. Khan must balance ties with Beijing and acting to protect public health in Pakistan.
Belt and Road

Pakistan moves to save face as coronavirus hits Belt and Road

Government's order for work to resume a bid to foster China ties, analysts say

22 April 2020
There are plans to make the port city of Gwadar, near the Gulf of Oman, into a smart metropolis of 2 million, but the city's 85,000 current residents already struggle with poor electricity and water supplies.
Belt and Road

Pakistan's Belt and Road port has Singapore-size goal

Gwadar's development plan, with a lack of funds and resources, stirs skepticism

2 March 2020
G7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Chantilly, France, July 17, 2019.
Your Week in Asia

G-20 finance ministers, Nissan shareholders and a China-ASEAN meeting

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest political and business events

17 February 2020
Foreign students in Japan are allowed to work in unskilled-labor positions, such as convenience store work, for up to 28 hours per week. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Japan immigration

Japan intensifies crackdown on student visa overstayers

Number of countries subject to stricter checks to increase tenfold

11 February 2020
Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is at present the only gateway for air passengers visiting Nepal. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Economy

Nepal's new airport threatens 2.4m trees, angering greens

Government pushes on with $1.3bn project to handle flood of foreign tourists

5 February 2020
A worker stands next to robotic arms in a factory in Zhangjiakou, China: robots often supplement and support humans rather than replace them.
Opinion

Asia's economies must learn to accommodate rise of robots

Technology can complement humans but it can also eliminate their jobs

5 February 2020
People walk by a banner aimed at raising awareness of the coronavirus in Islamabad. Pakistan, as of Saturday, does not have a confirmed case of the infection. 
Coronavirus

Coronavirus fears freeze Belt and Road projects in Pakistan

Opposition politicians slam government for not evacuating citizens from Wuhan

1 February 2020
Gotabaya Rajapaksa (in red), Sri Lankan president and former wartime defence chief, with his brothers including Mahinda Rajapaksa (left), former president, waves at his supporters in Colombo during the campaign for the November 2019 presidential election.
International relations

Sri Lanka faces EU ire after government breaks UN war obligations

Rajapaksa's stance risks country losing favored trade status with European bloc

25 January 2020
Despite the fanfare surrounding use of Gwadar port for trade with Afghanistan, experts say the facility has a long way to go before China sees any return on its investment.
Belt and Road

Beijing-backed Pakistan port opens as hub for Afghanistan trade

Gwadar challenges Indian interests in region, but China's ROI remains unclear

23 January 2020
Pakistan's Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Muhammad Hammad Azhar talks to the Nikkei Asian Review in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuichi Shiga)
Interview

Belt and Road corridor to boost Pakistan economy: minister

Azhar says free trade agreement with Beijing will also help

8 January 2020
Greece has rejected China's plan to build an additional cargo terminal at Piraeus port amid concerns about growing Beijing influence.
Belt and Road

China drops $11bn anchors to expand Maritime Silk Road

State-owned operators Cosco and China Merchants dominate decade of spending

5 January 2020
Narendra Modi has embarked on implementing his party's core political projects and he will continue on this track in 2020.
Opinion

2020 look ahead: Politics and protectionism to dominate Indian economy

Slowing growth needs corporate kick-start, but Modi only offers distractions

2 January 2020
Vietnamese residents take photos as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un goes past in Hanoi on Feb. 26.
Photos

2019 in pictures: Looking back at a year of celebrations, confrontations and more

A selection of striking images from across Asia, and the stories behind them

29 December 2019