Economy

A trader counts U.S. dollars at a currency exchange in Peshawar: Pakistan will need $41 billion over the next 12 months, its finance minister has said.
Economy

Pakistan's IMF deal offers economic pain relief but no panacea

Political instability threatens to derail efforts to regain confidence of key lenders

23 July 2022
Security personnel stand guard near Sri Lanka's presidential secretariat in Colombo after a raid on an anti-government protest camp early on July 22.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka crackdown overshadows new PM's swearing-in

Fears of more clashes as president picks Rajapaksa ally Gunawardena for premier

22 July 2022
New Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken office in the midst of a deep economic crisis.
Sri Lanka crisis

How much does Sri Lanka owe China? Question looms over new president

Broad measure puts Beijing's share at 20% of national total, above official data

22 July 2022
Ranil Wickremesinghe, center, Sri Lanka's new president, leaves a Buddhist temple on July 20 as he prepares to attempt to solve the country's economic crisis.
Sri Lanka crisis

Meet Wickremesinghe: Sri Lankan president sworn in as doubts swirl

'Man with no mandate' faces Asia's toughest economic challenge

21 July 2022
Road traffic in Karachi on July 5: Changing the military's corporate approach is likely to create the space for broader economic reforms.
Opinion

Pakistan's military-run enterprises need upgrade to revive economy

Corporate empire has potential to be globally competitive

21 July 2022
Indian workers carry sacks of food grains and vegetables onto a supply truck at a wholesale market in Kolkata on July 19.
Economy

ADB cuts Asia's growth forecast to 4.6%, lifts inflation outlook

Ukraine war crimps growth, spurs price rises in emerging Asia

21 July 2022
Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has won a parliament vote to become the country's president.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's Wickremesinghe elected president after Rajapaksa exit

Security tight as six-time PM has already faced heavy pressure from protesters

20 July 2022
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva: "The moment there is a government that we can continue our discussions with, our team will be there." (Photo by Kosuke Imamura)
Sri Lanka crisis

IMF hopes to complete Sri Lanka aid talks 'as quickly as possible'

Georgieva says global outlook to be downgraded as recession risk 'has gone up'

20 July 2022
Pudong Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai on April 1: Europe is becoming nothing more than a bit player in Asia.
Opinion

Europe's descent into irrelevance in Asia

Natural forces displacing the continent from the region are ever more powerful

20 July 2022
Novelis, the U.S. unit of Birla-owned metals giant Hindalco Industries, has started work on an aluminum plant in Alabama. (Source photo by Reuters and the Aditya Birla Group)
Companies

Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla in spotlight over Alabama plans

Giant company expects to build $2.5 billion aluminum plant in U.S. state

20 July 2022
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's news conference on the screen at the New York Stock Exchange on June 15: Emerging markets are vulnerable to changes in the Fed's stance.
Opinion

China still not ready to supplant U.S. dollar hegemony

Opaque economy and distrust of Beijing's ambitions will prove difficult to overcome

20 July 2022
A man distributes free food in Ahmedabad, India, in January 2021: The number of people experiencing hunger will likely rise toward 1 billion.
Opinion

Asian governments can put more food on citizens' tables

Critical steps that will help to limit rising prices and reduce poverty

19 July 2022
Dawn breaks over Sri Lanka's blockaded presidential secretariat in Colombo on the morning of July 15, when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's long-awaited resignation became official.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka eyes Rajapaksa successor: 5 things about life after Gota

Experts warn next leader faces 'mammoth task' but must restore stability

15 July 2022
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Feeding Asia

Asia's agricultural revolution: planting a high-tech future

Population, inflation, climate stoke innovation to grow more with less

15 July 2022
A Maruti Suzuki dealership in Mumbai. The automaker's sales rose about 40% last quarter. (Photo by Ryosuke Hanada)
Automobiles

India auto sales jump 51% last quarter, topping pre-COVID level

Maruti Suzuki maintains solid lead amid rebound, while Tata surges

14 July 2022
Oppo and other Chinese companies have been dominating India's smartphone sector.
Electronics

India says China phone maker Oppo evaded $550m in tax

Accusation follows string of raids on Chinese smartphone companies

13 July 2022
Tear gas rises as demonstrators gather outside the Colombo office of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on July 13.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka rages at PM after President Rajapaksa flees to Maldives

With 'Terminator' gone, Wickremesinghe declares emergency as acting president

13 July 2022
Auto rickshaw drivers line up to buy gas near a fuel station in Colombo on April 13: A forewarning that more vulnerable countries could go bust.
Opinion

Ukraine war hastens Sri Lanka's economic meltdown

Impact of Russian sanctions likely to be felt by a string of poorer nations

13 July 2022
India's population was 1.21 billion in 2011, according to the domestic census, which is conducted once a decade. The government had deferred the 2021 census due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Economy

India to surpass China as most populous country in 2023: U.N. report

Global population estimated to reach 8 billion by Nov. 15 this year

11 July 2022
A shortage of kerosene has robbed Sri Lankan fishermen of their livelihoods. (Photo by Prabhu Mallikarjunan)
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lankan fishermen, lacking fuel, stew over India's intentions

As incomes dry up amid political chaos, simmering territorial dispute rears head

11 July 2022
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2021. 
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa to resign Wednesday: parliament speaker

'Unprecedented' unrest the final straw after months of economic turmoil

10 July 2022
Xi Jinping hosts the 14th BRICS summit via video link in Beijing on June 23: Countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Argentina have expressed interest in joining the club of five.
Opinion

Ukraine war divides Western alliance from the Global South

BRICS nations have long aspired to a new world order

8 July 2022
The State Bank of Pakistan raised the country's main policy rate to 15% on July 7, up 1.25 percentage points from 13.75%.
Inflation

Pakistan central bank raises interest rate 125 basis points to 15%

Increase from 13.75% follows inflation soaring to 13-year high

7 July 2022
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Feeding Asia

India's poorest scald as cooking oil prices soar

War in Ukraine, limits on palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia, add fuel to fire

7 July 2022
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Feeding Asia

Hunger in Asia on the rise

Inflation, COVID-19, climate, conflict drive food insecurity

6 July 2022