Economy

A man pushes his tuk-tuk as he waits for fuel in Colombo on April 18 as Sri Lanka struggles with an economic crisis.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka asks IMF for rapid financial assistance

Finance minister kicks off formal talks with international lender

19 April 2022
Narendra Modi, right, and Scott Morrison, upper left, hold a virtual signing ceremony on April 2: India is slowly emerging from its protectionist cocoon. (Handout photo from India's Press Information Bureau)
Opinion

India and Australia's winning deal on trade will boost the Quad

Canberra and New Delhi finally move beyond cricket, curry and the Commonwealth

18 April 2022
The idea of Sri Lanka paying foreign debt while people went hungry became untenable. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Sri Lanka's international bondholders brace for a haircut

Debt-ridden country's recent history is a chronicle of a default foretold

18 April 2022
Plastic bags of fentanyl are displayed by U.S. Customs at Chicago's O'Hare airport in 2017.
Trade

India's role in illicit synthetic drug trade draws closer scrutiny

Reports shed light on how cartels rely on supplies from across Asia

17 April 2022
Tata Motors launches its Nexon EV sport utility vehicle in Mumbai in 2020. India is promoting electrification to reduce oil imports and alleviate air pollution.
Technology

India's battery industry shifts into gear with investment drive

Reliance acquisitions, New Delhi subsidies lay groundwork to meet EV demand

16 April 2022
A construction crew works on a new building in Dharmsala on March 4: India's real estate sector is witnessing a K-shaped recovery.
Opinion

India's troubled real estate industry needs urgent reform

Rising costs are depressing demand and hitting profits

15 April 2022
Newly elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the National Assembly on April 11.
Economy

Pakistan's new Sharif government tiptoes into economic minefield

Fledgling administration faces unpopular decisions as forex pressure builds

13 April 2022
Nandalal Weerasinghe, the newly appointed governor of Sri Lanka's central bank, insists the payment stoppage will be on "a temporary basis until we come to an agreement with creditors."
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka to temporarily suspend debt payments: central bank chief

Crisis-hit nation to focus on essential imports as it eyes IMF talks next week

12 April 2022
Sri Lankan government health workers protest over the lack of critical supplies near the national hospital in Colombo on April 6.
Politics

Sri Lanka hospitals issue SOS as vital drugs, equipment run out

Doctors warn deaths could exceed COVID and other disasters combined

12 April 2022
A container ship off Mumbai. The India-Australia deal is expected to almost double bilateral annual trade in the next five years.
Indo-Pacific

India-Australia trade pact pushes back against 'panda in the room'

Long-stalled deal came together as Quad partners aim to cut dependence on China

10 April 2022
News channels broadcast a live address by Imran Khan in Islamabad on Mar. 31: Khan has drummed home the idea that he is the victim of a devious foreign plot to suppress Pakistani sovereignty.
Opinion

People are the losers in Pakistan's political battles

Imran Khan's power grab has polarized society and left its economy in shambles

8 April 2022
Sri Lankans protested against the surge in prices and shortage of essential commodities at the presidential secretariat in Colombo on April 4.
Opinion

Sri Lanka crisis entirely of its own making

Country faces Lebanon-style economic meltdown

7 April 2022
Huge crowd at Juhu Beach after the removal of all restrictions from the pandemic in Mumbai on Apr. 3: the mood of the public seems to be largely upbeat.
Opinion

Narendra Modi's COVID triumph has India ready for liftoff

After two difficult years, the South Asian giant has found its stride again

6 April 2022
Western sanctions on Russia have sparked a rally in oil prices that is negatively impacting Thailand's economy.
Economy

Ukraine war hits ASEAN growth outlook: JCER/Nikkei survey

Economists downgrade GDP forecasts for the Philippines and Thailand

4 April 2022
A Sri Lankan Special Task Force member stops vehicles at a checkpoint in Colombo on April 3, after the government imposed a curfew.
Politics

Sri Lanka anger swells under Rajapaksa's curfew, internet curbs

Plagued by power outages and goods shortages, citizens vow to step up protests

3 April 2022
Afghan women wait to receive sacks of rice at a distribution centre in Kabul on April 7.
Afghanistan turmoil

Poverty drives Afghan women to sell their babies, bodies

Collapse under Taliban leaves people with few economic options

2 April 2022
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Indian authorities have used drones to spray disinfectant and deliver vaccines.
Technology

Modi seeks to foster Indian rivals to DJI with drone import ban

Startups face challenge of scaling up production with imported components

25 March 2022
A girl and a woman walk through the water at Kali Adem port which is impacted by high tides due to the rising sea level, north of Jakarta, in November 2020: tackling challenges for a resilient and sustainable tomorrow is an urgent priority.
Opinion

Asia's immense opportunities for impact investing

Private wealth can help make the world a better place

21 March 2022
Tea sellers wait for customers on a deserted road at Sadar Bazaar in New Delhi on Jan 16: the Ukraine crisis could not have come at a worse time.
Opinion

Ukraine war will worsen India's economic growth prospects

New Delhi should consider reviving the tried and tested rupee-ruble trade route

18 March 2022
A drilling site on the Tuzlukushevskoye oilfield, Bashkortostan Republic, Russia. in January 2015: Sanctions may rob commodity producers of incentive to invest in growing production capacity.
Opinion

Asia stands to lose the most under emerging world energy order

Ruthless weaponization of energy will leave a debilitating trust deficit

17 March 2022
A Pakistani official says the Xi Jinping administration is waiting to see how Pakistan's political crisis plays out. (Source photos by Getty Images and AP)
Belt and Road

China takes wait-and-see stance on Pakistan's political turmoil

Beijing thought to prefer opposition groups to reset direction of Belt and Road

16 March 2022
Clockwise from top right: Japanese trade minister Koichi Hagiuda meets virtually with Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal and Australian trade minister Dan Tehan on March 15. (Photo by Satsuki Kaneko)
Supply Chain

Japan, Australia and India target Indo-Pacific supply-chain code

Agreed principles will establish data-sharing and transparency standards

16 March 2022
Indian security forces in Kashmir frequently stop motorists and frisk them, fearing they could be militants planning an attack.
Business trends

Kashmir startups navigate barbed-wire checkpoints, internet shutdowns

Entrepreneurs fill vacuum left by bigger players in violence-plagued Himalayan region

13 March 2022
Commuters in Mumbai: India is likely to see pay increases average 9.2% this year, according to one survey.
Economy

From India to Indonesia, wages to rise faster alongside inflation

Studies find Asian employers ready to pay more after COVID pain

13 March 2022
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa presided over the 74th Independence Day celebrations last month in Colombo. His popularity has plummeted as Sri Lanka remains enslaved to economic mismanagement and in need of its 17th IMF lifesaver.  
Economy

Public rage boils as Sri Lanka fumbles with faltering economy

IMF warns of worse to come as South Asian nation fights shy of 17th bailout

12 March 2022