Economy

A thick layer of foam generated by contamination floats on the Yamuna River, India, on Jan 24: pollution intensity will disqualify industries in developing countries from ESG funding when they are the ones needing it the most.
Opinion

Current ESG scheme leaves emerging economies' efforts unrewarded

International system favors companies from developed countries

9 March 2022
Dock workers at a port in India.
Trade

Australia, India move toward free trade pact to cut China dependence

'Early harvest' interim agreement expected as early as this month

9 March 2022
A no-confidence vote looms for Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Politics

Pakistan PM Khan faces ouster amid fears of failing economy

Opposition closes in on government, threatening IMF deal

8 March 2022
The garment industry brought in more than $4 billion in export revenue last year, over half of which came from European orders.
International relations

Sri Lanka's harsh anti-terrorism law leaves garment makers hanging

EU threatens to pull lucrative trade preferences over human rights concerns

3 March 2022
The nationalistic policies of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa have resulted in food shortages as his government struggles under a growing pile of foreign debt.
Asia Insight

Sri Lanka faces food shortages and a meager New Year

Organic agriculture stunts crop yields, forcing lean times on debt-ridden nation

1 March 2022
People shop at a market in New Delhi in December. The Indian central bank's governor says consumption "continues to trail its pre-pandemic level."
Economy

India's GDP growth slows to 5.4% in October-December

Government pegs full-year growth at 8.9% amid uneven COVID recovery

28 February 2022
Demonstrators hurl stones at riot police during a protest against the $500 million U.S infrastructure grant in Kathmandu on Feb. 20.
International relations

U.S. grant to Nepal swept up in superpower rivalry with China

Kathmandu in turmoil as Beijing turns 'coercion' accusation back on Washington

24 February 2022
Central Bank of Sri Lanka Gov. Nivard Cabraal said in an interview with Nikkei Asia that his nation has "never discussed debt relief with any country." (Photo courtesy of Central Bank of Sri Lanka)
Interview

Sri Lanka has foreign lenders' interests 'at heart': central bank

Gov. Cabraal favors creditors over vital imports, ramping up debt diplomacy

21 February 2022
Drivers have parked their trucks blocking lanes of traffic to protest against COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Ottawa on Feb. 12: Justin Trudeau took the extraordinary step of invoking the Emergencies Act.
Opinion

What Mahatma Gandhi can teach Canada about civil disobedience

Ottawa truck protests allow Indians a moment of schadenfreude

18 February 2022
Indian and Pakistani flags are lowered during a highly charged daily retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border crossing between India and Pakistan when border gates are firmly shut. 
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghans starve for wheat stuck in India-Pakistan bureaucracy

Red tape ties up 50,000 tons of goodwill assistance for hungry until spring

13 February 2022
The Afghan Taliban under Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, left, sought international recognition at talks held late last month in Norway. (Source photos by Reuters)
Interview

Taliban hopeful of international recognition after Oslo talks

Norwegians doubtful as confident Afghan official says 'actions speak louder'

9 February 2022
The Bombay Stock Exchange building in Mumbai, pictured on Feb. 1: rising valuations and a buoyant market last year should hardly have come as a surprise given how much liquidity the Reserve Bank of India provided the markets.
Opinion

Will rising U.S. interest rates tame India's bull market?

Competing forces set to provide drama and volatility in months ahead

8 February 2022
Lata Mangeshkar, one of India's best known cultural icons and a singer who defined music for generations, was given a state funeral.
Economy

India central bank reschedules policy meeting after singer's death

One-day delay devoted to mourning late Bollywood star Lata Mangeshkar

7 February 2022
A solar power plant in China's Shandong Province: Asia House says emerging economies need "unprecedented investment for energy transitions" away from fossil fuels.
Economy

Green finance, digitalization vital for Asia after COVID: report

U.K. think tank warns of 'middle-income trap' if challenges not addressed

7 February 2022
Muslim women walk on a cold winter day in Ghaziabad on Jan. 25: Muslims in India have long been victims of the country's escalating tide of Hindu nationalism.
Opinion

Indian 'live auction' exposes prejudice against Muslim women

Social media platforms must do a better job of policing discrimination

3 February 2022
India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holds up a folder as she leaves her office to present the federal budget in parliament in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Economy

India cranks up infrastructure spending in new budget

New Delhi includes plans for central bank digital currency, virtual assets tax

1 February 2022
Afghan children scramble onto a truck heading to Pakistan at the Torkham border crossing on Jan. 23. (Photo by Kanika Gupta)
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghan children risk death smuggling across border with Pakistan

Under Taliban rule, hundreds of minors traffic goods each day for families' sake

31 January 2022
Indian farmers harvest sugar cane in Rajasthan in November 2021: the price of the cane continued to be fixed by politicians fixated on crude electoral math.
Opinion

India's great sugar boondoggle is a waste of taxpayers' money

Ending costly subsidies will be better for growers, processors and consumers

31 January 2022
Ceylon Petroleum Corp.'s oil refinery in Colombo. The CPC along with the government is overwhelmed by debt, giving India an entry point back into the strategically located island nation. (Source photo by Reuters/AP)
International relations

India gains foothold in Sri Lanka with Trincomalee oil tank deal

Debt-ridden island nation helps to fulfill decades-old hope for New Delhi

28 January 2022
Pasir Panjang container terminal in Singapore: the signs of fading momentum are already visible.
Opinion

This Fed cycle really is different for Asia

Monetary and trade cycles are no longer aligned

28 January 2022
Sri Lankan rupee note: Sri Lanka is by no means the only country staring bankruptcy in the face.
Opinion

Poor countries set to lose as rich nations start raising rates

Cheap money borrowed from abroad can turn out to be a bad bet

27 January 2022
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government will present its budget just days ahead of key elections in five states. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Economy

India business leaders push for investment incentives

Modi government aims to boost recovery with Feb. 1 budget

27 January 2022
The delayed TAPI gas pipeline promises to link Turkmenistan through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, but security risks threaten this and other regional connectivity projects.
International relations

India's first Central Asia summit to focus on Afghan risks, trade

Shared security challenges loom over Thursday's talks and port, pipeline hopes

26 January 2022
Youths sit around the central square in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, in December 2017: the answer lies in hedonic adaptation.
Opinion

Are people in Kazakhstan really happier than in Japan?

Happiness metrics are the wrong way to promote well-being

25 January 2022
A man checks an online shopping site on his mobile phone in New Delhi in May 2018: the digital economy will be a key source of the new tax income.
Opinion

Global tax deal gives new hope to the poor

Agreement must urgently evolve to deliver the benefits that are now so close

24 January 2022