Sri Lanka

(All images from Amazon.com)
Arts

Top 10 South Asian books to read during lockdown

From Indian mysteries to Nepalese histories, we have the perfect selection

13 May 2020
No professional actors were used in the sly and very funny 2015 film "Thithi" ("The Rite").
Life

Top 10 South Asian films to stream during lockdown

For those confined by coronavirus, our pick of the best movies available at a click

1 May 2020
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has reacted in military fashion to the COVID-19 pandemic, and marginalized the parliamentary majority ahead of elections.  
Politics

Pandemic helps Sri Lanka president bypass dissolved parliament

Critics see 'constitutional crisis' with opposition to Rajapaksa neutralized

30 April 2020
Sculptures strike the traditional Thai wai pose in a Bangkok shop closed due to the coronavirus. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Tea Leaves

Covid-19 spawns both new and old-style Asian etiquette

Pandemic-inspired social changes point to shifts in modern manners

29 April 2020
Boudhanath Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage site seen here in this March 25 photo, is deserted following the lockdown in Kathmandu.
Coronavirus

Empty hotels in Sri Lanka and Nepal point to lengthy economic hit

Coronavirus threatens South Asia's vital tourism industry

3 April 2020
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa addresses the nation during the 72nd independence day ceremony in Colombo on Feb. 4.
Politics

Rajapaksa eyes Sri Lanka election landslide to tighten grip on power

Large majority would strengthen hand as India and China vie for influence

9 March 2020
A doctor walks out of an isolation ward at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center in Karachi that was set up as a preventative measure following the coronavirus outbreak.
Coronavirus

Stuck in Wuhan: Pakistani students' cry for help falls on deaf ears

Islamabad fears nation's medical facilities cannot handle coronavirus patients

13 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
Growth in demand is outstripping that of production, putting upward pressure on cinnamon prices.
Commodities

Cinnamon prices rise in a world thirsty for chai and lattes

Beloved spice also finds its way into skin care products and toothpaste

5 February 2020
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Jan. 30 that Phnom Penh's decision not to evacuate students from Wuhan is a form of "soft diplomacy."
Coronavirus

Hun Sen offers Wuhan visit, while Pakistan resumes China flights

Beijing's clout generates measured responses to the virus crisis with some allies

4 February 2020
When Chinese markets last traded on Jan. 23, the Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 2.8%, its worst single-day drop since May. The Shanghai and Shenzhen markets are due to reopen on Monday.
Your Week in Asia

Chinese markets reopen, RCEP talks and India rate decision

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

2 February 2020
Kalika chief Nicholas Pandey expects Nepal to prosper from economic stability and Chinese investment. 
Interview

Nepal's Kalika Group riding high on Chinese investment

China-India rail link among major BRI infrastructure projects

2 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
Airport officials wear masks as they wait to help passengers after having their temperatures taken at Bandaranaike International Airport, Sri Lanka, on Jan. 24.
Coronavirus

Wuhan coronavirus spreads to Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Germany

Patient in Cambodian city of Sihanoukville is a tourist from China

28 January 2020
Health officials wear face masks at an inspection site at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Jan. 21.
Coronavirus

Wuhan coronavirus confirmed in Malaysia, Australia and Nepal

Japan declares third infection in woman who traveled from Wuhan

25 January 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
Two months after meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, left, the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced a new citizenship law that threatens a mass exodus of Muslims to Bangladesh.
International relations

Bangladesh fears Rohingya-like crisis over India citizenship law

Tensions mount as many Indian Muslims fear detention or deportation

16 January 2020
Yatri Motorcycles' V2 model runs off a 30 kW engine powered by a 6 kW battery and will be built in Nepal (Courtesy of Yatri Motorcycles).
Startups

Nepali startup to roll out country's first electric motorbike

Yatri Motorcycles plans to tackle fuel pollution with home-built two-wheelers

15 January 2020
U.S. President Donald Trump, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Pakistan is trying to distance itself from U.S.-Iran tensions, not only to avoid getting caught up in violence but also to keep the Belt and Road infrastructure projects on track. (Photos by Reuters, AP)
Iran tensions

US-Iran tensions challenge Pakistan's balancing act

Islamabad aims to avoid angering Shiites as it protects Belt and Road projects

13 January 2020
The scene in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Sept. 20, 2019. Critics wonder if India has since turned this part of Kashmir into a Potemkin village.
International relations

India invites envoys on Kashmir tour that critics call a sham

Modi maneuvers to project normalcy amid international outcry over human rights

10 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
Sayyed Abrar, one of the 75 participants in Project Dastaan, watches a 3D simulation of his childhood from his home in Fresno, U.S. He and his wife, Musarrat, migrated from Pakistan in 1947 and have not been able to visit since. (Courtesy of Project Dastaan)
Life

Virtual reality reconnects casualties of Partition with ancestral homes

Digital project comes out of Oxford University initiative

8 January 2020