Sri Lanka

Olympic hopeful Sonam Deki, 23, lines up a shot while training in Thimphu. (Photo by Melyn Mckay)
Life

Bhutanese sportswomen aim for the top

Female participation in sport takes flight as mountain kingdom modernizes

15 December 2018
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena speaks to reporters at his residence in Colombo on Nov. 25.
Politics

Sri Lanka's president isolated after ruling in constitutional crisis

Emboldened judiciary rules Sirisena dissolution of parliament illegal

14 December 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan faces an acrimonious parliamentary session as opposition members demand to know the terms of a provisional bailout package from the International Monetary Fund.
Economy

Pakistan's opposition seeks full disclosure of IMF bailout plan

Businesses prepare for weaker rupee as Khan faces stormy parliamentary session

7 December 2018
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina predicts that her government will boost growth as high as 10% if she is re-elected this month. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Interview

Exclusive: Bangladesh aims for 10% annual growth

PM Hasina says nation will seek bids for a second nuclear plant next year

6 December 2018
A leopard walks at Yala National Park in southern Sri Lanka.
Tea Leaves

Time to lionize Asian leopard

Sri Lanka is a bright spot but the 'big cat' is in continent-wide decline

28 November 2018
A police officer ushering people away from the Chinese consulate in Karachi on Nov. 23 after the attack
Belt and Road

Pakistan struggles to contain rise of anti-China sentiment

The south becomes focus of insurgent attacks due to Belt and Road development

26 November 2018
A railway guard walks along the tracks in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Nepal and China are looking to build a rail link over their border.
Interview

Nepal to join hands with China on Tibet-Kathmandu railway

Landlocked nation wants to connect to world economy, minister says

22 November 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been making the rounds of "friendly countries" to seek a way out of economic turmoil. (Getty Images)
Economy

Pakistan turns to 'friends' after failing to secure IMF bailout

Analysts say Saudi and Chinese billions will not restore country's credibility

21 November 2018
Workers inside a Korean-owned garment factory in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital (Photo by Simon Roughneen)
Economy

Myanmar tops poor nations' FDI league as China cash flows in

Cambodia and Bangladesh make top five of the global economy's lowest tier

21 November 2018
Nitesh Sharma, co-founder of Dhaasoo, at his office that doubles as a workshop in Kathmandu. (Photo by Deepak Adhikari)
Environment

Nepalese entrepreneurs turn trash into treasure

Found objects get new lease on life, draw attention to growing waste problem

18 November 2018
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, right, took a major blow on Nov. 14 as parliament rejected his newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, left.
Politics

Sri Lanka crisis escalates as parliament turns against president

Sirisena's handpicked PM rejected with no-confidence vote

14 November 2018
Once allies and now enemies -- President Maithripala Sirisena, right, with Ranil Wickremesinghe, whom he has sought to oust as prime minister
Opinion

Sri Lanka -- democracy in danger

Yet another Asian nation's liberties at risk as China and India struggle for ascendancy

13 November 2018
India recently announced its first submarine armed with ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads has completed its first patrol.
International relations

India's nuclear submarine provokes Pakistan to renew arms race

Islamabad seeks way to respond but financial crisis complicates strategy

12 November 2018
Security officers try to control a crowd pushing toward the main stage during a rally by Sri Lanka's newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Maithripala Sirisena, in Colombo on Nov. 5. 
Politics

Sri Lanka's crisis deepens as parliamentary speaker cries 'coup'

Sirisena faces test in poll after weeks of rule by presidential fiat

9 November 2018
After a visit to Beijing, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan now faces negotiations with the IMF for financial assistance.
Economy

Pakistan turns bullish with backing of Beijing and Riyadh

Islamabad begins bailout talks with IMF, but lacks sense of urgency

9 November 2018
Poppies and photographs grace the Thiepval Memorial to unknown soldiers of the Somme battle. (Photo by Denis D. Gray)
Life

100 years on, Asia has largely forgotten the 'Great War'

The global conflict of 1914 to 1918 began a transformation of the continent

4 November 2018
Garment makers in Bangladesh are investing in automation to rein in rising labor costs and maintain competitiveness. (Photo by Mitsuru Obe)
Business trends

Bangladesh fights for future of its garment industry

Sector that earns 83% of country's export revenue faces intensifying competition

4 November 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan this week makes his first trip to China since taking office.
International relations

Pakistan's Khan heads to China to seek more aid

Facing fiscal crisis, prime minister keeps options open between Beijing and IMF

2 November 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan should push for more transparency as well as a better deal with China.
Opinion

Pakistan can squeeze a better BRI deal out of China

Imran Khan should publish project details to end uncertainty and win popular support

31 October 2018
A Uighur family prays at a local cemetery in Turpan county in Xinjiang province. Beijing has put many Uighurs in internment camps, according to media reports. (Getty Images)
International relations

Beijing engages with Pakistan's Uighurs in 'charm offensive'

China wants Pakistanis on its side to protect its massive Belt and Road investment

31 October 2018
A poster in Colombo shows Sri Lanka's newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, left, with President Maithripala Sirisena on Oct. 28.
International relations

India dragged into Sri Lanka's leadership crisis

Sirisena's move to fire PM partly seen as pushback against New Delhi

29 October 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, center right, attends a Saudi investment conference Tuesday that was boycotted by many international business and political figures.
Economy

Saudis throw Pakistan $6bn lifeline in return for show of support

Riyadh saves face with Khan's visit amid uproar over journalist's killing

25 October 2018
Few believe a safe return of Rohingyas to Myanmar will happen any time soon, prompting calls for their resettlement in Bangladesh. (Photo by Mitsuru Obe)
International relations

Bangladesh faces Catch-22 over Rohingyas

Repatriation puts refugees at risk; letting them stay brings backlash at home

22 October 2018
Sri Lankan tycoon Ashok Pathirage purchased a large stake in high-end fashion store Odel in 2014, the first step in his plans for four high-end shopping malls to open in Colombo over the next five years. 
Companies

Sri Lanka's retail king taps Chinese builder to weather currency storm

Softlogic's Pathirage seeks out investors and touts Colombo as new Bangkok

20 October 2018
The Buddha Dordenma statue in Bhutan's capital Thimphu. Hydropower exports to India have been the primary driver of Bhutan's rapid economic growth in recent years.
Politics

Mounting Indian debts hang over Bhutan election

Parties in runoff split on whether to accelerate dam development

17 October 2018