South Asia: News & Insights

Qazi Faez Isa takes the oath to become the new chief justice of Pakistan in Islamabad on Sept. 17. (Pakistan's Press Information Department via Reuters)

Politics

Pakistan's new chief justice aims for order in pre-election chaos

Qazi Faez Isa enters political minefield as nation heads for late-January polls

21 September 2023

Asia Healthcare Holdings focuses on India and South Asia, targeting investments in single-specialty health care businesses.

DealStreetAsia

Asia Healthcare Holdings acquires kidney care hospital chain AINU

India-based platform, backed by TPG and GIC, expands into urology, nephrology

21 September 2023

Women work in a garment factory in Dhaka: Bangladesh is the world's second-largest exporter of clothing.

Opinion

Corporate 'inclusion' must apply to business partners too

Multinationals need to ensure that suppliers treat their workers with respect

21 September 2023

Foreign and domestic investors have pumped money into India's stock market.

Markets

Tata Motors, ITC gain in India's consumer-driven stock rally

Global retail investors buy in, but governance concerns remain

21 September 2023

Adani Group

TotalEnergies invests $300m in green power JV with Adani Group

Project to generate 1,050 megawatts of solar and wind energy

20 September 2023

A security guard stands outside the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi on Sept. 19.

International relations

How India-Canada ties soured over Sikh separatism: 5 things to know

Democracies locked in diplomatic duel over Khalistan activist's killing

20 September 2023

DBH Finance, established in 1996 and headquartered in Dhaka, mainly provides loans for the purchase and construction of homes.

DealStreetAsia

Bangladesh's DBH pegged for $30m loan from World Bank Group member

International Finance Corporation proposes funds for housing loan institution

20 September 2023

Farmers with cassava in Oyo, Nigeria: Further incorporation of African perspectives into the G20 will be a major step forward toward boosting sustainability and climate action.

Opinion

U.N.'s 2030 Agenda needs a reboot

Success of G20 and G7 summits can provide new momentum toward advancing SDGs

20 September 2023

A technician inspects anti-cancer drugs at a pharmaceutical lab in Jiangsu province, China: BRICS+ members should be able to share technology and human resources.

Opinion

BRICS+ will benefit from opening way to free movement of workers

Member states can better absorb technology with infusions of human capital

19 September 2023

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9. The Indian government has rejected an explosive allegation leveled by Trudeau over possible involvement in the killing of a Sikh activist.

International relations

India rejects Canada's allegation of role in Sikh activist's death

Governments trade expulsions as dispute shakes Indo-Pacific diplomacy

19 September 2023

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the G20 venue in New Delhi on Sept. 9. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Politics

Modi rivals expect 'legislative grenades' as India parliament opens

Special five-day session with murky agenda comes just after G20 summit

18 September 2023

A new gold mine in Afghanistan's Takhar province is seen in a November 2010 file photo: The Taliban administration has awarded a $310 million contract for a gold mine spanning 12 square kilometers in the province to an Afghan-Chinese joint venture.

Afghanistan turmoil

Afghanistan's $6.5bn mine deals with China, others dig up questions

Taliban face feasibility and security doubts as regime aims to shore up economy

17 September 2023

Doctors outside a government hospital in Jammu: As the Indian health sector develops, fostering a better gender balance at all levels is crucial.

Opinion

Women in India have a key role to play in health care leadership

Management development programs can reduce competency gaps

17 September 2023

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad in 2017: He is expected to return to the country soon, after years in exile in London.

Politics

Pakistan ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's likely return adds to volatile mix

Turbulent election season ahead with Imran Khan in jail, alliances fraying

16 September 2023

Hikers pass through a tea plantation in Sri Lanka. Soon to be officially launched, the Pekoe Trail spans 300 kilometers across the island's Central Highlands, passing river valleys, tea gardens, forested hills, sacred sites and rural villages. (All photos courtesy of Tangerine Tours)

Life

Hiking Sri Lanka's tea trail

New path through verdant Pekoe hills shows the island is not just about beaches

16 September 2023

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, hugs Azali Assoumani, African Union chairman and the Comoros' president, in New Delhi on Sep. 9. (Pool via Reuters)

Opinion

India deserves credit for holding the G20 together

Refuting skeptics, New Delhi's diplomats secured compromise to preserve consensus

16 September 2023

Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The UAE would be part of an envisioned transport corridor stretching from India to Europe.

Interview

India-Middle East-Europe Corridor shows global shifts: UAE minister

'We are in the business of redesigning supply chains,' economy chief Al Marri says

15 September 2023

Zhao Sheng, China's new ambassador to Afghanistan, shakes hands with Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund, left, at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sep. 13. (Handout via AP)

Opinion

China and the Taliban are friends in need of each other

Investment creeps forward amid continued security worries

15 September 2023

The Taliban only permits girls in Afghanistan to go to school until sixth grade. (Photo by Kanika Gupta)

Afghanistan turmoil

Afghanistan's secret schools for girls defy Taliban ban

Teachers and students share stories of underground education

14 September 2023

A vendor sells rice at a store in Quezon City, the Philippines, on Aug. 14. Countries everywhere are scrambling to secure rice after a partial ban on exports by India cut supplies by roughly a fifth.

Commodities

Asia's rice squeeze after India export ban: 4 things to know

Market turmoil, government action, inflation jitters follow supply fears

14 September 2023

A worker adjusts Hyundai's badge on a vehicle at the automaker's plant in India. (Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor)

Business trends

Hyundai, Samsung develop India bases for Middle East, Africa exports

Governmental cooperation to set up local supply chain provides tailwind

14 September 2023

Family members pay respects at the grave of a victim of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, next to St. Sebastian's Church, one of the attacked churches, in Katuwapitiya, Sri Lanka, on April 21, 2021.

Politics

Sri Lanka's Catholics 'can't accept' new Easter bombing inquiries

Critics question independence of probes examining alleged Rajapaksa links

13 September 2023

DealStreetAsia

India-based Xponentia Capital Partners' Fund II crosses $120m

Private equity firm says oversubscribed vehicle tops initial $90.4m target

13 September 2023

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his chairmanship of this year's G20 summit to showcase his government's policy of "multialignment," which seeks good relations with Russia, China and the U.S. simultaneously. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

The Big Story

G20 summit showcases India's fence-sitting foreign policy

Seeking leadership of the Global South, Modi hedges bets while economy benefits

13 September 2023

BRICS leaders on Aug. 24: The bloc's new members will give it a meaningfully larger share of global GDP than the G7.

Opinion

BRICS+ is set to drive the Global South's agenda

Lack of shared political, economic vision will restrict areas of influence

13 September 2023