Politics

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appear in front of reporters in New Delhi, India, on February 17, 2018.
International relations

Iran to help India make an end-run around China and Pakistan

Nine deals signed; Chabahar port will give India access to Central Asia

17 February 2018
Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, center, smiles as he speaks during a media briefing in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Feb. 12.
Politics

China debt worries grow in Sri Lanka as ex-president regains clout

After victory in local elections, Rajapaksa calls for new national vote

16 February 2018
In the evenings, people travel through the streets of Thamel, the popular tourist district of Kathmandu.
Politics

Nepal gives up its hippy zeitgeist

New rules and new hotels transform the once-seedy tourist district of Thamel

15 February 2018
An aerial view of Male, the Maldives' capital.
International relations

China hits back at ex-Maldives president's 'land grab' claim

Mohamed Nasheed has no right to speak of bilateral partnership, says Beijing

14 February 2018
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Most read in 2018

Maldives faces Chinese 'land grab' over unpayable debts, ex-leader warns

Political crisis worsens cash-strapped island nation's plight

13 February 2018
An Indonesian Muslim holds up a poster during a rally calling for the arrest of Jakarta's then-incumbent governor Basuki Purnama.
Politics

Democracy rankings put Asia in poor standing

Six of seven regions around the world slipped in freedoms for 2017

8 February 2018
Large crowds at an election rally of Mahinda Rajapaksa's in Ampara town, some 350km away from Colombo (Photo courtesy of Office of Mahinda Rajapaksa)
Politics

China's shadow looms large in Sri Lanka local election

Former leader Rajapaksa attempts comeback as corruption probes falter

2 February 2018
An Indonesian Muslim holds up a poster during a rally calling for the arrest of Jakarta's then-incumbent governor Basuki Purnama.
Politics

Democratic conditions 'fall sharply' in Asia

Region regresses as minorities suffer in Indonesia and Myanmar, says think tank

1 February 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review.
Economy

Pakistan's prime minister brushes off Chinese 'debt trap' worries

Leader says country will benefit greatly from Belt & Road infrastructure projects

1 February 2018
A boy sells umbrellas printed with Pakistan's flag at a market in Karachi last July. Safety in the city has improved dramatically.
Economy

Pakistan keeps terrorists on the run and the economy on a roll

Sweeping security push helps improve growth and business sentiment

1 February 2018
Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who has expressed his country's willingness to host a meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
International relations

Widodo cements Muslim credentials during South Asia tour

Indonesian president turns away from insular policy and strives for world leadership

29 January 2018
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi speaks to the Nikkei Asian Review.
Interview

Pakistan PM brushes off worries about Chinese 'debt trap'

Abbasi stresses broad economic benefits of joint infrastructure projects

25 January 2018
An aerial view of the Haveli Bahadur Shah LNG power plant in Jhang, Pakistan
Economy

Russia seeks gas buyers in South Asia as sanctions bite

Plans include a pipeline in Pakistan and joint development with India

25 January 2018
Rohingya refugees stand in a queue to collect aid supplies in Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar on Jan. 21.
International relations

Myanmar's rush to resolve Rohingya crisis backfires

Logistics, security issues remain over return of refugees from Bangladesh

23 January 2018
Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army stand on a ship sailing off from a military port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province on July 11, 2017.
International relations

Japan's military chief warns on China naval expansion

New Indian Ocean bases will support military activity in region

19 January 2018
A boy sells umbrellas printed with Pakistan's flag at a market in Karachi last July. Safety in the city has improved dramatically.
Economy

Pakistan keeps terrorists on the run and economy on a roll

Businesses' focus shifts from bombs and kidnappings to taxes and policy

19 January 2018
Refugees can cause environmental concerns in neighboring countries in addition to being economic and political problems.
Politics

Robert Templer: The Rohingya refugee crisis is taking its toll on Bangladesh's poorest

Environmental damage and economic strain add to an already precarious situation on both sides of the border

18 January 2018
Rohingya refugees line up for a daily essentials distribution at Balukhali camp, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
17 January 2018
Myanmar police officers walk near the border with Bangladesh in the town of Taungpyoletwea. The short bridge behind them separates the two countries. (Photo by Hiroshi Kotani)
15 January 2018
FNSS, a joint venture between Turkey's Nurol Holding and the U.K.'s BAE Systems, unveiled a medium-weight tank co-developed with Indonesia’s PT Pindad during the Istanbul Defense Industry Fair in Istanbul in May 2017. (Photo by Sinan Tavsan)
International relations

Turkey steps up arms sales to South and Southeast Asia

Ankara seeks to diversify as tensions rise in traditional Middle East markets

12 January 2018
Indian students in Gauhati hold hands by the Brahmaputra River on Dec. 11 during a protest over its contamination.
Economy

Brahma Chellaney: Water shortages pose a threat to Asia's peace and stability

Soaring demand and climate change are exacerbating a fraught situation

11 January 2018
An aerial view of the Haveli Bahadur Shah LNG power plant in Jhang, Pakistan
International relations

Russia seeks new gas markets in South Asia as sanctions bite

Moscow agrees pipeline deal with Pakistan and develops fields with India

8 January 2018
An aerial view of Male, the Maldives' capital. The island country recently approved a trade deal with China.
Politics

Maldives tests India's foreign policy 'red lines'

Deteriorating relations pose challenge to New Delhi as Beijing widens influence

2 January 2018
Refugees can cause environmental concerns in neighboring countries in addition to being economic and political problems.
Politics

Rohingya crisis highlights risk of 'weaponizing' refugee flows

Bangladesh bears brunt of Myanmar's refugee exodus, though real costs may emerge later

31 December 2017
Supporters of an Islamist party shout slogans at a protest in Islamabad on Nov. 27. Pakistani the protesters announced they would end their sit-in after the country's justice minister agreed to step down.
Politics

Pakistani army behind deadly November protests, critics charge

Military accused of scheming to oust justice minister, weaken government

31 December 2017