Politics

Rickshaws ply a street in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The new VAT has caught the country largely unprepared as regards compliance. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Economy

Bangladesh's VAT rollout confuses consumers and businesses

Government hopes new tax will raise one-third of $38.5bn revenue goal for 2020

2 July 2019
Health care in Bangladesh suffers from a shortage of medical staff and a lack of investment.
Politics

Bangladesh PM lays plan for 'Hasinacare'

Government aims to bring universal health insurance to 155 million

25 June 2019
Cuts to annual budgets for China-linked infrastructure projects in Pakistan come as Beijing seeks to encourage a more sustainable approach.
Belt and Road

Pakistan slashes annual funding for Belt and Road projects

Government struggles to balance finances under IMF bailout program

17 June 2019
Pakistan's Hasan Ali celebrates taking the wicket of India's Ravichandran Ashwin in the ICC Champions Trophy Final in London in June 2017. The two countries have not played a bilateral series since the deadly bombings in Mumbai in 2008, and now only play at international tournaments.
International relations

India and Pakistan to clash in cricket as Kashmir feud lingers

More than a billion people are expected to watch Sunday's World Cup match

15 June 2019
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's party won last year's election on a pledge to eliminate corruption.
Economy

Khan avoids talk of economy after Pakistan unveils tax targets

Prime minister focuses on tackling corruption as foundation for IMF loan

13 June 2019
Pakistani commandos from the Special Services Group march during a military parade in Islamabad on March 23.
Politics

Pakistan to freeze military budget as tensions with India linger

IMF loan triggers move, raising questions over heavy reliance on nuclear weapons

10 June 2019
Sri Lankan Army soldiers secure the area around St. Anthony's Shrine after a blast in Colombo on April 21.
Opinion

After Sri Lanka, Asia should brace itself for more IS terrorist attacks

States must counter youth radicalization with educational, social and economic plans

5 June 2019
When government officials abruptly revealed  that the drilling project had been abandoned after its failure to find any gas or oil reserves, Khan and his government faced rapidly mounting criticism.
Politics

Imran Khan under fire after Pakistan fails to find offshore oil

Critics say prime minister trying to deflect attention from massive IMF loan

3 June 2019
Chinese President Xi Jinping,right, speaks to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to a Buddhist Temple in Xian, Shaanxi province. India and China are fighting for influence in an area that India regards as its backyard.
International relations

Modi eyes fiercer rivalry with China over neighbors in second term

India to be tested in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while ignoring Pakistan

2 June 2019
From left: Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina and Cambodia's Hun Sen speak at Nikkei's Future of Asia conference on May 30.
The Future of Asia 2019

Cambodia's Hun Sen quashes Chinese 'debt trap' fears

Political and business luminaries discuss Asia's future at Nikkei forum

30 May 2019
In Narendra Modi’s India, playing the nationalist card means playing the religious community card. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
Comment

The dark side of Modi's election victory

Divisive campaign rhetoric leaves many Indians feeling insecure

29 May 2019
Pakistan is one of the world’s worst performers when it comes to income tax collection. Less than 1% of its population of more than 210 million pays an income tax.
Economy

Pakistan’s tax amnesty leaves doubt as wealthy keep evasive methods

Low-income workers discover bank accounts opened in their names by the rich

22 May 2019
© Illustration by Michael Tsang
Asia Insight

Islamic State sneaks into Asia through family terror cells

Sri Lanka bombers' wealth and choice of explosives raise red flags

21 May 2019
Port of Colombo is an important strategic spot for both China and Japan. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
International relations

Japan and India to develop Colombo port, countering Belt and Road

With Sri Lanka, partners take on China's expanding Indian Ocean presence

20 May 2019
Men pray at a mosque at the Xinjiang Islamic Institute in Urumqi, in China's Xinjiang autonomous region, in January. Some observers believe that the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor has provided reasons for Islamabad to look the other way on the Uighur issue.
International relations

Pakistan's silence on fasting ban for China Uighurs riles activists

But is public resentment enough to force PM Khan's government to confront Beijing?

20 May 2019
India and Pakistan have not been on speaking terms since February, when Indian warplanes flew into Pakistani airspace to strike what India said is a militant training camp.
India elections

Indian election keeps Pakistan anxious

Nuclear-armed neighbors 'cannot keep tensions high indefinitely'

18 May 2019
A Paramilitary soldier takes position beside a wall during an attack on the Chinese consulate, where blasts and shots were heard, in Karachi, Pakistan on Nov. 23, 2018.
Belt and Road

Pakistan insurgent attacks on China project seen to persist

Despite high risks to CPEC, Beijing will not back down on investments, experts say

13 May 2019
Pakistan has faced an economic crisis over the past year.
International relations

Pakistan and IMF negotiators reach $6bn loan deal

Pact will show effective reforms are underway, finance minister says

13 May 2019
Supporters of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party celebrate the U.N. Security Council's decision to blacklist Masood Azhar, head of Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed. REUTERS/Amit Dave
India elections

Modi boosted in election by UN listing of Pakistani terrorist

India's decadelong campaign finally given tacit greenlight by China

6 May 2019
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has made three changes in his economic team in less than a month, suggesting he has yet to set the stage for the country’s economic direction.
Economy

Pakistan appoints IMF official for new central bank governor

PM Khan's changes to economic team come amid new loan discussions

6 May 2019
Sri Lanka's Muslim population is unusually important in its business life.
Opinion

Sri Lanka and Asia's failure of tolerance

Island's tragedy highlights regional inability to counter sectarian divisions

6 May 2019
A woman lights a candle during a vigil to show solidarity with the victims of Sri Lanka's serial bomb blasts, inside a college in Kolkata, India on April 26.
Politics

Five things to know a week after the Sri Lanka bombings

Blasts a wake-up call to India and China, competing for influence on the island

28 April 2019
St. Sebastian's Church after bomb blasts: Little attention was paid to the upsurge of Islamic extremist.
Opinion

Sri Lanka confronts Islamist violence

Recent progress in easing social tensions could unravel after Easter terrorist attacks

26 April 2019
Platforms such as WhatsApp with end-to-end encryption provide means to communicate in a safe manner.
Opinion

India internet clampdown will not stop misinformation

New rules threatens privacy and freedom of expression

24 April 2019
This undated image posted by the Islamic State group's AMAQ news agency on April 23 purports to show Mohamed Cassim Mohamed Zaharan, center, the man Sri Lanka says led the Easter bombing that killed over 300 people.
Politics

Sri Lanka's radicalized Muslims have long ties to Islamic State

FBI looks into sophisticated blasts as details of deadly Easter attacks emerge

24 April 2019