Politics

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor project held in November 2018.
Kashmir turmoil

Pakistan backs India's Sikh separatists as Kashmir tensions rise

New Delhi's worried over Islamabad's renewed push for an independent 'Khalistan'

29 August 2019
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, left, and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi. (Source photo from Reuters and Nikkei)
International relations

India and Pakistan's Kashmir dispute stirs nuclear fears

Rhetoric intensifies as rivals rush toward sea-based launch capability

28 August 2019
Singapore plans to keep water at bay by building giant seawalls.
Opinion

Asia's megacities must learn from Indonesia's capital move

Few others can afford Singapore's pricey climate crisis plan

27 August 2019
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the younger brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, greets supporters in Colombo on Aug. 11. His promise of "ensuring security" is a message that is resonating with Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese-Buddhist community.
Politics

Sri Lankan strongman eyes presidency in upcoming elections

Former leader Rajapaksa's brother vows security after Easter bombings

23 August 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gives his Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, in which he insisted that scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was necessary for the region's development.
International relations

Kashmir looms over Modi's trip to France and Middle East

Indian PM makes countermove as Pakistan vows to take dispute to Hague

22 August 2019
Stream article image
International relations

Trump steps in to defuse India-Pakistan tensions over Kashmir

President's calls to Modi and Khan set stage for US-led cooling of tensions

20 August 2019
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has strongly condemned India's recent downgrading of Kashmir's status from a state with some autonomy to two territories.
Belt and Road

Kashmir issue puts Pakistan's Belt and Road projects on fast track

China will be pleased, but may not offer more than sympathy over disputed land

18 August 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan deliver Independence Day speeches in their respective countries.
International relations

Modi and Khan spar over Kashmir in national day speeches

Indian leader claims achievement while Pakistani side declares readiness to fight

16 August 2019
Large swaths of the Kashmir region have remained in a communications blackout since Aug. 5.
International relations

India's stature helps mute responses to Kashmir power grab

Pakistan seeks Security Council meeting but Russia has already backed the move

14 August 2019
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoyed a landslide electoral victory in May, but building economic gloom is already casting a shadow over his government's second term. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)
The Big Story

Modi seeks reforms to India's stuttering economy

Landslide victory gives reelected prime minister a second chance at 'Modinomics'

14 August 2019
Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrate in Ahmedabad after the government scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on Aug. 5.
The Big Story

Empowered by reelection, Modi moves to absorb disputed Kashmir

Tensions leap but Islamabad lacks means to retaliate, says expert

14 August 2019
Narendra Modi visits Sri Lanka in June 2019: if connectivity initiatives have to succeed, "we must also build bridges of trust," said Modi.
Opinion

India responds to Belt and Road Initiative with infrastructure push

New Delhi does not want China to dominate its backyard so has started spending

13 August 2019
The assistance Sri Lanka received from many nations during its civil war is making it difficult for Colombo to favor one of them, the U.S.
International relations

US-Sri Lanka military negotiations hit a roadblock

Colombo flustered as it balances its relations with China, India and Japan

11 August 2019
Indian security force personnel stand guard outside a mosque during restrictions following the scrapping of the special constitutional status for Kashmir by the Indian government, in Jammu on Aug. 9. 
International relations

China raises alarm over Kashmir with Tibet and Xinjiang in mind

Beijing backs Pakistan, asserting its interests as India strips region of its autonomy

11 August 2019
Abrogating article 370 has far-reaching implications for India's social and political compact with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Opinion

Scrapping Kashmir's special status is a dangerous gamble for India

The downgrade is likely to inspire violence and shift country's character

9 August 2019
Indian paramilitary soldiers check the bag of a man during curfew in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, on Aug. 8.
Politics

India's Modi vows to rid Kashmir of terror and hold local elections

PM addresses nation days after his government revoked region's special status

9 August 2019
Solar panels could provide an efficient option in tropical nations requiring significant new generating capacity.
Opinion

Asia is the right place for a US 'Green New Deal'

Funding environmentally friendly projects would curb emissions and provide BRI alternative

7 August 2019
The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has moved to scrap the special status given to Kashmir, which was implemented after India's independence in 1947.
Kashmir turmoil

Five things to know about Kashmir's special status

India's decision to revoke the region's autonomy irks Pakistan

6 August 2019
Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard in Jammu, India on Aug. 5. An indefinite security lockdown was in place in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir on Monday.
Politics

India to strip Kashmir of autonomy as unrest deepens

Move follows heavy troop buildup and house arrest of local politicians

5 August 2019
Cambodian Navy sailors stand in formation alongside a Chinese naval patrol boat at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base: China and Cambodia reportedly have signed a secret agreement to create an outpost for Chinese military forces.
Opinion

China's naval expansionism is natural path for emerging global power

Potential Chinese ports in Cambodia and Pakistan frighten regional rivals

2 August 2019
Workers at a garment factory in Bangladesh. South Korean companies, whose transfer of technical know-how helped Bangladesh become the world’s second-largest textiles exporter, are looking at the potential of other emerging sectors. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Economy

Bangladesh aims to leap beyond textiles with help from South Korea

Garment export leader expands into tech, energy and other emerging industries

31 July 2019
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan gives a speech by video link at the opening ceremony of the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on April 26. In the foreground are models of China's Long March rockets.
International relations

Pakistani astronaut to board Chinese rocket in race with India

Beijing's help will contribute to the nation's defense, science minister says

29 July 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, greets Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House in Washington on July 22.
International relations

US and Pakistan mend ties as Washington seeks Afghanistan exit

Trump also surprises Khan with offer to mediate Kashmir dispute with India

23 July 2019
A Chinese Navy vessel prepares to depart Stonecutters Island, Hong Kong, in this 2017 file photo. Washington's security establishment has long claimed China's Belt and Road investments in ports and airfields around the globe have a strategic military component.
Asia Insight

China's Belt and Road ports raise red flags over military plans

Cambodia shows how Beijing's 'string of pearls' threatens US ties

23 July 2019
The meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday will address growing concern over security in Afghanistan. (Reuters/AP)
International relations

Pakistan PM Khan to discuss Afghanistan peace deal with Trump

'Ice-breaking event' lets Islamabad reaffirm its value to US in vital region

21 July 2019