Stream article image
Politics

China's Bhutan land grab aims at bigger target

Beijing employs stealth aggression in territorial expansion

11 July 2017
Voters wait for over an hour in Biratnagar to cast their ballots in Nepal's first local election since 1997. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

Nepal seeks unity from its first local elections in 20 years

Crucial ethnic group belatedly joins vote, apparently spurred by India

6 July 2017
Voters wait for over an hour in Biratnagar to cast their ballots in Nepal's first local election since 1997. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

Nepal seeks unity from first local election in 20 years

Critical ethnic group belatedly joins vote, apparently spurred by India

29 June 2017
New deputy mayor of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Hari Prabha Khadgi Shrestha celebrates after winning on Sunday, May 28, 2017.
Politics

Nepal harnesses politics of inclusion

Political and economic transformation on horizon after years of malaise

27 June 2017
Cinnamon peeler Pesthathanthri Sumathipala scraping the outer bark of a cinnamon branch. (Photo by Marwaan Macan-Markar)
Politics

Labor shortage hits Sri Lanka's cinnamon industry

Dearth of peelers leaves world's leading exporter with harvest shortfalls

21 June 2017
A U.S. Air Force missile maintenance team removes the upper section of an intercontinental ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.
Politics

UN launches second round of nuclear ban talks

Proponents hopeful for final text of treaty by early July

16 June 2017
A clean river flowing past the Paro Dzong monastery is an example of how Bhutan has taken conservation seriously. (Photo by Sujeev Shakya)
Politics

Swarming visitors are a boon and a bane for an Asian Shangri-La

Bhutan's astute tourism policies are tested as the world discovers paradise

15 June 2017
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Jin Liqun says membership could grow to 85 or 90 within the year.
Economy

AIIB future rests on shedding Beijing influence

Bank to hold 2nd annual meeting in South Korea

15 June 2017
A clean river flowing past the Paro Dzong monastery is an example of how Bhutan has taken conservation seriously. (Photo by Sujeev Shakya)
Politics

Swarming visitors are a boon and a bane for an Asian Shangri-La

Bhutan's astute tourism policies are tested as the world discovers paradise

15 June 2017
Shahriar Alam, Bangladesh's state minister for foreign affairs, speaks during an interview on June 6. (Photo by Mayasuki Kozono)
Economy

Bangladesh's Alam: Japanese investment can feed 'new Asian Tiger'

Foreign minister assures investors of Dhaka's progress against terrorism

15 June 2017
The port at Gwadar, Pakistan, is being updated and expanded as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor initiative.
Politics

Japan and China tussle over Asian ports

Beijing and Tokyo are locked in a strategic and commercial fight over sea lanes

15 June 2017
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, far left, and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sarif, far right, pose with other leaders at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana on June 9. (Pool)
Economy

The SCO welcomes rivals into its fold

Membership for India and Pakistan raises bloc's profile, but may invite friction

14 June 2017
Qatar Airways continued operations Monday from the airport in Dhaka, but local recruiting agencies in Bangladesh are concerned about the status of their workers in the Persian Gulf nation. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Politics

South Asia pushes Gulf nations to resolve Qatar crisis

India, Pakistan, others have millions of migrant workers in region

13 June 2017
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, left, officially welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday before a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
Politics

Asian bloc's expansion may widen cracks between China, Russia

Accession of India, Pakistan to SCO adds new wrinkle to group's politics

9 June 2017
The Chinese-built Colombo International Container Terminals towers over reclaimed land earmarked for a China-backed commercial development. (Photo by Marwaan Macan-Markar)
International relations

Japan races China to secure Asian port rights

Tokyo on the lookout over Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative

8 June 2017
Shahriar Alam, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs, speaks during an interview on June 6.
Economy

Bangladesh confident of becoming 'new Asian Tiger'

Official says Japanese investment is vital, security is being strengthened

6 June 2017
Government troops head to the front-line as fighting with Muslim militants in Marawi city continues in the southern Philippines.
Politics

Shangri-La Dialogue focuses on terrorism in SE Asia

Mindanao siege a wake-up call for ASEAN's fight against extremism

4 June 2017
Tourists stroll the streets of Kathmandu’s Thamel district, the first stop for foreign climbers and trekkers. (Photo by Deepak Adhikari)
Life

Everest deaths pile pressure on Nepal

Impoverished country accused of not doing enough to assist climber safety

24 May 2017
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, center right, with other national leaders at the Belt and Road Forum.
Politics

Asian neighbors still leery of China's Belt and Road initiative

India boycotts Beijing gathering; Russia sends Putin despite concerns about China's growing regional influence

16 May 2017
Nirmala Sitharaman, India's minister of commerce and industry, says Singapore is not facilitating the movement of Indian IT workers.
'New Silk Road' Summit in Beijing

China-Pakistan project encroaches on Indian territory, minister says

Industry chief expects strong foreign investment inflows into India to continue

16 May 2017
Stream article image
Economy

Japan, World Bank team on funding for developing nations

JICA partnership backs private-sector infrastructure to aid political stability

9 May 2017
ADB President Takehiko Nakao, far left, and finance ministers from India, Indonesia and Pakistan speak at a panel discussion on the sidelines of the ADB's annual meeting in Yokohama on May 6.
Economy

Protectionism will not be able to stop global trade

Finance ministers at ADB meeting say trade momentum is too strong

7 May 2017
A tangle of power lines is testament to Dhaka's rapid, haphazard growth. (Photo by Yuji Kuronuma)
Economy

Bangladesh's power needs bring ADB, AIIB together

Both lenders serving up funds for natural gas infrastructure

4 May 2017
Asian Development Bank headquarters in Manila: The lender forecasts Asia will need $1.7 trillion per year in infrastructure improvements from 2016 to 2030.
Economy

The ADB faces up to new challenges

As the multilateral lender marks 50 years, its skills are more vital than ever

3 May 2017