A journalist is silhouetted against a screen as he checks live results of the general elections in Lahore, Pakistan, on Feb. 9.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan election results show unexpectedly tight race

Delayed count and promising signs for Imran Khan's PTI set up battle of narratives

9 February 2024
A man casts his vote during the general elections in Karachi, Pakistan, on Feb. 8.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan tallies election results after tense day of polling

Vote overshadowed by sidelining of Imran Khan's party, internet cuts, militant attacks

8 February 2024
Poll workers walk past police officers outside a voting station in Peshawar on Feb. 8.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan cuts mobile service on election day, PTI slams 'cowardly act'

Outages in name of security fuel suspicion over polls' legitimacy

8 February 2024
Bangladeshi border guards stand watch at Ghumdhum Point overlooking Myanmar in Cox’s Bazar in 2017. Munitions are falling in Bangladesh as Myanmar's civil war rages.
Myanmar Crisis

Bangladesh rebukes Myanmar over stray gunfire as border crisis brews

Dhaka fears refugee influx, demands Naypyitaw repatriate forces who crossed over

7 February 2024
A mother and son at home in Bihar state: A reduction in government spending is to be achieved mostly through cutbacks to subsidies and other support for rural areas.
Opinion

India's new government budget hints at overconfidence

Election-time spending restraint offset by rosy revenue and cost projections

7 February 2024
With the help of Pakistan's military, former three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to win the country's election on Feb. 8, amid a media blackout surrounding his main rival, PTI party leader Imran Khan. 
The Big Story

Pakistan's election tainted by military meddling as ex-PM Sharif set to win

Nothing left to chance as Imran Khan's PTI party disappears from airwaves

7 February 2024
A fruit vendor waits for customers in front of a makeshift Pakistan People's Party office in Karachi on Feb. 1. The country's economic crisis, including high inflation, is sure to challenge the next government.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan's economic crisis looms over last days of election campaign

Next government faces billions in debt bills, fallout from crackdown on Imran Khan

5 February 2024
Palestinians walk past a house destroyed by an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, in early January.
International relations

Indonesia and Sri Lanka blast EU for 'double standards' on Gaza

Indo-Pacific and ASEAN meetings with Europe underscore divided views

3 February 2024
Activists protest ahead of the passage of Sri Lanka's Online Safety Act in Colombo on Jan. 24.
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's online regulations highlight restrictions sweeping South Asia

From Pakistan to India, activists warn of tendency to throttle the net as elections near

2 February 2024
India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, center, holds up the budget folder in New Delhi on Feb. 1.
Economy

India's interim budget signals Modi confidence ahead of elections

Infrastructure gets another boost but government avoids 'spectacular' outlays

1 February 2024
Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, a senior PTI official, waves a cricket bat at a rally in Karachi on Jan. 14: The party has been barred from using its cricket bat symbol on election ballots. 
Opinion

Excitement about Pakistan's election is hard to find

Maneuverings to sideline Imran Khan and his PTI have left voters disheartened

1 February 2024
A supporter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a rally in Lahore on Jan. 28. This week, Khan was handed 10- and 14-year jail sentences on consecutive days.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan election battlegrounds heat up as Imran Khan hit by jail terms

Nawaz Sharif bets on biggest province Punjab; the smallest, Balochistan, matters to China

1 February 2024
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, left, meets with Pakistani Army Chief Gen. Syed Asim Munir in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Jan. 29. (Inter Services Public Relations via AP)
International relations

Pakistan and Iran patch up ties but militants poised to play spoilers

Experts say root causes of border strikes unresolved as proxy warfare spreads

30 January 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in white, attends the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Jan. 22. (Handout via Reuters)
Opinion

India is still an officially secular nation, but maybe not for long

Modi's inauguration of Hindu temple marks triumph of BJP quest

29 January 2024
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks at a summit in California in November 2023. The Philippine president heads to Vietnam this week.
Your Week in Asia

Evergrande back in court, Marcos in Vietnam, Myanmar takeover anniversary

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

28 January 2024
India's Chandrayaan-3 rocket lifts off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on July 14, 2023.
Aerospace & Defense Industries

India and China open doors for Global South in space competition

Emerging countries keen to boost prestige and gain access to related resources

28 January 2024
A woman votes in Pakistan's 2018 election. The political landscape looks very different ahead of next month's polls, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan out and his rival Nawaz Sharif back in the game.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan elections: 5 people poised to shape the country's future

Three-time PM Nawaz Sharif seen as favorite with Imran Khan sidelined

27 January 2024
Shahana Begum, affectionately known as "Aunt With a Gun." Members of her Uttar Pradesh community say fear of her wrath dissuades men from preying on women. (Photo by Poorvi Gupta)
Society

A decade after India's 'gun for women,' safety debate far from settled

Firearms takeup limited; critics insist weapons aren't answer to violence against women

27 January 2024
India's Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Jan. 26 featured a display of the country's growing defense industry. 
Defense

India parades domestic weapons amid China border tensions

New Delhi eyes expanded defense industry to develop its military power

27 January 2024
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, left, with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Jan. 15. (WANA via Reuters)
Opinion

India can be peacemaker to the world

New Delhi is well positioned to play a mediating role in various conflicts

26 January 2024
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is welcomed by her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi in September 2022.
International relations

'India Out' campaign heats up in Bangladesh after lopsided election

Echoes of Maldives as government's frustrated opponents accuse New Delhi of meddling

26 January 2024
Women pass a billboard showing French President Emmanuel Macron with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, erected ahead of Macron's arrival in Jaipur, India, on Jan. 25.
International relations

France's Macron visits India as nations tighten defense ties

President talks with Modi before attending Republic Day parade Friday as chief guest

26 January 2024
People sit outside a tea stall with political billboards in the background ahead of Pakistan's general elections in Larkana on Jan. 16.
Pakistan elections

Pakistan social media outages squeeze Imran Khan party's last bastion

Government blames glitches as analysts eye risk of total shutdown on election day

25 January 2024
Skilled workers wait for interviews and tests at a Haryana state government recruitment drive to send workers to Israel on Jan. 17.
Middle East crisis

Indian workers flock to Israeli jobs despite war and ethical concerns

High demand for positions reflects employment pressures in most populous nation

24 January 2024
Members of the Arakan Army stand next to weapons believed to have been seized from Myanmar's military. (Photo from Arakan Army's social media feed)
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar border clashes cast shadow over ties with India

Disruptions to transport project, fleeing soldiers raise concerns in New Delhi

24 January 2024