Politics

Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of India's Uttar Pradesh state and a Hindu monk, often makes public appearances wearing an orange robe. (Photo courtesy of the state of Uttar Pradesh)
Politics

Modi's potential successor aims to create Indian defense sector hub

Chief of Uttar Pradesh state bets on BrahMos cruise missile to achieve goal

20 November 2023
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi used his year at the helm of the G20 to highlight the needs of the Global South.
International relations

India's Modi calls for Global South unity on Israel-Hamas war

New Delhi hosts its second online summit of southern developing nations this year

17 November 2023
Afghan Taliban fighters stand guard as Afghan refugees line up to register in a camp near the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan on Nov. 4.
Afghanistan turmoil

Pakistan points Afghan Taliban to militant hideouts, urges action

Islamabad says it shared 'evidence' of Pakistani Taliban presence Kabul denies

17 November 2023
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, pictured during a visit to Japan in April, has refused to make way for a neutral caretaker administration to oversee the next election.
Politics

Bangladesh sets election for Jan. 7, ignoring opposition pleas

Move raises risk of violence, analysts say, while U.S. urges party talks

15 November 2023
Pakistan's then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attends a news conference in Russia in January, when his Pakistan People's Party belonged to a ruling coalition led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Politics

Pakistan People's Party flirts with Imran Khan camp before elections

Shifting allegiances could shake up race as military banks on Nawaz Sharif's PML-N

15 November 2023
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a visit to Tokyo this April.
Indo-Pacific

Japan to provide patrol ships to Bangladesh with eye on China

Dhaka to be 2nd defense equipment recipient under OSA framework

15 November 2023
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who doubles as finance minister, presents the 2024 budget to Parliament in Colombo on Nov. 13. (President Media/handout via Reuters)
Sri Lanka crisis

Sri Lanka's election-year budget straddles line between IMF and voters

2024 plan praised for 'sticking to reform,' criticized for apparent contradictions

14 November 2023
Police confront garment workers in Ashulia, on the outskirts of Dhaka, during a recent demonstration for higher wages. (Photo by Nazmul Islam)
Politics

Bangladesh garment industry wage fight shakes core economic pillar

Government alleges link between protests by opposition and inflation-weary workers

14 November 2023
International enrollment in the U.S. across all academic levels climbed during the 2022-23 year.
Education

Indian students in U.S. hit new high as foreign enrollment rebounds

China remains top sending country in higher education despite slight decline

14 November 2023
Nikki Haley, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak at the third Republican presidential debate on Nov. 8. (Source photo by Reuters)
Politics

Haley, Ramaswamy rise in GOP as Indian Americans shun party

Voters seen as still wary of Republican policies on immigration and race

13 November 2023
A Pakistani soldier stands guard during Independence Day celebrations in Karachi on Aug. 14. A recent report found that at least 386 security personnel had been killed in the first nine months of the year, an eight-year high.
Politics

Pakistani military adds enigmatic militant group to list of worries

Attack on air base hints at evolving threat ahead of national elections

12 November 2023
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden, pictured here at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November 2022, will meet on Nov. 15 in San Francisco for the first time in a year.
Your Week in Asia

Sri Lanka budget, Xi-Biden summit, Japan Q3 GDP

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

12 November 2023
Stryker armored fighting vehicles take part in a joint training exercise in India.
International relations

U.S. and India strike deal to co-produce Stryker armored vehicle

New Delhi becomes full member of Middle East naval coalition, expanding global role

11 November 2023
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives in New Delhi on Nov. 9. (Photo by Ryo Nakamura)
Defense

U.S. defense chief holds China focus amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Austin to meet with Philippine, Thai, other counterparts during Pacific tour

9 November 2023
Taliban soldiers stand guard in Mes Aynak valley in 2021: A Chinese company won rights to develop a copper mine during the republican era but has not gotten the project running yet.
Opinion

Afghanistan shows the gap between BRI rhetoric and reality

Chinese initiative has not brought stability but rather requires it

8 November 2023
India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party hopes to ride Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity to victory in key state polls just months before a general election is due. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

India state polls kick off, testing 'Modi magic' before national vote

Opposition Congress seeks momentum in string of five regional elections

7 November 2023
Supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif welcome him back from self-imposed exile in Lahore on Oct. 21, ahead of the 2024 general election.
Politics

With date set, Pakistan enters election season fraught with doubts

Feb. 8 polls raise concerns over security, fate of still-popular Imran Khan's PTI

6 November 2023
Police officers pass a charred public bus burned during an opposition protest in Dhaka on Oct. 31, amid days of political violence.
Politics

Bangladeshi political violence poses 'high risk' to stuttering economy

Disruptions over election likely to worsen already weak fundamentals, experts say

6 November 2023
Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck arrives to offer prayers at a temple in Guwahati, India, on Nov. 3. His visit to India comes shortly after renewed border talks between Bhutan and China.
International relations

India casts wary eye on revived China-Bhutan boundary talks

Bhutanese king visits India days after foreign minister's rare trip to Beijing

5 November 2023
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit New Delhi this week for the annual 2+2 ministerial dialogue with their counterparts S. Jaishankar and Rajnath Singh.
Your Week in Asia

U.S.-India 2+2, Pacific Islands Forum, China Singles Day 'war'

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

5 November 2023
Police detain pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New Delhi on Oct. 27, amid the Israel-Hamas war. India's opposition parties have sharply criticized the government's response to the conflict.
Middle East crisis

India's response to Israel-Hamas war sparks political fight at home

Abstention on Gaza cease-fire highlights dilemma between 'interests' and 'values'

4 November 2023
Pakistan ordered possibly 1.7 million undocumented Afghans out of the country by Nov. 1, creating chaotic scenes at Torkham and other border crossings. (Norwegian Refugee Council via Reuters)
Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban warns Pakistan about Afghan expulsions: Reap what you sow

Islamabad's repatriation policy fuels anger over lost businesses and assets

3 November 2023
The remains of a burned school in Manipur. Many schools have been destroyed, robbing young people of educational opportunities. (Photo by Greeshma Kuthar)
Politics

India's northeastern Manipur marks 6 months of deadly conflict

Burned schools stand as monuments to lives disrupted and friendships lost

3 November 2023
Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, left, with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi in 2018: India is the de facto security guarantor of Bhutan, a diplomatic minnow.
Opinion

Bhutan is not giving in to China's hardball diplomacy

Beijing uses talks to deflect attention from territorial encroachments

3 November 2023
Leaders of the Quad in Tokyo in May: The grouping's image as a U.S.-led tool to contain China could potentially pose an obstacle to cooperation with ASEAN.
Opinion

The Quad needs to work with other groups. ASEAN is the place to start

Maritime security would be productive area for cooperation

3 November 2023