Politics

Soldiers patrol a corporate farming project in Pakistan's Punjab province on July 23 (EPA)
Economy

Pakistan army trades tanks for tractors in food-security push

Sprawling military-run farms stoke backlash over armed forces' pervasive presence

24 September 2023
The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, the opening ceremony venue for the Asian Games, is lit up during a light show on Sept. 21.
International relations

India spars with China over visas for Asian Games athletes

Modi's sports minister cancels visit to the host nation in protest

23 September 2023
Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal arrives to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 21, before his scheduled trip to China.
International relations

Nepal PM jets from U.S. to China to talk connectivity, security

Pushpa Kamal Dahal's trip follows India visit, highlights balancing act

23 September 2023
Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah, center, visits a school: He has introduced scholarships for underprivileged 11th graders. (Photo by Dipendra Dhuungana)
Opinion

Fresh faces are shaking up politics in Nepal

2022 election victors have had rapid impact but endurance not yet clear

23 September 2023
A view of Hun Sen's Facebook page in 2016: The platform is allowing dictators to make public threats while getting other voices supressed.
Opinion

Imitators are adopting Chinese tactics to quash online critics

Allies like Cambodia and Bangladesh are deploying fake voices to drown out dissent

22 September 2023
Women walk past India's new Parliament building in New Delhi on Sept. 20.
Politics

India passes quota for women in Parliament, bickers over timeline

Law will reserve one-third of lower house seats -- but not soon

22 September 2023
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, walks past Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10. 
International relations

India suspends visa services for Canadians due to 'security threats'

Ottawa to 'adjust' diplomatic presence as row over separatist's killing escalates

21 September 2023
Pakistan is scheduled to hold elections in the last week of January 2024, according to its Election Commission.
Politics

Pakistan to hold national vote in late January: election panel

Process of constituency delimitation, nominations, appeals and campaigning awaits

21 September 2023
Qazi Faez Isa takes the oath to become the new chief justice of Pakistan in Islamabad on Sept. 17. (Pakistan's Press Information Department via Reuters)
Politics

Pakistan's new chief justice aims for order in pre-election chaos

Qazi Faez Isa enters political minefield as nation heads for late-January polls

21 September 2023
A security guard stands outside the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi on Sept. 19.
International relations

How India-Canada ties soured over Sikh separatism: 5 things to know

Democracies locked in diplomatic duel over Khalistan activist's killing

20 September 2023
Farmers with cassava in Oyo, Nigeria: Further incorporation of African perspectives into the G20 will be a major step forward toward boosting sustainability and climate action.
Opinion

U.N.'s 2030 Agenda needs a reboot

Success of G20 and G7 summits can provide new momentum toward advancing SDGs

20 September 2023
A technician inspects anti-cancer drugs at a pharmaceutical lab in Jiangsu province, China: BRICS+ members should be able to share technology and human resources.
Opinion

BRICS+ will benefit from opening way to free movement of workers

Member states can better absorb technology with infusions of human capital

19 September 2023
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9. The Indian government has rejected an explosive allegation leveled by Trudeau over possible involvement in the killing of a Sikh activist.
International relations

India rejects Canada's allegation of role in Sikh activist's death

Governments trade expulsions as dispute shakes Indo-Pacific diplomacy

19 September 2023
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the G20 venue in New Delhi on Sept. 9. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

Modi rivals expect 'legislative grenades' as India parliament opens

Special five-day session with murky agenda comes just after G20 summit

18 September 2023
A new gold mine in Afghanistan's Takhar province is seen in a November 2010 file photo: The Taliban administration has awarded a $310 million contract for a gold mine spanning 12 square kilometers in the province to an Afghan-Chinese joint venture.
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghanistan's $6.5bn mine deals with China, others dig up questions

Taliban face feasibility and security doubts as regime aims to shore up economy

17 September 2023
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad in 2017: He is expected to return to the country soon, after years in exile in London.
Politics

Pakistan ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's likely return adds to volatile mix

Turbulent election season ahead with Imran Khan in jail, alliances fraying

16 September 2023
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, hugs Azali Assoumani, African Union chairman and the Comoros' president, in New Delhi on Sep. 9. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

India deserves credit for holding the G20 together

Refuting skeptics, New Delhi's diplomats secured compromise to preserve consensus

16 September 2023
Zhao Sheng, China's new ambassador to Afghanistan, shakes hands with Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund, left, at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Sep. 13. (Handout via AP)
Opinion

China and the Taliban are friends in need of each other

Investment creeps forward amid continued security worries

15 September 2023
The Taliban only permits girls in Afghanistan to go to school until sixth grade. (Photo by Kanika Gupta)
Afghanistan turmoil

Afghanistan's secret schools for girls defy Taliban ban

Teachers and students share stories of underground education

14 September 2023
Family members pay respects at the grave of a victim of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, next to St. Sebastian's Church, one of the attacked churches, in Katuwapitiya, Sri Lanka, on April 21, 2021.
Politics

Sri Lanka's Catholics 'can't accept' new Easter bombing inquiries

Critics question independence of probes examining alleged Rajapaksa links

13 September 2023
BRICS leaders on Aug. 24: The bloc's new members will give it a meaningfully larger share of global GDP than the G7.
Opinion

BRICS+ is set to drive the Global South's agenda

Lack of shared political, economic vision will restrict areas of influence

13 September 2023
The Maldives' incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, right, now faces an uphill battle to keep his job and beat challenger Mohamed Muizzu, left. (Photos by Reuters) 
Politics

Maldives election runoff could turn tide in India-China contest

Pro-Beijing Muizzu takes page from jailed ex-President Yameen's playbook

12 September 2023
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva holds a news conference after the G20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 11.
G20 Summit

Lula wants Putin and Xi back in fold at Brazil's G20 next year

President hedges on Russian leader's arrest, questions why Brazil signed ICC treaty

11 September 2023
The Group of 20 summit in New Delhi wraps up on Sept. 10, the day after leaders reached a consensus on a lengthy joint declaration.
G20 Summit

Ukraine agreement, Global South boost: 5 takeaways from India's G20

Leaders issue statement with softened wording, take steps to spread renewables

11 September 2023
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10.
G20 Summit

Erdogan says isolating Russia will fail, eyes Black Sea grain revival

Turkish president vows 'firm diplomacy' to ensure food supplies for Africa

10 September 2023