Politics

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, third from left, attends Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi on June 9.
International relations

Maldives pushes to mend relations with India, eyeing tourism and aid

President thanks New Delhi for financial support; tourism minister visits India

3 August 2024
Protesters engage in a clash in Dhaka on July 16. Bangladesh has been plunged into unrest after demonstrations against government job quotas. 
Bangladesh turmoil

Bangladesh protest movement launches foreign remittance freeze

Campaign calls on nearly 10 million expats to pressure government over violence

2 August 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, meets Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Aug. 1. (Photo from the X account of the official spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs)
International relations

India and Vietnam to enhance defense cooperation

Pham Minh Chinh becomes first Vietnamese prime minister to visit India in a decade

1 August 2024
An Indian fishing boat collided with a Sri Lankan naval vessel just north of Katchatheevu, a contentious island India ceded to Sri Lanka in the 1970s. 
International relations

India summons Sri Lanka's envoy after maritime collision

One Indian fisherman dead, one missing after bump with Sri Lankan navy

1 August 2024
Supporters of the Balochistan Yakjehti Committee listen to their leader speak during the Baloch National Gathering in Gwadar on the southwestern coast of Pakistan on July 28.
Politics

Protests disrupt Pakistan's Gwadar, home of Chinese-controlled port

Turmoil led by group demanding recovery of victims of enforced disappearances

1 August 2024
Protesters clash with authorities outside the state-owned Bangladesh Television in Dhaka on July 19 as violence erupts nationwide after anti-quota protests by students.
International relations

EU delays talks with Bangladesh on pact after Dhaka's response to protests

Dhaka says negotiations on trade and economic deal moved to November after U.N. assembly

31 July 2024
The coconut tree meme was originally used by Republican opponents with the intention of casting Kamala Harris in a negative light, but it has since switched sides to become a kind of symbol of her presidential campaign.  
Opinion

What the Coconut Tree meme says about Kamala Harris' Indian heritage

A southern Indian saying reflects the VP's background and values that have shaped her

30 July 2024
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, second from right, attends the country's 76th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo during February.
Politics

Sri Lanka president fails to get backing of largest party for reelection

Reform-friendly Wickremesinghe expected to seek support from splitters, opposition

29 July 2024
From left, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pose as they attend a Quad foreign ministers' meeting in Tokyo on July 29.  
International relations

Quad countries agree to expand Indo-Pacific cyber, maritime initiatives

Australia, India, Japan, U.S. 'seriously concerned' about East and South China seas

29 July 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on July 9. (Sputnik/Kremlin via Reuters)
Trade

India and Russia look to boost bilateral trade by 50% by 2030

Target of $100bn set during Modi's Moscow visit comes amid U.S. concerns

28 July 2024
Bangladeshi soldiers take a position at the Mohammadpur area during a national curfew in Dhaka on July 20.
Opinion

Bangladesh's quota quagmire shows need for urgent reforms

Hasina must create economic opportunities, give more space to opposition

26 July 2024
Electricity theft and distribution problems caused by line losses have left Pakistan's government short of revenue.
International relations

Pakistan under pressure to renegotiate hefty Chinese power deals

Beijing unlikely to concede to Islamabad's request, experts say

26 July 2024
Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe attends the country's 76th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo, on Feb. 4.
Politics

Sri Lanka to hold presidential election on Sept. 21

Incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition leader Premadasa expected to run

26 July 2024
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in New Delhi last month.
Opinion

New coalition governments in Asia must embrace compromise

Thailand, Malaysia, and India have to balance policy and voter expectations

26 July 2024
The G7 summit was held in Italy in June. We are now observing the onset of a less-Western dominated world.
Opinion

The West is no longer the center of global affairs

As populism rises and emerging nations assert themselves, G-7 dominance fades

25 July 2024
A Dhaka shopowner surveys burnt tyres outside his premises following a clash on July 23.
Society

Bangladesh protests cause thousands of Indians to flee

India anxious about spillover effect of unrest as evacuations get underway

25 July 2024
Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is a veteran that has held the office three times before.
International relations

Nepal poised for closer ties with China under new prime minister

Returning PM Oli may bolster economic and military cooperation with Beijing

24 July 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris could become the first Asian American president.
U.S. elections 2024

Will Kamala Harris' Indian roots play a part in her Asia policy?

Vice president has earned criticism from China, but rarely focuses on her heritage

23 July 2024
India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman holds up a folder with the Government of India's logo as she leaves her office to present the union budget in the parliament in New Delhi on July 23.
Economy

Modi government focuses on job creation in post-election budget

Bonanza for states under Indian allies as new administration needs their support

23 July 2024
A man walks past damaged vehicles that were set afire by a mob after violence answered student protests against government job quotas, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on July 21.
Bangladesh turmoil

Bangladesh protesters demand government take responsibility for deaths

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on to apologize and fire the home minister

22 July 2024
Laborers work at a construction site on a hot summer day in Noida, India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says investments on infrastructure are creating jobs.
Economy

India's Modi boasts record job creation amid opposition's attack

Employment growth rate provisionally doubled to 6% in last fiscal year, RBI says

22 July 2024
On July 21, a man in Dhaka rides his rickshaw past damaged vehicles that were set on fire by a mob during clashes after violence erupted following protests by Bangladeshi students against government job quotas.
Bangladesh turmoil

Bangladesh top court scraps most job quotas that triggered deadly protests

Students pushed for lifting government quotas; communications spotty after crackdown

21 July 2024
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the government's full annual budget on July 23. It is expected to focus heavily on welfare programs and infrastructure.
Your Week in Asia

India budget, ASEAN foreign ministers meetings, SK Hynix earnings

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

21 July 2024
A police officer fires tear gas during violent demonstrations outside state-owned Bangladesh Television in Dhaka on July 19.
Bangladesh turmoil

Bangladesh army imposes curfew as student-led protests spiral

Internet, text message services suspended; death toll rises to at least 114

20 July 2024
Protesters march toward the National Assembly in Islamabad ahead of the presentation of the annual government budget on June 12. (Photo by AFP/Jiji)
19 July 2024