カテゴリー: South and Central Asia
Narendra Modi’s austerity appeals reveal how war, energy insecurity and dollar pressures expose the fragility of globalisationThe Indian prime minister’s call for sacrifice last week marks a fundamental shift. He urged the country’s 1.4 billion pe…
Experts say the unseasonably hot weather across south Asia shows the impact of the climate crisisAn intense and prolonged heatwave has been causing misery for millions across Pakistan and India.In southern Pakistan throughout April and May, temperature…
Donors mean well, but in Pakistan I saw funds poured into professional, unaccountable NGOs rather than authentic, grassroots civil societyIt was a hot and humid August day in a market in Islamabad, not far from my comfortable, air-conditioned office in…
Lawrence Bishnoi has been in high-security custody for more than a decade. During that time, he has been linked to multiple high-profile killings, both in India and as far afield as Canada. What explains his seemingly undimmed power?By Atul Dev. Read b…
Gautam Adani, richest man in Asia, was accused of conspiring to pay $250m in bribes to Indian government officialsThe US Department of Justice is dropping its fraud charges against the Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, the richest man in Asia, after he …
Families turn to dirty fuels such as firewood, bringing fears over air pollution and fragility of energy transitionIn the ramshackle lanes of a south Delhi slum, Afshana Khatoon crouched wearily on her haunches and began lighting a small pile of firewo…
The annual gathering at Koovagam is rooted in an ancient poem. Five trans attendees talk about what the event means to them in light of a controversial change to the country’s gender recognition lawThe summer air is thick with dust, sweat and the scent…
Stone being paid $50,000 a month to ‘rebuild’ relations between Washington and Myanmar’s military-backed governmentUS lobbyist Roger Stone, a longtime friend and ally of Donald Trump, has been condemned for accepting $50,000 a month to “rebuild” relati…
Turmoil and violence rocks state after prime minister Narendra Modi’s party claimed victory in legislative electionTensions have been high in the Indian state of West Bengal after a top political aide from Narendra Modi’s party was shot dead in the str…
Mamata Banerjee says Narendra Modi’s party ‘forcefully captured’ election that ended her party’s 15 years in powerA political showdown is taking place in the Indian state of West Bengal as the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, India’s most powerful fema…
The Melbourne declaration aims to direct funding and power to those most overlooked and affected by injustice. But for many its promise is a distant oneI first spoke to Shazia Khanum for a report I was writing on adolescent girls in informal jobs. The …
Zohran Mamdani’s suggestion King Charles should return diamond to India has reopened old woundsIt may not be the biggest or most precious jewel ensconced in the Tower of London, but few diamonds have a legacy to rival that of the Koh-i-noor.Likely to h…
Result in key Indian state is set to have significant implications for the country’s political landscapeNarendra Modi’s party has won a resounding election victory in West Bengal, a state which had been a rare opposition stronghold, expanding his unriv…
‘Mothers won’t die, babies can survive’: new maternal hospital opens in world’s largest refugee camp
As aid cuts strip back food and supplies, the facility offers a rare hope for Rohingya women who previously faced frightening and risky conditions to give birthKutupalong camp is at its quietest just before dawn. A thin grey light over the hills of Cox…