WebinarsNew
Deep DiveNew
Explore Business Standard
Nepal's recent devastating flash flood has led to an estimated USD 4.7 billion in recovery and reconstruction needs, according to a government-led assessment. The Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) for the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi Flood 2026, released by the government on Saturday, estimates a total damage of around USD 2.7 billion, with physical damage at USD 1.81 billion and economic losses at USD 883.32 million. The assessment, led by Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said the larger recovery figure does not represent simply the cost of replacing what was damaged. Recovery needs include reconstruction as well as disaster-risk reduction and resilience measures. The RDNA covers Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts and combines sector submissions, administrative records, satellite imagery, drone surveys, geospatial data and census information. Where direct inventories were incomplete, the assessment used estimates based on mapped ..
Nepal wants to resolve its border dispute with India through existing bilateral mechanisms as "no problem is too large and complex" when both sides meet with an open heart, rational mind and mutual respect, Nepalese Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal said on Sunday, effectively endorsing New Delhi's rejection of any third-party involvement. Khanal said Kathmandu refuses to see New Delhi through the "distorted, hyper-sensitive lens" of 21st-century geopolitics and instead aims to look at India with "clear eyes and a single transparent agenda of economic transformation of Nepal". The Nepalese foreign minister was speaking to the media a day after holding wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar that focused on ways to further expand ties in diverse sectors, including trade, critical technology, connectivity and energy. His three-day trip to New Delhi from Friday came against the backdrop of a raging controversy triggered by Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah's recen
Visa, a payment gateway provider, on Monday announced that Suresh Sethi has been appointed Group Country Manager for India and South Asia. In this role, Sethi will lead Visa's strategy and operations across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan, the company said in a statement. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who is leaving Visa for other opportunities. Based in Mumbai, Sethi will report to Stephen Karpin, Regional President, Asia Pacific, Visa, it said. Most recently, Sethi served as MD and CEO of Protean e-Gov Technologies Ltd, where he led its transformation into an agile, product-led Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) institution, it added.
Despite a modest improvement in recent months, a majority of chief economists expect global economic conditions to weaken this year but see India anchoring South Asia as the brightest growth spot despite mounting trade headwinds, a new survey showed on Friday. In its latest Chief Economists Outlook report, released ahead of the Davos annual meeting next week, the World Economic Forum said the global economic outlook has improved modestly but remains uncertain, with asset valuations, mounting debt, geo-economic realignment, and rapid deployment of artificial intelligence creating both opportunities and risks. Nearly 53 per cent of chief economists surveyed expect global economic conditions to weaken in the year ahead, down from 72 per cent in September 2025, it said. The report, drawing from consultations and surveys with chief economists from the public and private sectors worldwide, said South Asia has returned to the top of the regional growth outlook. Two-thirds of the chief ...
Voters went to the polls on Sunday for the initial phase of Myanmar's first general election in five years, held under the supervision of its military government while a civil war rages throughout much of the country. Critics charge that the election is designed to add a facade of legitimacy to military rule, which began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Her party won a landslide victory in the 2020 election but was blocked from taking office for a second term. In Yangon, the country's largest city, Naypyitaw, the capital, and elsewhere, voters were casting their ballots at high schools, government buildings and religious buildings. Critics argue that the results will lack legitimacy due to the exclusion of major parties and limits on freedom of speech and an atmosphere of repression. They contend that the expected victory of the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party makes the nominal transition to civilian rule a ..