South Asia

Nepal estimates $4.7 bn recovery and reconstruction need after flash floods

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 ..

MBA’s Guide to Project Management | Learn from the stalwart

In this session, Amit Goyal, Managing Director, Project Management Institute - South Asia, talks about project management and provides tips to the B-Schoolers.

Let us build alliance not constrained by past: Nepal minister on India ties

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

Neighbourhood-first policy boosts India's regional outreach efforts

From energy assistance and economic packages to sustained diplomatic engagement, India has stepped up efforts to strengthen ties with neighbouring countries amid evolving regional challenges

Visa appoints Suresh Sethi as group country manager for India, South Asia

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.

How China is becoming the world's most powerful opposition to US power

Like any ambitious opposition party, Beijing is pointing out the weaknesses of the incumbent while portraying itself as a steadier, more predictable partner with fresh ideas

Gen-Z revolts in South Asia show toppling leaders is just the start

New governments in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka face test of turning protest wins into real reforms

South Asia regains top spot in growth outlook as economist sentiment flips

South Asia tops global growth outlook as WEF economists turn bullish again, with India anchoring optimism even as global growth risks persist

India driving South Asia as world's brightest growth spot: WEF survey

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 ...

Polls open for military-ruled Myanmar's first general election in 5 years

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 ..

Cancer crisis intensifies globally, hitting low-resource countries hardest

Once seen as a disease of the wealthy, cancer now affects all regions, with a growing share of cases and deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries

Floods Ravage Asia Rising climate risks leave over 1,300 dead and $20 billion in damage

Severe floods triggered by cyclones and monsoon rains have killed more than 1,300 people across South and Southeast Asia and caused economic losses of at least $20 billion.

Heat could kill 46 people per hour in South Asia by 2045, study finds

A study in the journal Tropical Medicine and Health projects that climate change could double South Asia's annual heat-related deaths to nearly 400,000 by 2045, with India and Pakistan most at risk

East Timor, Asia's youngest nation, officially becomes Asean's 11th member

Also known as Timor-Leste, the country of 1.4 million people is among Asia's poorest and hopes to see gains from integrating its fledgling economy

Datanomics: How India-Afghanistan ties have shifted under Taliban 2.0

India cautiously renews economic engagement with Afghanistan, balancing humanitarian aid and trade ties without extending formal recognition to the Taliban regime

Time to expand bilateral ties between India, Mongolia, says President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said it is time to further expand bilateral ties between India and Mongolia by adding contemporary dimensions of cooperation. Welcoming Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and his delegation to Rashtrapati Bhavan, she said that shared cultural heritage and democratic values are the foundation of India-Mongolia relations. India and Mongolia are 'Strategic Partners', 'Third Neighbours', and 'Spiritual Neighbours', the President said. Murmu said India attaches the highest priority to its development and capacity-building partnership with Mongolia, and is fully committed to the timely completion of all the projects currently underway, which will emerge as lasting symbols of India-Mongolia friendship and cooperation. The President also appreciated the close cooperation between the two countries, as members of the Global South, in multilateral fora, including at the United Nations. Both leaders agreed that it is time to further expand the bilateral