Showing 1 - 10 of 30
Delayed Rohingya repatriation becoming a regional crisis
Asia focus, Abantika Kumari, Published on 08/08/2022
» The future of the Rohingya people is not only a Bangladeshi issue, it is now a global issue. Bangladesh has been seeking the cooperation of regional countries and the United Nations to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya since they were first driven from Myanmar in 2017. But the results have not materialised, and the security risk is growing.
Zero plastics is not a practical solution
Asia focus, Simon Baldwin, Published on 13/06/2022
» Few materials have been more widely used than plastic due to its sheer durability, versatility and cost efficiency. Since the first synthetic plastic was produced in 1907, it has made its way into every facet of modern life, from space exploration to keeping food fresh in our kitchens.
Will China hit its growth target?
Asia focus, Shang-Jin Wei, Published on 09/05/2022
» In early March, Premier Li Keqiang announced that China was targeting GDP growth of "about 5.5%" this year. That would be ambitious even without Russia's war against Ukraine and the attendant increases in global energy and food prices.
The paradoxes of the Bangladesh miracle
Asia focus, Arvind Subramanian, Published on 28/06/2021
» Ravaged periodically by natural calamities, long dependent on foreign aid and remittances, and a perennial source of refugees and emigrants, Bangladesh was once "a basket case of misery", as Zia Haider Rahman put it in his great debut novel, In the Light of What We Know.
Hopeful talk from superpowers
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 14/06/2021
» While the economy looks gloomy at home, I've been cheered up by the broader trend reported last week by the World Bank.
In search of the middle ground
Asia focus, Apiradee Treerutkuarkul, Published on 31/05/2021
» As the African proverb goes, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. The intensifying China-US rivalry is putting mounting pressure on smaller countries, and Southeast Asian economies are no exception.
Why China is anxious about the Quad
Asia focus, Mohammad Mushfiqul Haque Mukit, Published on 24/05/2021
» Bangladesh's relations with China would be "substantially damaged" if the country joins the "Quad", a US-led security initiative that includes mutual neighbour India, declares Li Jiming, the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh.
Farmers vs the Indian state
Asia focus, Jayati Ghosh, Published on 21/12/2020
» India's capital is under siege from more than 2 million farmers, who are currently gathered at the city's border in a massive protest that started three weeks ago. Old and young men, women, and even children from farming families are camping on open roads in the bitter cold of a Delhi winter. They have abandoned their concerns about viral infection and come prepared for the long haul, bringing enough food to last for several months.
Free behind bars
Asia focus, Nikhil Kumar, Published on 13/07/2020
» Business has been booming for Karulal Nagar. A manufacturer of drawstrings used in kurtis (short shirts that women wear in India), he's been earning a profit of 3,000 rupees (US$40) a day, far more than the 6,000 rupees a month that he earned in the not-so-distant past.
Road to equality
Asia focus, Nareerat Wiriyapong, Published on 06/04/2020
» Indian film actor Celina Jaitly faced a lot of discrimination and harassment during the early years of her career. When she started out as a 16-year old in Kolkata, she was going against her entire family because she wanted to make a life for herself.