BANGKOK, Aug 29: A surprise improvement in air quality in South Asia in 2022 drove a decline in global pollution, with favourable weather a likely factor, a new report said Wednesday.

Increased Chinese investment in the region could spur development, especially in infrastructure, technology, and trade. Projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have already demonstrated China’s willingness to invest heavily in South Asian economies.

South Asia faces an uncertain future without substantial regional cooperation.

The Charter of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) officially came into force on Monday, marking a significant milestone for the seven-member regional bloc with great strategic significance. The BIMSTEC region that includes countries from South Asia and South-East Asia has over 1.8 billion people, constituting 22 percent of the global population.

The country long seen as a beacon for LGBTQI rights in South Asia still has no law recognizing same-sex marriage. Here's how two couples broke through the bureaucracy — and why hundreds of others still wait to say “I do.”

At the ending point of 500 years of Western dominations, the "Asia Century" is believed to begin any time soon. In this matter, India is one of the decisive forces in Asia, in shifting the power and prosperity from west to east. However, unfortunately millions of Indians are still starving and hunger is a serious problem there

NEPALGUNJ, Feb 13: Anjudevi Shrestha,33, from Badhaiyatal-2, Bardiya and Suprita Gurung, also 33, from  Bandipur-5, Tanahun began dating about five years ago and tied the knot according to their tradition. However, they did not receive a legal marriage certificate at that time.

NEW DELHI (INDIA), Jan 22: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has appointed Imad N Fakhoury as Regional Director for South Asia. Based in New Delhi, Fakhoury will spearhead IFC's strategy and operations, while reinforcing relationships with the private sector, governments, and regional partners to boost impactful development outcomes in the region.

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — The air smells burnt in Lahore, a city in Pakistan’s east that used to be famous for its gardens but has become infamous for its terrible air quality.

KATHMANDU, Nov 7: Geopolitical experts in South Asia have observed that the ongoing geopolitical developments worldwide are significantly impacting the region.

The roadmap for India's success in the region isn't inscribed in just its domestic achievements but in how it facilitates a collective rise.

KATHMANDU, Sept 7: A two-day Water and Sanitation Regulatory Conference for South Asia kicked off in Kathmandu on Thursday, bringing together distinguished experts, policymakers, and stakeholders dedicated to revolutionizing water and sanitation services across the region.

KATHMANDU, Aug 25: The Regional Conference on Women and Foreign Policy in South Asia, jointly organized by the Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks (COSATT) and the Political Dialogue Asia Programme of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), concluded successfully after two days of engaging discussions, presentations, and networking.

The global movement for children's welfare, which emerged after the World Summit for Children in September 1990, has achieved notable progress in promoting the rights and well-being of children worldwide. The Summit laid out four fundamental principles, including the provision of all children's rights, equal opportunities for every child, healthy living conditions and development, and the right to self-expression.

KATHMANDU, March 18: The Global Shapers Kathmandu Hub has launched advocacy programs to promote climate change resiliency in South Asia.

During the 1980s, the economy of China and India were almost at the same level in terms of GDP, per capita GDP and growth rates with coequal population. However, within a 30-year period, China dramatically surpassed India in the growth rate by a huge margin and per capita GDP five times that of India. The reason behind China’s high performance was its willingness to let foreign investors access its assets, labor and non-traded infrastructure at a significantly lower cost than its Indian competitor. Moreover, the decision-making process to approve foreign investment in China was simple and fast compared to the lengthy process and long deliberations in India.

Energy is a critical resource necessary for a country's economic development. Despite this, many nations struggle to generate enough energy to meet their economic goals. Nepal, on the other hand, faces a unique challenge: although it produces abundant green energy in the form of hydroelectricity, at least in the wet season, it struggles with its proper utilization.

South Asia was divided while responding to Pelosi's Taiwan visit. Pakistan and Afghanistan followed the Chinese standpoint. Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka reiterated their one-China policy and leveraged it to attain their interests but India and the Maldives opposed China to reiterate their policy.

Electoral democracy coexists in South Asia with deep strains of authoritarianism though social multiplicity, austere poverty, underdevelopment and authoritarian tendencies are recurrent in the regional political setup.

KATHMANDU, March 9: Media experts and journalists of South Asia have called for a systematic structural change in the media outlets of the region to break the bias and to accelerate women’s equal participation in leadership roles.

After high blood pressure, dietary risks, and smoking,air pollution is the fourth utmost risk factor for human health globally, and 6.5 million premature deaths are associated with it.

Even as Covid-19 continues to impact livelihoods and economies in Nepal and across south Asia, every new year brings with it hope, challenge and opportunity.

The Nepal Electricity Authority is now in a position to sell its surplus energy. The countries of South Asia are some of the poorest countries, which aspire to high economic growth to improve the quality of life in the coming years. However, the unavailability of reliable and adequate electricity is one of the major obstacles to realizing their economic potential.

NEW DELHI, May 29: Coronavirus infections in the South Asia region surpassed 30 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally of official data, led by India which is struggling with a second COVID-19 wave and a vaccine shortage across the region.

KATHMANDU, May 13: Amnesty International (AI) has urged governments across South Asia to immediately address healthcare shortages and urgently strengthen their healthcare systems to respond to the rapid surge of COVID-19 cases in the region.

INDIA, April 11: Coronavirus infections in the South Asia sub-region surpassed the grim milestone of 15 million on Saturday, a Reuters tally shows, led by India’s record daily infections and vaccine shortages.

SOUTH ASIA, April 10: Coronavirus infections in the South Asia sub-region surpassed the grim milestone of 15 million on Saturday, a Reuters tally shows, led by India’s record daily infections and vaccine shortages.

Health services must urgently be restored and strengthened to contain the pandemic’s impact on the most vulnerable families

PAKISTAN, March 14: Amid a third wave of the coronavirus that is gripping Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, and the northern part of the country, Pakistani health and administrative authorities have imposed a partial lockdown in affected areas.

South Asia is particularly vulnerable to road-related accidents where frequent road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists, pedestrians, and public transport users are killed in road crashes more than in any other region of the world.

Drawing from writing support programs for scholars in South Asia, this essay offers some practical strategies for making a shift from teaching to training, knowing to doing, when it comes to support for research and publication.

The US policy towards Nepal generally remains unchanged by the change of guard in the White House. Yet, Nepal will be affected by US attitudes towards global trends.

Five publications join hands to document attacks on journalists

Every year, all over the world, Kashmiris observe October 27 as the Black Day. This day is marked by a strike in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Demonstrations, rallies and seminars are organized to highlight the historical injustices, violations of international law, the UN resolutions and the brutalities committed by the occupying forces in the IIOJK.

KATHMANDU, Oct 11: Of the eight countries in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Nepal has the lowest recovery rate of 70.3 percent and the highest 29.2 percent of active cases.

NEW DELHI, Oct 8: Millions of people in South Asia are being pushed into extreme poverty as the region where a quarter of humanity lives suffers its worst-ever recession due to the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Bank said on Thursday.

Some of the knock-on effects on the economy are yet to be felt, and in most countries in South Asia we are not yet out of the first wave of the pandemic.

NEW DELHI, July 17: Floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed at least 221 people across South Asia over the past month, officials said Friday.

It is timely to state the importance of the Zone of Peace proposal that King Birendra floated to the world during his coronation in 1975. That proposal was meant to ensure that Nepal does not become a victim of an unjust world order.

NEW DELHI, April 23: South Asia’s coronavirus infections have crossed 37,000, with more than half in India, official data showed on Thursday, complicating the task of governments looking to scale back lockdowns that have destroyed the livelihoods of millions.

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI, April 19: India’s Maharashtra state, the country’s largest regional economy, will allow a limited number of sectors to resume business on Monday, after a weeks-long shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus left millions out of work.

NEW DELHI/MALE, April 18: The number of people infected with the coronavirus crossed 22,000 in densely populated South Asia on Friday driven by a rise in cases in India as the tiny Indian Ocean island nation of Maldives locked down its capital.

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD, April 10: India accounts for more than half the tally of those infected with coronavirus across south Asia, which crossed 12,000 on Friday, government data showed, despite a harsh weeks-long clampdown to control the outbreak.

NEW DELHI, April 6: India, like a lot of countries plunged into crisis by the pandemic, is struggling to ramp up testing for the coronavirus, but in few places would the odds of containing the disease appear so bleak should domestic transmission start to multiply.

MUMBAI, April 4: The number of confirmed new coronavirus cases in South Asia neared 6,000 on Saturday, even as authorities in some cities tightened restrictions on movement and warned lockdowns could be extended in a bid to rein in the pandemic.

NEW DELHI, March 27: India’s death toll from the coronavirus rose by six to 16 in the last 24 hours, as the government sought on Thursday to improve basic services to 1.3 billion people locked indoors to slow the spread of the disease.

MUMBAI/ NEW DELHI, March 23: New Delhi will be under lockdown until March 31, the Indian capital’s government announced on Sunday, seeking to keep citizens indoors to prevent the spread of coronavirus and giving police powers to punish violators.

Nepal and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year. Ever since the establishment of the diplomatic relations, the two countries have enjoyed cordial relation based on goodwill, mutual cooperation, and friendship. A Foreign Secretary level bilateral consultation mechanism has been established to review the bilateral relations comprehensively and increase cooperation between the two countries in different fields.

KATHMANDU, March 20: As the novel coronavirus spreads across the globe including South Asia, the Nepal government is thinking about closing all borders crossing points with the southern neighbor.

KARACHI/KABUL, March 16: Health authorities across South Asia reported rising tallies of coronavirus cases on Monday, raising the prospect of rapidly spreading outbreaks overwhelming poor medical facilities in a region that is home to a quarter of the world’s people.