Nepal’s political turmoil adds to India’s woes in South Asia

Nepal has become the latest South Asian country to descend into turmoil, joining Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in recent years where mass protests have forced leaders from office.

Retired US Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt has suggested that the United States’ growing warmth toward Pakistan is partly the result of what he described as India’s “arrogant” attitude toward Washington. 

US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a sweeping 50% tariff on Indian goods took effect on August 27, throwing one of the world’s largest trade relationships into turmoil. For New Delhi, the move has created a dilemma: should India respond in kind, or pursue a more calculated strategy to safeguard its economic and geopolitical interests?

The Indian government has announced that members of minority communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who fled to India by December 31, 2024, citing religious persecution, will be permitted to remain in the country even if they lack passports or other valid travel documents.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused India of forcibly expelling Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh and Myanmar without ensuring their basic rights and safety. 

Severe monsoon rains have unleashed widespread devastation across the Himalayan region, leaving at least 36 people dead in India within just 24 hours and sparking flood alerts downstream in Pakistan. Authorities in both countries are now grappling with the aftermath of swollen rivers, landslides, and collapsed infrastructure.

India’s exporters are preparing for a heavy blow as Washington moves ahead with sharp tariff hikes on Indian goods, set to take effect from Wednesday. 

India is raising alarm over China’s plan to build the world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibet, fearing the project could drastically cut water flow into the Brahmaputra River system and threaten millions of livelihoods downstream.

India has strongly defended its purchase and resale of Russian oil, pushing back against Western criticism, even as Washington signaled a tougher trade line by naming a new ambassador to New Delhi.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to travel to China later this month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, marking his first visit to the country in six years. 

India and China on Monday sought to reset their strained relationship as Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi for high-level discussions on border stability, trade, and future cooperation.

The United States has called off a planned round of trade negotiations with India that was set to take place in New Delhi from August 25–29, according to a report by NDTV Profit citing sources familiar with the matter.

India and China are holding talks on restarting border trade in locally produced goods after more than five years, in what officials describe as a cautious but notable step toward repairing strained bilateral relations. 

A catastrophic flash flood struck the Himalayan town of Dharali in India’s Uttarakhand state on Tuesday, leaving at least five people confirmed dead and more than 100 others missing, officials said.

The United States has imposed sanctions on six Indian firms accused of purchasing and trading Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.

India announced on Monday that its security forces had killed three militants allegedly responsible for the deadly April attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which left 26 civilians dead and heightened tensions with neighboring Pakistan.