South Asia

A bill facing parliament in India would provide a broad social security program for nearly 400 million poor workers in India. Some say the $22 billion program will cost too much to sustain.

As thousands flock to the city to escape other wartorn regions, the infrastructure in Kabul is struggling to serve the Afghan capital's 3.4 million people. Funding for the city's services falls way short.

Rising sea levels are a reality in a country that contributes only a fraction of the world's greenhouse gases.

As certain agricultural markets are globalizing, many small farming communities from South Dakota to Mississippi to Australia are facing a strong decline in population that shows little sign of rebounding.

An agreement has been reached between 18 countries to move forward on a long-sought plan to connect railways between Singapore and Turkey, creating a vast network expected to boost the economies of currently remote areas.

With a new 20-year master plan, public officials in the Philippines look to create a new tourist hotspot in Alaminos City, which houses 100 small islands.

A Canadian architect has been in the Philippines for the past year designing homes for the country's poorest citizens. His method utilizes whatever building materials can be found to create an easily constructed and long-lasting home.

India must eradicate its ubiquitous shantytowns if it is to become an economic success story. Just such an effort is underway in the Dharavi neighborhood outside Mumbai by Mukesh Mehta, an Indian architect and developer.

A year after an earthquake killed 73,000, rural leaders say they need a greater voice in rebuilding.

The Myanmar government has begun a massive rebuilding effort to 'restore' some of the country's ancient temples. But the rebuilding effort makes no attempt to preserve the history of the sites, opting to rebuild the areas into tourist attractions.

A recent story about the nation's largest and most successful developer highlights the acceleration of India's urban development.

Cambodians frustrated with shoddy trains and inconsistent service have taken transportation into their own hands, constructing and operating trains made primarily out of bamboo. The trains run at nearly 25 mph and are largely meeting transit needs.

As the small South Asian country prepares to enter the World Trade Organization, economists predict a drastic change of pace in the locally-driven economy as corporate retail is bound to take over.

Is traffic bad in your city? Read this editorial about the challenges faced by Bangladesh, and feel better.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, gets a multiple-million dollar theme park.