SouthAsia

The combination of erratic rainfall and rising temperatures is expected to increase both drought and flood risks during the same season.

For Asia’s rice bowl, the coming months will be critical. Farmers, traders, and policymakers must prepare for a potentially volatile period that could test food security across the region.

The durability of this grassroots ceasefire remains highly precarious. Without structured incident management, formal counterterrorism cooperation, or official endorsement from military commanders in Kabul and Islamabad, the agreement is vulnerable to the slightest provocation.

For thousands of Bangladeshi fishermen and honey collectors, setting out onto the waters of the Sundarbans to earn a daily livelihood has abruptly devolved into a deadly gamble.

UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Kanni Wignaraja emphasized that standard economic management measures will not suffice in this landscape.

Traffickers remain adaptable and profit-driven. Yet for the first time in years, the region’s enforcement community is not merely reacting – it is organising, training and collaborating at a scale designed to outpace the criminals.

With the region still recovering from previous shocks, the latest ADB analysis serves as a timely reminder of the region’s exposure to distant geopolitical events.

The 2026 report, based on interviews with roughly 100,000 people across 140+ countries, reinforces that happiness is not solely about wealth. Social support and trust in institutions often outweigh raw GDP in explaining national differences. Costa Rica’s surge into the top four proves that strong community ties and life satisfaction can propel mid-income nations upward.