Air pollution causes an estimated 2 million premature deaths annually in the region.

After Southeast Asia, China's "surplus men" are seeking wives in South Asia, which is also resulting in cases of "bride trafficking." Two cases in Nepal underscore the need for urgent actions from both countries. I've barely scratched the surface here. www.scmp.com/week-asia/pe...

Happy to see Lonely Planet's new Guidebook, which also mentions our conservation work for pangolins & other threatened species in Nepal. Thanks, @bibekbhandari.bsky.social, for covering wildlife conservation in this book - shop.lonelyplanet.com/products/nepal #nepalpangolin @greenhood.bsky.social

Nepal’s police has shot and killed at least 19 protestors, mostly college kids, protesting over corruption, censorship and government apathy. Some voices from the ground. www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

I profile Nepal’s ultra-marathon star Sunmaya Budha who has taken the running world by storm. Her indomitable running spirit and journey to the top is inspiring. www.scmp.com/postmag/cult...

A small women-led pad factory in southern Nepal is advocating for plastic and chemical-free menstrual pads that harm women’s bodies and the environment. Researches show that it takes up 500-800 years for pads to decompose. My latest www.scmp.com/week-asia/li...

China is massive to experience it all in a single trip, but certain places are a must during that first visit. Here are some of the major attractions, mostly drawn from my seven years in China. Also, this is my digital debut for Lonely Planet. www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/top...

Today marks 10 years since the 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. Took these photos while reporting that day — the pics might be a bit blurry but the memory isn't. It's frightening to think how unprepared we still are for the next big one.

UN experts find that Bhutan’s arbitrary detention of ethnic Nepali-speaking Bhutanese political prisoners serving lengthy sentences, including life imprisonment, is illegal under international law. My latest: www.scmp.com/week-asia/li...

Grateful to all the doctors who spoke to me for this story and commend the interns for exposing the toxic academic and work culture in the psychiatry department of one of Nepal’s leading university hospitals in Dhulikhel. www.scmp.com/week-asia/he...

Bipin Joshi was among the foreigners and Israelis kidnapped by Hamas amid the Palestinian militant group’s attack on October 7, 2023. His family in Nepali is waiting for his return. I spoke to his father and cousin for this story. www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

Seit knapp drei Jahren führt #Putin einen #Krieg gegen die #Ukraine. Dafür rekrutiert #Russland mit falschen Versprechungen auch Männer aus dem Ausland, etwa aus Nepal, wie @bibekbhandari.bsky.social schildert. Bis heute warten sie auf Lohn oder Entschädigung. www.welt-sichten.org/artikel/4353...

Planning to visit Nepal? I’ve got a guide for its capital Kathmandu on Cathay Pacific’s in-flight magazine this month. www.cathaypacific.com/cx/en_NP/ins...

When in Delhi

A new report documents the inhumane and dire situation of Rohingya refugees arbitrarily and indefinitely held in India’s detention camps. Kudos to The Azadi Project Refugees International for this important work. My latest www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

On point. On why a generation of journalists are moving on. “Instead of rewarding these things with fair pay, job security and moral support, journalism as an industry exploits their love of the craft.” www.niemanlab.org/2024/12/a-ge...

Public service in Nepal is usually associated with corruption. But Kalpana Adhikari, a senior divisional engineer at the Dept. of Roads, is aiming to change that narrative. My latest for German magazine Welt-Sichten’s issue focusing on corruption-related issues.

Every five years, a temple in southern Nepal becomes the site for what is considered the world’s largest ritual animal sacrifice. I write about the tradition and the debates around the ongoing Gadhimai festival. www.scmp.com/week-asia/li...

Wolf Warriorism is dead, to the point the Chinese state are now actively trying to undo the damage. Here's some thoughts on the CPC's recent "assertive" period. How it happened, why, and why it failed. --Warning. May thump onto your screen-- Go make a cup of tea~ 🍵

Bhutan’s “Mindfulness City” is an ambitious project to boost the kingdom’s economy. But it’ll be built on the land of the evicted ethnic Nepalis. I spoke to some expelled residents, some settled abroad and others waiting to return and contribute. www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

A poignant piece of writing, one of the best I’ve read lately. www.esquire.com/news-politic...

China isn’t typically associated with classism, but on some levels, it embodies it even more unapologetically than societies elsewhere actively confronting it. www.chineseconsumers.news/p/china-migr...

“You could almost smell the oil in the cologne of over 1,773 fossil fuel lobbyists, who received more passes to COP29 than all the delegates from the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations combined. What was missing was the whiff of money.” www.deccanherald.com/opinion/cop2...

The Covid lockdowns led to so many deaths that could have been prevented in cities across China. The coverage for Urumqi fire was censored, but it ultimately led to rare protests that would later dismantle the zero-Covid policy. Remembering is important.

In all that chaos that is Kathmandu, a moment of calmness.

I like books, so I’m dedicating my first post to the best novel I’ve read this year, which I’ve just finished. “Brotherless Night” is a fantastic novel set in the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s civil war. Tenderly told, achingly beautiful. Highly recommend it.