Mohini Barman

As of August 22 2025, the Trump administration has launched a sweeping review of over 55 million U.S. visa holders, scrutinizing online behavior for “anti-American sentiment,” potentially leading to revocations or deportations. The Pentagon will deploy civilian personnel to assist with enforcement operations. This move highlights shifting visa policy tone—prompting experts in South Asia (Nepal, Bangladesh, India) to attentively assess its implications for their expatriate communities and diaspora-linked mobility.

In response to increasing coastal salinity and land inundation, Bangladesh is piloting floating agricultural gardens in areas near Khulna. Constructed on buoyant platforms using bamboo and recycled plastic, these gardens allow crops like vegetables and herbs to flourish even during seasonal flooding. Initial trials demonstrate improved yields and water resilience. This innovation is attracting interest from coastal Indian districts and Nepal’s marshlands, where land use is challenged by climate change. Development agencies suggest this could scale into regional climate-adaptive agriculture.

San Francisco has unveiled Sunset Dunes, a 50-acre urban linear park on the former Great Highway, stretching between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard—making it California’s largest pedestrianization project to date. Opened in April 2025, the park offers a scenic two-mile promenade along Ocean Beach, complete with walking paths, dune landscaping, and recreational areas. Built amid pandemic-era street closures, Sunset Dunes reflects a growing trend of converting formerly vehicle-centric zones into vibrant communal spaces. Urban planners in Dhaka, Kathmandu, and Delhi are studying this project as a model for reclaiming underused spaces and boosting public well-being.

The U.S. Department of Transportation, through ARPA-I, has announced a new $1 million “Ideas Challenge” to encourage breakthrough innovations in public infrastructure. Open to individuals, startups, and academic teams, the competition seeks concepts that improve commuting safety, efficiency, and affordability—from smart road management to predictive maintenance systems. Ten finalists will present proposals in early 2026, vying for significant funding and development support. South Asian urban planners—especially from India, Bangladesh, and Nepal—are watching closely, considering similar innovation contests to solve transit challenges in growing metropolitan hubs.

In Pará state, Brazil, officials are testing "passive restoration" of the Amazon—letting a vast, previously deforested area regenerate naturally, with minimal human intervention. The initiative asks if forests can heal themselves. Despite promising early signs, experts caution that 60% of regenerated land may be deforested again, highlighting the fragility of natural regeneration alone.

New York State has introduced the SUNY Reconnect initiative—offering free community college education for adults aged 25–55 without prior degrees. The program, launching in Fall 2025, covers tuition, fees, books, and supplies in high-demand fields across the SUNY system. With information sessions starting this summer, the goal is to remove financial and logistical barriers for adult learners seeking upward mobility. This initiative is inspiring education advocates across South Asia—particularly in Delhi, Dhaka, and Kathmandu—where similar models could significantly increase skills training and workforce inclusion among older students.

Scotland’s Human Tissue (Authorisation) Act 2019 has come into force, making every resident an organ donor by default unless they opt out. This aligns Scotland with many European nations using presumed consent to increase organ availability. The model offers a reference point for Bangladesh, Nepal, and India, where organ donation rates remain low. A culturally tailored opt-out system, with adequate safeguards and public awareness, could enhance lives saved across the region.

Saudi Arabia's Sudair Solar PV Project in Sudair Industrial City has gone fully operational. At 1.5 GW capacity, it stands among the world’s largest solar farms. Equipped with bi-facial panels and tracking tech, it's expected to power approximately 185,000 homes while offsetting 2.9 million tons of CO₂ annually. The project's $924 million investment aligns with Saudi Vision 2030’s drive to derive 70% of energy from renewables by 2030. The model has implications for Nepal and Bangladesh, where solarization of remote or rural areas could harness abundant sunlight to support decentralized electrification.