South Asia bears cost of Middle East wars: 2bn face living-cost surge

Al Jazeera reports that a quarter of the world's population, concentrated in South Asia, is experiencing a surging cost-of-living crisis driven by Middle East conflicts. The piece highlights the indirect economic fallout on non-combatant populations, emphasizing the widening geographic impact of regional instability. The claim is based on a single media report, with no specific data or corroborating sources cited.