Afghanistan
180 Men Arrested in Kunduz in Past 3 Months: Tolo News
Security officials in Kunduz province said that during the past three months they have arrested 180 men on different criminal charges in the city and various districts of the province. According to the Kunduz Police Command, these men have been arrested due to various crimes such as armed robbery, drug trafficking, and murder. Click here to read...
Kabul, Islamabad Discuss Bilateral Trade: Tolo News
The acting Minister of Commerce and Industry, Nooruddin Azizi, said that Kabul is in talks with the Pakistani delegation that arrived in Kabul on Monday evening to sign an agreement to facilitate trade, transit and barter trade between Afghanistan and Pakistan. "The barter trade, which is a serious issue for Afghan traders, cross-staffing, the trade of materials, and coal will be discussed," he said. Click here to read...
Facebook Bans Taliban-controlled Media Pages, Bakhtar News Agency & Afghanistan National Television: The Khaama Press
Facebook had suspended the Pashto and Dari pages of this media organization, according to Ahmadullah Wasiq, head of Afghanistan National Television. When the Taliban took Kabul on August 15, 2021, they seized control of Afghanistan National Television’s media center. As a result, they conducted extensive media activities. However, the pages of this media center and Bakhtar News Agency are currently inaccessible. Click here to read...
Forecasted Heavy Rainfall and Flash Floods in 19 Provinces of Afghanistan Prompts Warning from National Meteorological Department: The Khaama Press
Meteorologists at the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Meteorological Department (AMD) have issued a warning due to the possibility of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, wind gusts, and flash floods in 19 provinces across Afghanistan. Click here to read...
Bangladesh
Narail communal attack: How it all went down- Dhaka Tribune
As many as 17 victims lost their valuables worth hundreds of thousands of taka due to the barbaric attack on Friday. Click here to read...
BD sets export target of $67 billion for FY23- Asian Age
This target, announced by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Wednesday, shows an over 10% growth estate, despite the volatility in the global economy owing to the Russia-Ukraine war, UNB reports. Click here to read...
Bhutan
No vaccination for children under five for now- Kuensel
Children between the ages of six months and four years will not be given Covid-19 vaccines for now. The National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) recommended this during the meeting held on July 22. Click here to read...
Coming to consensus: MMIV- Kuensel
The government’s discussion with the banks and the private sector on the monetary measures Phase IV is yet to arrive at a consensus. Click here to read...
Chinese villages in Bhutan's Doklam now fully occupied- Deccan Chronical
In a worrying sign for India, new satellite images show that a village constructed by China in Bhutanese territory near Doklam is now fully occupied with “cars parked at the doorstep of virtually every home”, as part of its salami slicing tactics. Click here to read...
At least four people come in conflict with law everyday in core Thimphu- BBS
The Central Thimphu Police Station alone arrest at least four people in a day for various crimes and offences. As per the RBP’s statistical report for 2020, the highest number of arrests made in the year was for battery cases. Today, the police have brought down crime in the city, including battery cases, through intense patrolling. Click here to read...
Maldives
India and Maldives to sign MoU on judicial cooperation - The Hindu
The MoU will provide a platform to tap benefits of Information Technology for court digitization, and can be a potential growth area for the IT companies and start-ups in both the countries, a statement from the Law Ministry said. Click here to read...
FM Shahid hopeful that Maldives-Colombia close bonds will continue to solidify - Raajje
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has expressed hope that the close bonds of friendship and cooperation that exist between Maldives and Colombia, will continue to solidify in the future. Click here to read...
Pres. ratifies International Trade Controls on Endangered Species Act - Raajje
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the bill (No. 13/2022) on Wednesday, following which it has been publicized in the government gazette. The bill will come into effect three months from the date of ratification. The People’s Majlis passed the bill at the 22nd sitting of the second session of 2022, on June 30. Click here to read...
Myanmar
Coup, Covid, climate: the triple threat chasing citizens from Myanmar’s rice bowl - The Guardian
Climate changes in the baking heartlands, Covid-19 and the military’s violent attacks on villages since its coup in 2021 have prompted an exodus of young people from the region. Click here to read...
Regime's Foreign Currency Restrictions Push Myanmar Towards Bankruptcy - The Irrawaddy
The new restrictions on US dollars introduced last week by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) have come as a crippling blow to businesses already struggling in an economic recession resulting from post-coup political turmoil and the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read...
ASEAN special envoy plans third trip to Myanmar; hopes to use Aung San Suu Kyi’s influence to end violence - Channel News Asia
The Southeast Asian bloc's special envoy for the crisis in Myanmar said on Wednesday (Jul 20) that he is planning a third official trip to the crisis-hit country and that if he meets Aung San Suu Kyi, wants to use her influence to end the violence there. Click here to read...
Military-Ruled Myanmar Facing Second Year of Negative Growth - The Diplomat
Myanmar is due for a second successive year of economic contraction, as global financial turbulence converges with the political and economic turmoil triggered by the February 2021 coup d’état, according to a prominent risk assessment agency. Click here to read...
Nepal
Aimless Nepali tourism awaits post-pandemic recovery- Kathmandu Post
Government fails to promote country after it reopened to foreign tourists following virus closures, travel traders say. Click here to read...
Bhim Rawal holds House to ransom- The Himalayan
On June 20, the government had decided to withdraw from the SPP after communist parties created a ruckus over the programme. Click here to read...
HoR endorses NEC (First Amendment) Bill- Himalayan
A meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR) today unanimously endorsed the Nepal Engineering Council (First Amendment) Bill, 2019. Click here to read...
Nepalis on foreign trips allowed to swap $200 thru money changers- Himalayan
Nepali citizens travelling abroad can now exchange a maximum of $200 from the country's licensed money changers. Click here to read...
Victims object to proposed changes in laws that aim to absolve perpetrators- Kathmandu Post
There’s demand for withdrawal of the bill registered in parliament secretariat to amend the transitional justice Act so as to make it in line with the 2015 Supreme Court order. Click here to read...
Pakistan
Miftah sees economy stabilising with inflows ‘on cards’: Dawn
Blaming political factors for the latest downturn in currency and share markets, Pakistan’s economic managers tried on Wednesday to reassure that macroeconomic fundamentals were stabilising and $8.5-10 billion inflows have been lined up from friendly countries against a financing gap of $4bn estimated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Click here to read...
IMF not adding new conditions to pact: Ahsan Iqbal: Dawn
Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not added new conditions to the staff-level agreement it concluded with Pakistan last week. Click here to read...
Rupee slides to record low of Rs226 against USD: The Express Tribune
The rupee's downward spiral continued on Wednesday for the third consecutive day as it plunged by Rs4 against the greenback and was being traded at Rs226.51 in the inter-bank market. Click here to read...
PML-N in no mood to give PTI walkover in CM vote: The Express Tribune
The PTI has slogged it out in the heat and dust of legal cases to win back the country’s political capital after being ousted from Islamabad and now, the long-anticipated nail-biting test match in Punjab is finally set to play out on Friday. Click here to read...
Horse-trading charges fly in Punjab: The News
Barbs and allegations kept flying on Wednesday between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) leaders about horse-trading, with demands from the former to send Asif Zardari, Rana Sanaullah and Atta Tarar to jail for indulging in illegal and unconstitutional act of buying loyalties of the Punjab MPAs. Click here to read...
Bound to increase electricity prices: Miftah: The News
Ruling out the possibility of breaching the IMF agreement, Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail on Wednesday shared an ambitious plan to generate $11 billion, including sale of two RLNG-based power plants to a friendly country. Click here to read...
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka made 'dumb bets' on China: CIA chief on crises-hit country: Hindustan Times
The chief of the US spy agency on Wednesday blamed “dumb bets” on high-debt Chinese investment as a factor in Sri Lanka's economic collapse that triggered a political crisis in the island nation. Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, CIA chief Bill Burns said the mistake should serve as a warning to other nations. Click here to read...
Sri Lanka's economic collapse needs immediate global attention: UN experts: National Herlad
Sri Lanka's economic collapse needs immediate global attention, not just from humanitarian agencies, but also from international financial institutions and other countries who must come to the bankrupt country's aid, according to UN human rights experts. Click here to read...
Ray of hope for Sri Lanka as India likely to begin trading with crisis-hit island nation in rupee: The News Indian Express
India sees a ray of hope in Sri Lanka with the election of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the President of the island nation caught in economic bankruptcy and subsequent social unrest. Click here to read...
