Afghanistan
Frankly Speaking: Two years on, what lies ahead for Afghanistan under the Taliban? – Arab News
A senior Taliban leader has admitted that his country is facing dire economic straits because of back-breaking sanctions and lack of recognition by the global community. Speaking to Katie Jensen in the latest episode of the Arab News “Frankly Speaking” show, Suhail Shaheen said the Taliban had inherited a weak economy and an extremely impoverished Afghanistan when it seized power in Kabul in August 2021. Click here to read...
Taliban calls on international community to remove sanctions – Devdiscourse
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, the Afghan assets in foreign reserves were frozen. The UN Security Council in August 2022, failed to reach an agreement on whether to extend travel exemptions for 13 Taliban officials. Click here to read...
Taliban-led Afghanistan begins extracting oil – Azer News
Afghanistan's Taliban-led government started extracting oil from wells in the north of the country. "Priority will be given to the employment of technical and non-technical staff and the reconstruction of the mine using the revenues of Sar-e-Pul," acting Mines and Petroleum Minister Sheikh Shahabuddin Delawar, Azernews reports. Click here to read...
Bangladesh
Bangladesh Government Portal Leaked 50M Citizens' Records - Bank Info Security
A security researcher discovered a Bangladesh government web portal that exposed the personal information of about 50 million citizens, including their birth registration records, phone numbers and national identity numbers. Unfortunately, his efforts to notify the government of the security flaw went unanswered. Click here to read...
Bangladesh: Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Awami League to hold opposing rallies in Dhaka at 15:00 July 12 - Crisis 24
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) plans to rally outside its party office along VIP Road in Dhaka at 15:00 July 12 to demand the resignation of the ruling Awami League (AL) administration to facilitate polls under a caretaker government. AL has also planned a counter-rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at the same time. Several thousand people will likely attend each rally. Click here to read...
Bhutan
Cyber experts warn of more cyber-attacks with generative AI – Kuensel
With generative AI technology evolving, top cyber security experts warn of the increasing danger of cyber-attacks that could compromise countries and organisations. There is increasing evidence reported on AI-generated phishing emails, malware, and deep fake campaigns. Click here to read...
Business owners accuse BCCI representatives of fraudulent collection – Kuensel
Restaurant owners in Panbang have raised allegations against the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) representatives, accusing them of engaging in fraudulent practices during the collection of fees. Specifically, they claim that BCCI’s representative, Sangay Penjor, collected additional fees totalling Nu 2,400 alongside the issuance or renewal fees for restaurant licences. Click here to read...
Maldives
Key to resolving challenges faced by the Maldives lies within the Democrats' policies: Nasheed - Avas
Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has said that the key to resolving all the challenges faced by the Maldives lies within the policies of the emerging party, "The Democrats". Nasheed made the statement at the official opening of the Democrats' primary activity hall, the House of Democrats. Situated on Boduthakurufaanu Magu, just in front of the Artificial Beach, this location was previously the main party center of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Click here to read...
Myanmar
Myanmar’s Media Fight for Survival of Independent Journalism - VOA
The junta has revoked licenses for more than a dozen media outlets since February 2021, including Mizzima’s, and arrested more than 170 journalists. Adding to the dangerous environment, media are covering the military’s fight with an armed resistance movement. Click here to read...
ASEAN Meetings Open Under Shadow of Myanmar, Maritime Tensions - The Diplomat
Southeast Asia’s top diplomats will gather in Indonesia today to kick off a clutch of important Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings, at which they will juggle an agenda crowded with regional and international concerns. The 56th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting begins today in Jakarta and will be succeeded by a string of post-conference meetings and summits, which will culminate in the convening of the ASEAN Regional Forum on July 14. Click here to read...
Nepal
Nepal implements new citizenship law, but long road ahead to end discrimination, statelessness – Scroll
Growing up in Nepal, Neha Gurung hoped to become a doctor, but her dreams were shattered when she was barred from medical school because the country she called home did not recognise her as a national. Gurung was raised by a single mother, but Nepal does not let women automatically pass citizenship to their children. With her father untraceable, she was left stateless – a fate she likened to “being a prisoner in my own country”. Click here to read...
Nepal needs to further strengthen relations with India, China: FM Saud – The Print
Nepal’s Foreign Minister N P Saud on Monday underlined the need for further strengthening the Himalayan nation’s ties with India and China as he asserted that the relations with one neighbour should not be compared with another. Click here to read...
New Supreme Court order puts Nepal one step closer to marriage equality – The Hindu
After being in a relationship for eight years, Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey got married four years ago. Their marriage was just like any other in Nepal, in line with regular social traditions. But their union failed to get legal recognition because as a gay couple, they could not register their marriage. Though it recognises LGBTQI rights as fundamental rights, the Nepal state is yet to formulate laws for the registration of same-sex marriages. Click here to read...
Pakistan
Pakistan Court Acquits PM Shehbaz's Son Suleman In Rs 16bn Money Laundering Case – Republic World
A special court in Pakistan on Monday acquitted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's son Suleman Shahbaz and all other accused named in the Rs 16 billion money laundering case filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Click here to read...
https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/pakistan-news/pakistan-court-acquits-pm-shehbazs-son-suleman-in-rs-16bn-money-laundering-case-articleshow.html
Imran Khan Summoned By Pakistan Court In 5 Terror Cases Tomorrow: Report – NDTV
An Anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Pakistan on Friday summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on July 11 in relation to various terror cases registered against him, ARY News reported. The PTI chief has been summoned to join the investigation in five cases registered against him and other PTI leaders in Islamabad. Click here to read...
Fitch upgrades Pakistan's sovereign rating to CCC after IMF deal – Devdiscourse
The rating agency said it would expect Pakistan to see a modest recovery for the rest of the FY24 on "new external financing flows", although the fresh financing will also lead to a widening of the current account deficit. With sky-high inflation and foreign exchange reserves barely enough for a month of controlled imports, analysts say Pakistan's economic crisis could have spiralled into a debt default in the absence of the IMF bailout. Click here to read...
Have Taliban and Pakistan struck a deal to end their feud over the Durand Line? - India Narrative
For the first time, Pakistan has publicly acknowledged that the Taliban government is shifting Pakistani Taliban (TTP) militants from the Pakistan border to northern Afghanistan in a bid to address Pakistan and China’s concerns over cross-border terrorism. The statement was made by Asif Ali Khan Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, in an interview to the Voice of America. Click here to read...
Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe to visit India on July 21 - The Hindu
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on July 9. This will be Mr. Wickremesinghe’s first visit to India since being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July. Mr. Wickremesinghe was appointed President for the balance term of Rajapaksa till September 2024. Click here to read...
Foreign Secy arrives in Colombo ahead of Sri Lankan Prez's India visit - Business Standard
Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra has arrived here on a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka to take stock of several Indian projects and make arrangements for Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's upcoming trip to India. Kwatra landed at Bandaranaike International Airport here on Monday night. Officials said Kwatra would assess several Indian projects in multiple sectors which are in the pipeline and prepare the ground for Wickremesinghe's visit to India. Click here to read...
