Afghanistan
Torkham Crossing Blocked for 3rd Day, Drivers Call for Its Reopening- Tolo News
Following the blockage of Torkham crossing for three consecutive days, truck drivers called on the Islamic Emirate and Pakistani to sit for negotiations and facilitate the immediate reopening of the gate. Officials within the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) said that Pakistan closed the gate as the Afghan drivers lacked visas. Click here to read...
Private Radio ‘Aynak’ begins broadcasting in Logar province- The Khama Press
In Pul-e-Alam, Logar province, a new private radio station called Aynak Radio has started broadcasting officially after a two-month trial period. The inauguration of Aynak Radio was attended by Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban where he emphasized the importance of new media outlets and assured that the Taliban government is committed to fighting censorship and promoting information freedom. Click here to read...
Shakib: We Mediate, But Not Accommodate TTP in Afghanistan-Tolo News
The charge d'affaires of Afghanistan's embassy in Islamabad, Sardar Ahmad Shakib, in a special interview with TOLO news said that the Islamic Emirate’s mediation between Pakistan and the TTP does not mean it is accommodating the TTP in Afghanistan. Click here to read...
CARE announces local girls’ education classes in Afghanistan-The Khama Press
The CARE organization has announced the establishment of local classes for girls’ students throughout Afghanistan, enabling them to complete two grades in a single calendar year and advance to the next grade. Click here to read...
Bangladesh
‘India was and is now on our side’- The Daily Star
India stood by Bangladesh to ensure the continuation of democracy in the country when there were conspiracies to thwart the 12th national election, said Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud. Click here to read...
PM Hasina instructs AL activists to be united – Dhaka Tribune
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged party leaders to be united and not to get involved in any conflict centering on the 12th parliamentary election. Click here to read...
I want to see results of govt measures: PM -The Daily Star
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said she wants to see the fruit of the ministries' steps to lower the prices of essentials. Click here to read...
BNP had no backup plan for its anti-govt movement – The Daily Star
With the election now over and the new government formed, some grassroots BNP leaders think things would have been much different had the party high-ups had an alternative plan for their anti-government movement. Click here to read...
Bhutan
WB says economy to slow this fiscal year – Kuensel
Bhutan’s economic growth is forecast to slow down at 4 percent in the fiscal year 2023-24 following drop in the public investment and capital expenditure, said World Bank in its biannual ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report on Tuesday. However, the projection is 0.9 percentage points above the Bank’s projection at 3.1 percent in June last year’s update. Click here to read...
Expenditures below revised budget: FY 2022-23 – Kuensel
In the fiscal year 2022-23, both current and capital expenditures recorded figures below the revised budget, as reported by the finance ministry. The current expenditure, amounting to Nu 35.43 billion, was 1.59 percent lower than the revised budget of Nu 36 billion. Despite this, it marked a 2.85 percent increase from the previous year. Click here to read...
Maldives
Muizzu asks India to withdraw troops by March 15: Why are Indian soldiers in Maldives? – Indian Express
Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the public policy secretary at the Maldives President’s Office, stated that “Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives. This is the policy of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and that of this administration”. Maldives and India have set up a high-level core group to negotiate the withdrawal of troops. The group held its first meeting at the Foreign Ministry Headquarters in Male on Sunday morning. The meeting was also attended by Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar, Maldivian media reports said. Click here to read...
Politics is politics, can’t guarantee every country will support us, says Jaishankar– The Hindu
EAM Jaishankar shed a light on the India-Maldives tensions, while speaking at the Manthan: Townhall meeting in Nagpur, Maharashtra, on January 13. "Politics is politics. I cannot guarantee that in every country, every day, everybody will support us or agree with us," he said. Moreover, he said that in the last 10 years, India has been trying to build a very strong connection with the world. Click here to read...
Myanmar
The Myanmar military says it and ethnic guerrilla groups have agreed to an immediate cease-fire- - PTI News
Myanmar's military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country's northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Myanmar's militray government confirmed the development. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial capital about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border with Myanmar, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. Click here to read...
Myanmar rebel group claims control of town bordering India, Bangladesh: Report - Hindustan Times
The group, known as the Arakan Army (AA), on Sunday night said it had conquered Paletwa, a port town on the Kaladan River that is key to trade with neighbouring countries. "Regarding border stability issues, we will cooperate at our best with neighbouring countries," a spokesperson of the armed ethnic group Khine Thu Kha said in a statement as quoted by Reuters. Click here to read...
Myanmar Military Breaks China-Brokered Ceasefire, Resistance Groups Say - The Diplomat
A ceasefire between Myanmar’s military administration and an alliance of resistance groups has reportedly collapsed less than 24 hours after it was agreed during China-brokered talks. On Saturday, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), one of the members of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, claimed that the military junta had broken the ceasefire by launching artillery attacks in northern Shan State, The Irrawaddy reported. The TNLA said that 19 artillery strikes were reported in three northern Shan State townships and neighboring Mogoke Township in Mandalay Region on Friday. Click here to read...
Myanmar Military Bows to Powerful Ethnic Army, Gives it More Towns Near China Border - The Irrawaddy
The junta has bowed to the United Wa State Army’s demand for administrative control of Hopang and Panlong towns in northern Shan State, according to WSTV, an ethnic Wa television station. The transfer of the two towns to Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic army expands Wa Self-Administered Division east of the Salween River. Click here to read...
Nepal
India, Nepal Conclude Joint Meeting On Combating Unauthorised Trade - Business World
In a crucial joint meeting, India and Nepal have successfully concluded discussions on combating unauthorised trade and emphasised the need to reassess strategies for fostering investments and developing commercial infrastructure between the two nations. The Indian Embassy in Nepal released a statement highlighting the key outcomes of the meeting. The meeting, conducted under the purview of the India-Nepal Inter-Governmental Sub-committee (IGSC) on Trade, Transit, and Cooperation on Combating Unauthorised Trade, addressed various aspects of bilateral economic collaboration. Click here to read...
Nepal PM reiterates ‘One China Policy’ after recent Taiwan polls - The Print
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal stressed on adherence to the ‘One China Policy’ after the recent elections in Taiwan. Addressing an event organised by the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu on Sunday, the Prime Minister reiterated the ‘One China Policy’ while opposing the liberation of Taiwan. Click here to read...
Pakistan
PM Kakar to invite global funding under SIFC at Davos – Dawn
On the sidelines of the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) being held in Switzerland, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar will invite international community to invest in Pakistan under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) initiative. Click here to read...
Party of Pakistan’s Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif launches election campaign – The Print
The party of Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, considered the front-runner to win upcoming general elections, launched its campaign on Monday amid accusations that the military’s support is already giving him an edge over rivals. Click here to read...
The remittances crunch – Dawn
The inflow of remittances to Pakistan has yet to show a satisfactory trajectory since January 2022. The monthly inflow of remittances for the first three quarters of 2023 was lower than both the previous year and 2021. The count of remittances from January to November 2023 was $23.96 billion, reflecting a decrease of $3.83bn compared to the corresponding period in 2022 and $4.6bn compared to 2021. Click here to read...
Polls cannot be postponed ‘at this stage’: ECP – Business Recorder
The poll organisation has declined to act on a non-binding yet controversial resolution adopted by the Senate earlier this month seeking delay in the general elections, terming it “unadvisable” to postpone the polls at this stage. Click here to read...
Sri Lanka
Google, Yahoo, Amazon, X raises red flag on Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Bill– Daily Mirror Online
Asia Internet Coalition (“AIC”), a body comprising internet and technology companies in the world, and its members, expressed concern about the Online Safety Bill and called for extensive revisions and overhaul of it. Click here to read...
Justice Minister briefs Swiss Ambassador on LTTEers in custody– The Island Online
Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, has explained to the Swiss Ambassador in Colombo, Siri Walt, the measures taken by the government to prosecute LTTE cadres in custody. Click here to read...
SLPP not decided on Prez poll candidate yet – Daily News
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) has neither decided on a candidate or whether the party will put forward a candidate for the upcoming Presidential Election, the SLPP leader and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. Click here to read...
