Afghanistan
Kazakh Deputy PM Leads High-Level Delegation to Kabul for Trade Talks- Tolo News
A high-ranking Kazakh delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Serik Jumanğarin, arrived in Kabul on Monday, 21 April. During meetings with officials of the Islamic Emirate, the delegation discussed investment opportunities, the expansion of economic, trade, transit, and railway cooperation between Kabul and Astana. Click here to read…
Muttaqi to Visit Qatar for High-Level Talks on Bilateral Engagement- Tolo News
Amir Khan Muttaqi, acting foreign minister of Afghanistan, is scheduled to visit Qatar within the next two weeks, leading a high-level delegation. Suhail Shaheen, the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador in Doha, said that during the visit, Muttaqi will hold discussions with Qatari officials on ways to expand bilateral engagement between the two countries. Click here to read…
Dozens of Afghan Refugees Forcibly Deported from Tajikistan, Sources Say-The Khaama Press
Tajik security forces have reportedly carried out a fresh wave of forced deportations of Afghan refugees from the western city of Vahdat, expelling at least 47 individuals to Afghanistan via the Sherkhan border, sources on the ground toldKhaama Press on Monday. The deported individuals, according to a local Afghan refugee who spoke on the condition of anonymity, were mostly taxi drivers and small business operators residing in Vahdat. All were registered refugees holding documentation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Click here to read…
Syrian Fighters in Afghanistan raise regional security concerns-The Khaama Press
Militant fighters from Syria have reportedly settled in Afghanistan, raising security concerns for neighbouring Central Asian countries and India. Reports indicate that Syrian Islamist militants have established a presence in Afghanistan, raising security concerns for Central Asian countries, India, and the Taliban. According to the Economic Times, these militants have been reported in the provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, and Herat. Their presence has the potential to heavily impact the security of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India. Click here to read…
Bhutan
Thailand leads Bhutan’s agro-export markets beyond India and Bangladesh – Kuensel
Thailand emerged as Bhutan’s one of the top agricultural export destinations, importing goods worth Nu 83.21 million last year. This accounted for 42.82 percent of Bhutan’s total agricultural exports to countries beyond its two traditional markets and included a mix of nine primary and nine agro-processed products, with cordyceps being the main export. According to the Bhutan Trade Statistics (BTS) 2024, compiled by the Market Information and Research Division under the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Cooperatives (DAMC), exports earned Bhutan Nu 3.51 billion last year. This figure includes both raw (primary) and value-added (processed) products. While India and Bangladesh remain Bhutan’s major agricultural trading partners, the country exported Nu 174.02 million worth of goods to 17 other countries, making up around five percent of the total export value. The countries that imported agricultural products from Bhutan included Australia, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. Other markets—China, Switzerland, Vietnam, the US, the UK, Taiwan, and Cambodia—imported only cordyceps. Click here to read…
Maldives
I'm advocating a preferential voting system, says President – Adhadhu
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said he advocates the abolition of the second round of the presidential election and the introduction of a preferential voting system in the Maldives. Muizzu sought the support of ruling party MPs in his bid to amend the constitution to abolish the second round of the presidential election and allow the president to be elected in one round of voting. During a meeting at Muleeaage, Muizzu told MPs that he wants to bring the change within this year. Muizzu also said he plans to hold a referendum to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections. Click here to read…
US military aircraft makes two-day stop in Maldives – Adhadhu
A US military plane has spent two days at the Velana International Airport (VIA) in the Maldives. The US military Beechcraft UC-12F Huron aircraft arrived in the Maldives on April 9 from Colombo. It left VIA on April 11 and travelled to the Mahé island in the Seychelles. Since then, the aircraft has made stops in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Bahrain, Cyprus and Italy. Many of these countries have US military bases or are US military allies. It is unclear why the Maldives should be on such a list. The small aircraft is usually used for passenger and cargo transportation and medical evacuations. It is also used to carry senior US military Marine Corps and Navy officials. However, neither the US Embassy in the Maldives nor the Maldives government has clarified the reason for its stop or the purpose of its two-day trip. Click here to read…
Myanmar
Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Defy ASEAN Ceasefire Call – Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s regime airstrikes have targeted resistance-held areas, killing many civilians shortly after Malaysia, ASEAN’s chair, called for a ceasefire. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged junta boss Min Aung Hlaing to respect his post-earthquake ceasefire in talks in Bangkok on April 17. A regime fighter jet from Meiktila airbase dropped a 300lb bomb on Lake Kya village in Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region, on April 18, killing 13 civilians and injuring three others, according to Pyin Oo Lwin District People’s Defense Force (PDF). The village was attacked again on April 19, killing 13 more civilians and injuring around 20 others, Thabeikkyin PDF stated. Click here to read…
About 200 people flee Myanmar to Thailand, Thai officials say – Myanmar Now
Around 200 ethnic Karen people fled fighting in Myanmar and crossed the border into Thailand, Thai border officials said on April 19. Fighting has been raging in Myanmar's eastern Karen state, which borders Thailand, with local ethnic militias battling the military junta that seized power in a 2021 coup. Four years of conflict across Myanmar have spurred mass displacement, driving tens of thousands across the border into neighbouring Thailand. Click here to read…
Asian scam centre crime gangs expanding worldwide: UN – Myanmar Now
Asian crime networks behind the multi-billion-dollar cyberscam industry are expanding their operations globally, the UN warned in a report released on Monday, adding that the official clampdown in Southeast Asia is failing to contain them. The UN said Chinese and Southeast Asian gangs were targeting victims through investment, cryptocurrency, romance and other scams. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), cyberscams are now a sophisticated global industry, featuring sprawling compounds housing tens of thousands of mostly trafficked workers who are forced to con other people online. Click here to read…
Pakistan
Dar in Kabul-Dawn
The recent visit to Kabul by Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is a sign that Pak-Afghan relations may be moving in a more positive direction. Mr Dar’s interactions with the Afghan Taliban leadership were quite cordial, with promises from both sides to improve ties and address the irritants standing in the way of better relations. Ishaq Dar met the acting Afghan PM and the foreign minister, among other top officials. The Kabul authorities assured Pakistan that Afghan soil would not be used against this country, while Mr Dar expressed similar sentiments. Click here to read…
Pakistan receives $12.5bn in foreign loans- Dawn
Pakistan authorities have materialised only $12.5 billion in foreign loans in the first nine months of 2024-25 against an annual $19.2bn target by June 30. While half of this portfolio was legacy rollovers from China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — fresh loans and grant inflows amounted to $5.51bn in nine months, almost 20pc lower than the comparable period of last fiscal year. Click here to read…
Pakistan, UAE sign multiple agreements to boost bilateral ties-The Express Tribune
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday signed a series of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) aimed at enhancing bilateral cooperation in key sectors including culture, trade, and consular affairs. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed two MoUs: one to promote cooperation between the UAE Ministry of Culture and Pakistan’s Culture Division, and another for the establishment of a joint committee on consular affairs. Click here to read…
Mahrang detained for 30 more days- The Express Tribune
The Balochistan government extended the detention of the Baloch Yekjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch for 30 more days, after charging her with "terrorism", "sedition" and "murder", her lawyer, Imran Baloch, said. Baloch, 32, was taken into custody on March 22, after she took part took part in a sit-in protest in the provincial capital Quetta. She was detained for 30 days but "the government has issued another notification ordering to detain her for 30 days more", the lawyer said. Click here to read…
Pakistan, Rwanda agree to deepen defence, trade ties-The Express Tribune
Pakistan and Rwanda on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, including trade, defence, technology, and diplomacy. The pledge followed a delegation-level meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar, and Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Jean Patrick Nduhungirehe. The Rwandan foreign minister was on his first official visit to Pakistan from April 21 to 22. Click here to read…
