Afghanistan
Dozens of Healthcare Centers Shut Down in Ghazni, Bamyan After US Aid Cut-Tolo News
Local officials in Ghazni and Bamyan provinces have reported that dozens of healthcare centers in these provinces have ceased operations following delays in U.S. humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. According to local officials, 15 clinics, 3 small healthcare centers, 17 mobile medical teams, and 2 emergency health service centers in Ghazni and two other healthcare centers in Bamyan have shut down. Most of these facilities operated in remote areas. Click here to read...
Pakistan’s Exports to Afghanistan Surge by 92% in Ten Months-Tolo News
The State Bank of Pakistan has announced that in the first six months of the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the country’s exports to Afghanistan have increased by 92% compared to the previous year. Some Pakistani media outlets have reported that the total value of Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan has surpassed $504 million from July to December of the current fiscal year. Click here to read...
ISIS claims responsibility for attack in Kunduz, Afghanistan-The Khaama Press
On Tuesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a gathering in front of Kabul Bank in Kunduz. A news agency affiliated with ISIS, Amaq, reported that “hundreds of people, including Taliban security commanders,” were killed in the attack. Click here to read...
Bangladesh
UN finds Hasina complicit in human rights violation – Daily Star
Ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her top brass grossly violated human rights to subdue the July uprising, reports Prothom Alo citing a UN fact finding mission. A student-led protest against government job reservations in early July 2024 spread across the country through the month and eventually toppled the government, ending 15 years of absolute rule by Awami League. Click here to read...
BNP launches nationwide rallies for election roadmap – Daily Star
BNP today launched a series of rallies across six districts, marking the beginning of an eight-day programme to press for its four-point demands, including announcement of a swift electoral roadmap.The party had earlier announced its plan to hold rallies in all 64 districts from February 12 to 25. Click here to read...
Bangladesh eyes December elections, roadmap still unclear – Dhaka Tribune
The Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that the interim government is targeting a December 2025 timeline for the next general elections. However, key stakeholders and political parties continue to press for a clear electoral roadmap. Click here to read...
Chief Adviser seeks continued US support for key projects, reforms – Prothom Alo
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday sought continued US support for key projects and reforms as US Charge d'affaires to Bangladesh Tracey Ann Jacobson met him in the city. Click here to read...
86pc people seek national elections under non-party govt – Prothom Alo
As many as 86 per cent of people in the country think parliamentary elections should be held under a non-party government while a very few of them support a proportional electoral system. Most of the people want reserved seats from women in parliament with a direct voting system. This was found in a survey, the National Public Opinion Survey on Constitutional Reform-2024, conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on behalf of the Constitutional Reform Commission. Click here to read...
Bhutan
Civil service must match private sector efficiency: PM - Kuensel Online
Reiterating His Majesty’s call for reform in the civil service, emphasising the urgency to instill a culture of entrepreneurship in governance, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay at the the recent meet-the-press session said that bureaucracy must adopt a more entrepreneurial work culture to deliver quality results on time. “This call for reform in the civil service was reiterated on the 117th National Day, last year, where His Majesty highlighted the need for an enlightened entrepreneurial bureaucracy,” he added. Click here to read...
Maldives
Maldives to reach FTA with India soon, says Minister- The Hindu
The Maldives will soon finalise a trade pact with India, a senior Maldivian Minister has said, barely two weeks after New Delhi appeared to caution the island nation over possible “revenue loss” from similar deals inked with other countries, including China. Click here to read...
Maldives an important pillar of our 'Neighbourhood First' policy: Speaker Om Birla-Deccan Herald
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday reaffirmed India's deep-rooted ties with the Maldives, describing the island nation as not just a friendly neighbour but also a key pillar of India's "Neighbourhood First" policy. Click here to read...
Myanmar
Fear of losing kin, cultural ties fuel local opposition to fencing Myanmar border – The Hindustan Times
A year after the Centre's announcement to fence the international border with Myanmar and end the free movement regime (FMR), opposition from the local population, particularly those in the border areas, continues to grow. The proposed security fence along the Indo-Myanmar border looms as a threat to divide age-old ties between communities, which share cultural, ethnic and historical ties across the two neighbouring countries. Click here to read...
Rs 173.73-crore meth tablets seized along India-Myanmar border in Mizoram – The Tribune
Methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 173.73 crore have been seized along the India-Myanmar border in Mizoram's Champhai district, an Assam Rifles statement said on Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, Assam Rifles and Mizoram Police jointly made the seizure at a border crossing point in Zokhawthar on February 9, it said. Click here to read...
Pakistan
Pakistan’s ranking on corruption perception index slides 2 spots: Transparency International-Dawn
Pakistan’s ranking on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2024 has dropped by 2 spots from 133 in 2023 to 135 in 2024 out of 180 countries, according to a report released by Transparency International on Tuesday. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Click here to read...
Shehbaz pushes green agenda at Dubai WGS-The Express Tribune
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called on governments worldwide to enhance climate financing, technology sharing, and multilateral support for emerging economies like Pakistan to achieve sustainable economic growth. Speaking at the World Governments Summit (WGS), he emphasized that transitioning to a green economy was a shared global responsibility. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to mobilizing domestic resources and implementing policy reforms to support this shift. Click here to read...
IMF scrutiny-Dawn
THE technical IMF mission, which is taking stock of Pakistan’s economic governance structure and its vulnerability to corruption, is expected to widen the focus of the reform effort to a broader range of institutional restructuring for inclusive and sustained growth. The mission will be in the capital for a week to scrutinise the “severity of corruption vulnerabilities” across six core state functions: fiscal governance, central bank governance and operations, financial sector oversight, market regulation, rule of law, and the AML/CFT regime. Click here to read...
Sri Lanka
UAE diaspora meets President – Daily Mirror
A cordial gathering organized by the 'Ethere Api Organization' was held in honour of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake last night (11) at the Pullman City Centre, United Arab Emirates. Click here to read...
Ferry service between India, Sri Lanka may restart in February – Daily Mirror
Climate change-induced gale-force winds, erratic monsoons, and a turbulent sea are now hindering the smooth operation of the India-Sri Lanka ferry service, which was resumed 17 months ago. Since its formal launch on October 14, 2023, adverse weather has halted its operations at least four times, with long durations of keeping the vessel ashore. The fifth relaunch scheduled for tomorrow (February 13) has also been postponed at the last minute, citing the continuing roughness of the sea. Click here to read...
SL, UAE to ink investment promotion agreement – Daily Mirror
Sri Lanka is set to sign a mutual investment promotion and security agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aimed at creating a robust framework for foreign direct investment. Click here to read...
