Afghanistan
Afghan Coal Exports Increased by 16%: Tolo News
Afghanistan has exported over 1.8 million tons of coal abroad, according to the Ministry of Finance. Most of the coal was exported to Pakistan. Click here to read…
Afghan, Qatari FMs Meet in Doha, Discussing Economic & Political Issues: The Khaama Press
Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry announced that the Afghan delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Amri Khan Muttaqi met with Qatar’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdurrahman Al-Thani in Doha on Sunday. Click here to read…
Bangladesh
Strengthening partnership on green transition- The Daily Star
Bangladesh and Denmark yesterday agreed to strengthen partnership on climate and green transition, as Bangladesh aims to get 40 percent power from renewable energy by 2041.Click here to read…
Media workers bill: There’s room for revision- The Daily Star
Information Minister Hasan Mahmud yesterday said he will sit with journalist union leaders and owners of media houses because there is room for revising the Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022. Click here to read…
Lack of knowledge, poverty key barriers- The Daily Star
Poor household income and lack of knowledge are among the reasons hindering people’s choice to consume fortified food in parts of Rangpur and Nilphamari districts, according to a report of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b). Click here to read…
BB to give Lanka another year to repay $200m- The Daily Star
Bangladesh Bank is set to give Sri Lanka another year to repay the $200 million loan as it looks to lend a helping hand to the island nation, which is going through its worst debt and economic crises. Click here to read…
‘Barriers to freedom of expression bringing country to a standstill’- The Daily Star
Nineteen eminent citizens today (April 25, 2022) protested the detention of Syeda Ratna, a community leader trying to save the Tentultala playground and her 17-year-old son. Click here to read…
Bhutan
With encouraging health data Govt brings in more relaxations and softens quarantine for Bhutanese travelers- Daily Bhutan
The government announced additional relaxations based on the good health data so far. While for international travelers, the five days mandatory facility quarantine will continue to monitor emerging variants, in-bound Bhutanese travelers can home quarantine for fie days. Click here to read…
India’s External Affairs Minister to visit Bhutan on 29 April- Daily Bhutan
In what will be the first high level visit in more than two years since Bhutan closed its borders due to the pandemic, the Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar will be making an official visit on 29 April 2022. Click here to read…
MoEA minister talks trade and transport in his visit to West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya- Daily Bhutan
The Minister for Economic Affairs Loknath Sharma had a series of important meetings with the Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya, apart form other ministers and senior officials on issues related to Bhutan’s exports. Click here to read…
De-suups undertake the largest water project in Gelephu- Kuensel
The De-suung National Service’s water project in Gelephu, launched on April 22, would not only provide water to the people, but also offer a unique opportunity to desuups to learn all aspects of water supply schemes. Click here to read…
Bhutan calls for common action to combat water crisis- Bhutan Times
Bhutan called-for countries to support each other with rapid technological progress and ensure efficient water management system at the fourth Asia-Pacific Water Summit held yesterday, 23 April. Click here to read…
Maldives
Maldives: Nasheed asks MDP to quit the government as Solih decrees ban on ‘India Out’ campaign: First Post
Two swift developments over the previous week/weekend have the potential to dictate the course of domestic politics in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation, Maldives, more than a year ahead of the all-important presidential polls in the last quarter of 2023, with a third one waiting to unfold by June this year. Click here to read…
India-Maldives defence partnership at its pinnacle: Maldives defence minister: ANI
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar chose the Maldives for his first overseas visit, emphasising the significance of the bilateral partnership between the two countries as India-Maldives share common perspectives on maritime security issues. Click here to read…
Myanmar
Pro-Junta Militia Kills NLD Supporters in Myanmar – The Irrawadd
A pro-regime militia killed two National League for Democracy (NLD) supporters and wounded another in Mandalay on Sunday in response to an anti-junta group’s vow to attack regime supporters, security forces and their family members. Click here to read…
Burma Army Raids Ywa Ngan PDF’s Camp – BNI Online
Burma Army (BA) ground troops attacked a military camp where members of the Ywa Ngan People’s Defence Force (PDF) are being trained in southern Shan State. A source, who asked that his name be kept confidential, informed SHAN that the camp is located in a valley west of Nabang Gyi village in Ywa Ngan Township. The man didn’t know if there were any casualties on either side in the hour-long attack, which began at 1pm on Wednesday, 20 April. Click here to read…
Ethnic Armed Groups Reject Myanmar Junta Chief’s Peace Talks – The Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has invited the leaders of ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for talks to end armed conflict in the country. Observers said only a few EAOs would attend. Click here to read…
Nepal
Nepal records 21 COVID-19 cases on Monday- The Himalayan
The national active Covid-19 caseload of Nepal active caseload has reached to 271 on Monday as 19 people tested positive for the infection in past 24 hours. Click here to read…
Candidacy registration for local level polls begins- The Himalayan
The registration of candidature for the upcoming local level elections started throughout the country today. Click here to read…
Rs 60 million worth of properties burnt down in Bhaktapur godown fire- The Himalayan
A fire broke out at a godown housing chemical and machinery equipment at Kamerotar of Madyapurthimi Municipality-5 in Bhaktapur district on Sunday night, destroying properties worth approximately Rs 60 million, said the police. Click here to read…
(Opinion) Paradoxes in higher education- Kathmandu Post
Three constraints are particularly evident in reforming Nepal’s higher education system. Click here to read…
Over 100,000 nominations filed for local polls- Kathmandu Post
Ruling coalition sees discord and discontent in some districts with some challenging the alliance politics. Click here to read…
Keshav Sthapit’s candidacy for Kathmandu mayor sparks furore- Kathmandu Post
Sthapit has been accused of sexual harassment by at least two women. Click here to read…
In an encouraging move, UN aviation body raises Nepal’s air safety score- Kathmandu Post
The International Civil Aviation Organisation has awarded Nepal an effective implementation score of 70.1 percent, ranking the country above the global average of 67.2 percent. Click here to read…
Ambassador Khatri presents his credentials to US President Biden- Republica
Ambassador of Nepal to the United States Shreedhar Khatri has presented his ‘Letters of Credence’ to the US President Joe Biden. Click here to read…
Pakistan
Biden urged to call Shehbaz: Dawn
One of the writers of this report, Bruce Riedel, was an adviser to the Clinton and Obama administrations and is also close to the current Democratic set-up in Washington. The other, Madiha Afzal, is a fellow at the Centre for Middle East policy. Click here to read…
Foreign funding: IHC suspends order to conclude PTI case in 30 days: The News
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday suspended the order to conclude the PTI foreign funding case within 30 days. Click here to read…
Govt issues ‘ordinary’ passport to Nawaz: The Express Tribune
According to details, the travel document was issued in the federal capital on April 23. The nature of the passport is “ordinary” and it was issued in the “urgent” category. Click here to read…
Sri Lanka
S&P cuts Sri Lanka to ‘selective default’ on missed payments: Reuters
S&P Global Ratings cut Sri Lanka’s rating as an issuer of foreign currency debt to ‘selective default’ after the South Asian country missed sovereign bond interest payments, S&P said on MondayClick here to read…
Sri Lanka cabinet clears proposal to clip President Rajapaksa’s power: Business Standard
Sri Lanka’s cabinet approved a plan to abolish constitutional amendments that gave President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wide-ranging executive powers, acceding to one of the key demands from citizens protesting his economic policies as the ruling family tries to stay in office. Click here to read…
IMF urges Sri Lanka to tighten monetary policy, raise tax to address debt woes: Hindustan Times
Sri Lankan Finance Minister Ali Sabry was in Washington last week to talk to the IMF, the World Bank, India and others about financing help for his country, which has suspended payments on portions of its $51 billion in external debt. Click here to read…
China’s Global Image Under Strain as Sri Lanka Faces Debt Trap: VOA
Faced with a grave financial crisis, Sri Lanka sought urgent assistance from China amounting to $2.5 billion. Chinese authorities responded Friday, weeks after Sri Lanka made the request for financial support, saying it would extend $31 million in “urgent emergency humanitarian aid.” Click here to read…