Afghanistan
Faiq: Frozen Funds Are Property of Afghan People: Tolo News
Naseer A. Faiq, Chargé d’Affaires of the Afghan mission to the UN, in press release said that he has submitted an amicus brief to a US District Court in New York calling on the court to preserve Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves solely for the benefit of Afghan people. Click here to read…
PM Orders Probe into Increase of Begging in Kabul: Tolo News
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the prime minister of the Islamic Emirate, in a cabinet meeting asked the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the ICRC office to investigate the growing number of beggars in Kabul and to find solutions to address the issue. Click here to read…
Karzai Reiterates Call to Reopen Schools for Girls: Tolo News
Former President Hamid Karzai said that the people of Afghanistan want their girls to return to schools and there “is no way that the country can live without our girls going to school”. Click here to read…
ISIS, Not a Threat, It’s eliminated in Afghanistan: MoI: The Khaama Press
Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh has been eliminated by up to 98 percent in Afghanistan and is no more a threat. Click here to read…
Bangladesh
No one to be homeless in Bangladesh- The Daily Star
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday pledged to ensure houses for all homeless people in the country. Click here to read…
New market clashes: Dhaka College finally forms probe body- The Daily Star
The Dhaka College authority finally formed a committee yesterday to verify whether their students were involved in clashes in the New Market area a week ago. Click here to read…
Jaishankar may bring good news: Momen- The Daily Star
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, expected to arrive tomorrow on a one-day visit, might carry good news, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said yesterday. Click here to read…
Bangladesh, India sign 2 MoUs on extending corporation in IT, cyber security sectors- The Daily Star
Bangladesh and India today inked two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) extending for five more years bilateral cooperation in the areas of information technology and cyber security. Click here to read…
Hasina greets Macron on being re-elected as French president- The Daily Star
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today greeted Emmanuel Macron on his re-election as the President of the French Republic. Click here to read…
Bhutan
IOC gives an unsatisfactory break up of fuel prices- Daily Bhutan
For around four months the Department of Trade (DoT) had been trying everything officially and unofficially to get a break up of the fuel prices charged to Bhutan by fuel Oil companies in India. Click here to read…
Govt says it narrowed the gap by handing over Dolomite and Gypsum Mines to SMCL- Daily Bhutan
A big development in this past week was the government through the Department of Geology and Mines, Ministry of Economic Affairs signing a 15-year lease with the State Mining Corporation Limited (SMCL) for the Chunaikhola Dolomite Mine and the Khothakpa Gypsum Mine. Click here to read…
Nu 32B trade deficit in 2021 highest in the last five years- Kuensel
Bhutan’s trade deficit last year was Nu 32.23B, the highest in the last five years, according to Bhutan Trade Statistics (BTS) 2021. Click here to read…
Govt. struggles to use capital budget- Kuensel
Although the government relaxed the Covid-19 protocols, budgetary agencies struggled to utilise the capital budget in the fiscal year 2021-22. 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…
JDWNRH seizes smuggled drugs hidden inside patients’ meals- BBS
With the relaxation of restrictions, the JDWNRH allowed the delivery of food for patients and attendants from January 6. Since then, they have been coming across several cases on a daily basis of people trying to bring prohibited items inside the hospital. Click here to read…
Pillars of India-Bhutan ties: Mutual benefit, cooperation and shared values- ANI
Owing to the difference in economic and geographic size between the two neighbours, it is easy to perceive the India-Bhutan relationship as being tilted in favour of one but the truth is that the relationship is a mutually beneficial relationship based on shared cultural values and genuine all-weather friendship. Click here to read…
World Bank Helps Bhutan Scale up COVID 19 Vaccination- Orrisa Dairy
The World Bank last week approved $10 million to help Bhutan scale up its vaccination program against COVID 19, including providing booster doses to the eligible population. Click here to read…
Maldives
India, Maldives plan transmission interconnection for transfer of renewable power: Times of India
The proposal was discussed during the meeting between Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh and Maldives’ Environment, Climate Change and Technology Minister Aminath Shauna in the national capital on Tuesday. Click here to read…
‘We Maldivians love India; it is an important partner’: Asianet News
India is one of our strongest development partners and in fact India has invested heavily in our infrastructural projects, said Aminath Shauna, Maldives Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology. Click here to read…
Myanmar
Persecution of Myanmar Christians ‘akin to Rohingya’ – UCA News
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has drawn parallels between the situation of minority Christians in Myanmar with the persecution faced by Rohingya Muslims since 2017. In its annual report released on April 25, the US federal government commission said: “Faith communities, including ethnoreligious Christian minorities, now face persecution that some have likened to what the Rohingya have faced since 2017.” Click here to read…
Military officers among ‘around 20’ junta fighters killed in clash in northern Myanmar – Myanmar Now
People’s Defence Force (PDF) fighters in Sagaing Region’s Kalay Township have said they killed around 20 members of the junta’s forces on Friday, including soldiers, officers and Pyu Saw Htee militiamen. Click here to read…
Ethnic Armed Organizations Reject Myanmar Junta Peace Talk Bid – The Diplomat
Key ethnic armed groups in Myanmar have unsurprisingly rejected an offer by the country’s military junta to take part in a new round of peace talks. Click here to read…
Myanmar: caught between India and China – NewAgeBD
MYANMAR is a relatively small country on the Indochina peninsula. Its close neighbours are India, China and the other countries on the peninsula. Its geographical position means that it serves as a buffer zone between the two competing Asian giants, yet its role is not limited to that. Click here to read…
Four people sentenced to imprisonment in Maungdaw under anti-terrorism laws within a month – BNI Online
In Maungdaw township, situated on the western border of Rakhine State, at least four people were sentenced to long term imprisonment in connection with links to Arakan Army (AA) within month of April. On 21 April, the Maungdaw district court sentenced Nyi Nyi Naing (28 years old) from ward number 3 and U Aung Hla Thein (46) from Ngwe Taung village under Maungdaw township to 10 years in prison each under section 50 (i) of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Click here to read…
Nepal
Nepal records 10 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday- Himalayan Times
The national active Covid-19 caseload of Nepal active caseload has reached to 261 on Tuesday as eight people tested positive for the infection in past 24 hours. Click here to read…
Parties’ freebies and doles blow hole in state coffers, economists say- Kathmandu Post
During the election season, political forces make announcements of free goods and services which could do more harm than good and destroy the system. Click here to read…
Believing in democracy, once-extremist forces of Chand and Raut are joining the poll fray- Kathmandu Post
The hardliners joining the elections is a good move and it does not matter whether they win or lose, experts say. Click here to read…
Centralised decisions to pick local poll candidates raise questions galore- Kathmandu Post
Deuba warns Congress rebels to back off. Oli tells UML mutineers to resist impulses. Click here to read…
(Opinion) Hydro Hopes: Tapping the Untapped Potential- The Republica
This has heightened the country’s hydro hopes in terms of both domestic consumption and exporting the surplus power to neighboring India and Bangladesh – the best way to address the perennial problem of widening trade deficit. Click here to read…
Hearing on NRB Governor’s case to resume tomorrow- The Republica
The hearing on the case filed by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Governor Maha Prasad Adhkari against the government’s decision to suspend him could not be completed at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. Click here to read…
Education minister, stakeholders discuss management of medical education- The Republica
The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has initiated discussions with the stakeholders in its bid to make the country’s medical science education more systematic and qualitative. Click here to read…
Pakistan
Pakistan can’t afford enmity with US, says Shehbaz: Dawn
“Pakistan cannot afford to have enmity with the US at all,” declared Mr Sharif while responding to a volley of questions from senior journalists during an Iftar dinner at Prime Minister House on Tuesday. Click here to read…
Social media campaign against army could backfire on PTI: The News
Imran Khan and his PTI are pursuing a policy of pressurising the military establishment to intervene and hold early elections. However, signs are that the defence forces are determined to remain apolitical on this issue. Click here to read…
PM to seek increase in oil facility amount in S Arabia visit: The Express Tribune
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to request Saudi Arabia to increase the volume of the oil deferred payment facility to ease the pressure on foreign exchange reserves amid record oil prices in the global market in the wake of Russia-Ukraine war. Click here to read…
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka begins talks with China on refinancing debt: Reuters
Sri Lanka has begun discussions with China about refinancing its debt, a cabinet spokesman said on Tuesday, as Colombo struggles with its worst financial crisis in decades. Click here to read…
Sri Lanka stock market closes early for second day as shares tumble: Economic Times
After two trading halts earlier in the session, the Colombo Stock Exchange said the market will be closed for the rest of the day following a 10% slump in the blue-chip S&P SL20 index. The market shut just half an hour into trading on Monday. Click here to read…
Cash-strapped Sri Lanka to sell ‘golden’ visas: Economic Times
Foreigners who deposit a minimum of $100,000 locally will be granted permission to live and work in Sri Lanka for 10 years under the “Golden Paradise Visa Program”, the government said. Click here to read…
Sri Lanka Says World Bank Agrees to Provide $600 Million in Financial Aid: News18
According to the Sri Lankan president’s media division statement, the World Bank said it would continue to help Sri Lanka to overcome the current economic crisis. Click here to read…