Afghanistan
Taliban says won’t allow any country to use Afghanistan military aircraft – Business Standard
Acting Defense Minister Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid on Tuesday at a ceremony in Kabul, during which the Air Force held an exercise, said the military aircraft that were taken abroad should be returned, according to Tolo News.Click here to read…
Afghanistan crisis: Taliban expands ‘food for work’ programme – BBC
The Taliban has said it is expanding its “food for work” programme, in which donated wheat is used to pay tens of thousands of public sector workers. It comes as the United Nations (UN) has appealed for $4.4bn (£3.2bn) in humanitarian aid for Afghanistan.Click here to read…
Bangladesh
Metro to be costlier than Padma bridge- Daily Star
The eagerly-awaited Dhaka metro rail project is set to witness huge cost escalation and time extension after a new drawback has shown up in the design: inconvenient entrance and exit points at the stations.Click here to read…
High-tech vessel shines hope on hilsa research- Daily Star
Researchers now have gotten an opportunity to promote hilsa production in the country, thanks to the introduction of a high-tech vessel by the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute.Click here to read…
Taka devalued again due to declining reserves, high import costs- Dhaka Tribune
Economists say although exports have picked up significantly in recent months, it has failed to offset the imbalance created in the forex market by the low remittance and high imports.Click here to read…
Bhutan
ACC receives 451 complaints from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021- The Bhutanese
According to the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Annual Report 2020-2021, a total of 451 complaints were received over the 18-month reporting period, from 1 January 2020 to 30 June 2021.Click here to read…
Chili farmers feel threatened by imports- Kuensel
As the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests temporarily lifted the ban on chili import to “ensure availability, stabilise prices, and curb illegal import”, commercial chili farmers in Tsirang and Dagana are questioning the impact of such decisions on sustaining chili production in the country.Click here to read…
Samdrup Jongkhar town goes into lockdown- BBS
Samdrup Jongkhar town went into a three-day lockdown after two loaders and two frontliners tested positive for COVID-19 today. They were tested positive during the routine enhanced surveillance. Click here to read…
Maldives
With an Ex-President at the Helm, the Maldives’ ‘India Out’ Campaign Gains Steam – StartFor
Former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s recent support for the “India Out” campaign could elevate the opposition movement’s profile, threatening Indian investment and influence in the strategic island nation. The India Out campaign is a loosely organized series of protests and propaganda objecting to India’s involvement in the Maldives.Click here to read…
V. Aarah case: two more hearings slated for January in Yameen’s money laundering trial – Raajje
Two more hearings have been scheduled for January in the money laundering trial of Abdulla Yameen, former president of Maldives over the leasing of Aarah island in Vaavu atoll to a foreign party for resort development.Click here to read…
Myanmar
2,300 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Last Month: NUG – The Irrawaddy
An estimated 2,380 Myanmar junta soldiers were killed and around 600 wounded during the last month, according to the parallel National Unity Government. Between Dec. 7 and Jan. 6, 1,077 blasts and attacks targeting junta forces were reported across the country, except in Rakhine State.Click here to read…
UN urges Myanmar military to stop attacks on town – Business Live
Myanmar’s military must halt attacks on the town of Loikaw and lift a blockade on those trying to flee, a UN human rights investigator said on Monday, as a shaken resident described constant shelling and air strikes in the area.Click here to read…
KIA, MNDAA Fight Burma Army Same Day – BNI Online
In northern Shan State, fierce fighting broke out between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burma Army (BA) in the Mongpaw area and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and regime soldiers in Muse District. A local told SHAN that the KIA fought against the BA in the mountains near Mongpaw on Wednesday morning, but could not say if there were any casualties.Click here to read…
Nepal
Gathering of 25-plus people in valley prohibited- Himalaya
Authorities concerned of the three districts in Kathmandu valley have put a restriction on gathering of more than 25 people in public places to curb the rising cases of COV- ID-19. The restriction will come into force from midnight today.Click here to read…
Two major Madhes-based parties in crisis- Kathmandu Post
Disputes deepen in Upendra Yadav’s Janata Samajbadi Party and Mahantha Thakur’s Loktantrik Samajbadi Party over key appointments.Click here to read…
Student organizations demand medical college administration officials be arrested- Republica
Seven different student organizations issued a public statement regarding “the fact that three medical colleges have charged higher fees than stated by the government.”Click here to read…
Pakistan
Pakistan’s economic condition better than India: Imran Khan – Money Control
On Tuesday, Khan said that Pakistan is in a better economic condition than many countries in the region, especially India, speaking at the inaugural session of the International Chambers Summit 2022 in Islamabad. Click here to read…
BSF Seizes Drugs Worth ₹100 Crores From India-Pakistan Border In Punjab’s Ferozepur – Republic World
Amid ongoing investigation on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breach incident where he was forced to skip the Ferozepur rally, the Border Security Forces (BSF) recovered 22 kilograms of heroin from the district in three separate incidents. Click here to read…
Pakistan refuses IMF’s proposal to renegotiate loan fearing new conditions – Business Standard
Pakistan Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has said that he has refused to agree with the International Monetary Fund’s new proposal to the cash-strapped country to renegotiate its loan programme, fearing that the global lending agency might impose new conditions.Click here to read…
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka will repay all debt due in 2022, gradually build reserves-cenbank gov – Market Screener
The Sri Lankan government will meet all debt repayments in 2022 and work on a more comprehensive plan to address the dwindling foreign exchange reserves, its central bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said on Wednesday.Click here to read…
Skyrocketing inflation! Sri Lanka may go bankrupt – English News Track
Sri Lanka is currently facing serious financial and humanitarian threats. Here, inflation has gone up to a record level and it is being said that this could lead to bankruptcy in the country. Earlier, on 30th August last year, after the sharp fall in Sri Lankan currency and the rise in food prices, the Government had declared a National Financial Emergency.Click here to read…
Is There Any Going Back From The China-Sri Lanka Ties Over ‘Development’ Projects? – Youth ki Awaaz
Sri Lanka is looking to levy concessions from China, whose interest in the island-country go quite far, from the development of ports to the expansion of trade and commerce. The superpower winking and wooing its Sri Lankan audience for its debt diplomacy is a ploy to checkmate the ascendancy of India in this region.Click here to read…