Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s tumultuous year and uncertain future – RFI
The Taliban’s astonishing return to power caught everyone on the wrong foot — not least the hardline Islamists themselves — and Afghans are stumbling to make sense of what happened, and what the future holds. Click here to read…
India, Pak struggling to reach consensus on providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan: Report – Devidiscourse
Islamabad and New Delhi are at loggerheads over the modalities of shipment of Indian wheat to Afghanistan via Pakistan as the two countries are struggling to find a common strategy for humanitarian assistance for the people of Afghanistan, officials here told Pakistani newspaper Express Tribune. Click here to read…
Pakistan lists conditions for allowing Indian wheat to reach Afghanistan: Report – The Week
After allowing India to transfer 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan as humanitarian assistance, Pakistan has set some conditions for the same. According to a report by news agency PTI, Pakistan has insisted that the consignments of wheat and medicines to Afghanistan be transported on Pakistani trucks from the Wagah border point; however, India favours using its own transport. Click here to read…
World Bank mulls sending humanitarian aid to Afghanistan – India Today
The bank’s management will discuss the proposal at an informal board meeting on Tuesday to re-direct funds from the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) “to support humanitarian efforts through UN and other humanitarian agencies with presence and logistic capabilities in the country,” the source said, without providing further detailsClick here to read…
Bangladesh
Union Parishad Chairman Posts: AL men bag 53pc, independents 45pc- Daily Star
Awami League candidates performed not as well in the third phase of the union parishad elections compared to previous two phases. Click here to read…
Khaleda’s Health: No bleeding in 2 days but risk remains- Daily Star
The health condition of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, now undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital, is still unpredictable, say doctors. Click here to read…
The cost of the country’s most ambitious rail project- Dhaka Tribune
The construction of the rail line is moving fast, as the government intends to open it at the end of 2022. Click here to read…
Omicron: Bangladesh on India’s ‘at risk’ list- Dhaka Tribune
Passengers travelling from or transiting through listed countries must undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival in India. Click here to read…
Expectations and gains- Asian Age
The celebration of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the independence golden jubilee of Bangladesh began from March 2021. Click here to read…
Nine buses torched in city after student run over- Observer
Angry mob torched nine buses after a SSC examinee was ran over by a bus of Anabil Paribahan in the capital’s Rampura area on Monday night. Click here to read…
Bhutan
His Majesty enters quarantine after a Royal tour of the south.
His Majesty The King arrived in Thimphu yesterday after a Royal tour of the south, and entered facility quarantine. Click here to read…
Court presents charges against Penjore in defamation case- The Bhutanese
The ‘Penjore Penjore’ sedition and defamation case against Penjore was dismissed by the Thimphu District Court on 18 July. But Penjore is again back in the court as he is charged with defaming the Office of Attorney General (OAG) by the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP). Click here to read…
Opposition and PDP whip govt. on recent budget allocation fiasco- Bhutan Times
The Opposition Party has alleged that the Government has diverted disproportionate amount of budget to the Prime Minister’s and Bye-Election Candidate’s Constituencies. Click here to read…
Bhutan banned mountaineering out of respect for the local spiritual beliefs- Daily Bhutan
More than 20 peaks in Bhutan reach above 7,000m (23,000ft). For context, Mt Everest, the highest mountain in the world, is 8,848m (29,031ft). Click here to read…
WFP Bhutan Country Brief, October 2021- WFP
WFPs capacity strengthening, and technical assistance continued in agriculture (enterprise promotion, linking farmers to schools and hospitals), emergency preparedness (telecommunications and logistics preparedness) and nutrition. Click here to read…
Maldives
Maldives bans travellers from 7 African nations due to Omicron COVID variant – Reuters
Maldives said it was barring travellers from seven African countries from Sunday over concerns about the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. Click here to read…
Maldives reports 114 new Covid-19 cases, 139 recoveries – Raajje
According to the latest figures publicized by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), the new cases included 25 from the Maldives congested capital, Greater Malé Region, 73 from islands outside of the capital and 16 from operational resorts. Click here to read…
First round of bilateral consultations held between Maldives, Bangladesh – Raajje
Held as prescribed under the Memorandum of Understanding on the ‘Establishment of Bilateral Consultations’ signed between the two countries earlier this year, the consultations were joined by the Maldives Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed and the Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen. Click here to read…
Myanmar
Myanmar’s army is weaponizing starvation against its own people – Arab News
The Myanmar army, the Tatmadaw, appears to be weaponizing mass starvation in order to beat back resistance to its February coup. The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar, an international group of Myanmar observers, reports that military forces have targeted food supplies, including killing livestock, while also destroying distribution infrastructure. Click here to read…
Australia’s Future Fund invested in weapons manufacturers that have sold arms to Myanmar military – The Guardian
Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, has invested in a Chinese state-controlled weapons manufacturer that has sold combat aircraft to the Myanmar military, which is accused of crimes against humanity. Click here to read…
Asian, European nations call on Myanmar military to return to democracy – Business Standard
At least 50 Asian and European countries on Friday called on Myanmar to return to the democratic transition that was halted by the coup in February. As reported by Radio Free Asia, the countries asked to release arbitrarily detained prisoners, and accept a Southeast Asian envoy to mediate the 10-month-old political crisis. Click here to read…
Military deploys Russian-made fighter jets against KIA targets – Myanmar Now
Myanmar’s military used two newly-acquired Su-30 fighter jets from Russia against Kachin Independence Army (KIA) targets in Kachin State’s Mohnyin Township last week, according to KIA information officer Col. Naw Bu. Click here to read…
Argentina court to investigate Myanmar war crimes against Rohingya Muslims – The Guardian
Argentina’s justice system will investigate allegations of war crimes committed by the Myanmar military against that country’s Rohingya minority under a court ruling upholding the principles of “universal justice”. Click here to read…
Nepal
Nepal records 243 fresh COVID-19 cases, one fatality on Monday.
Nepal recorded 243 new coronavirus infections in last 24 hours, pushing the nationwide tally to 821,121 while the death toll climbed to 11,524 with one fatality today. Click here to read…
UML 10th General Convention: Polls for top spots to commence tonight- Himalaya
The election for top posts of the CPN-UML at the party’s ongoing General Convention being conducted at Chitwan, is set to begin Monday night. Click here to read…
Oli’s consensus bid fails, but he manages to prove he rules the roost- TKP
Vice-chairs, secretaries and central members to be voted in as Oli installs his men in key positions—Ishwar Pokhrel as senior vice-chair, Shankar Pokhrel as general secretary. Click here to read…
Experts fault Deuba for prioritising domestic politics over foreign policy- TKP
As the MCC’s ratification hangs in the balance, questions arise over the fate of projects under the BRI. Click here to read…
Nepal’s rudderless political leadership
The country’s three major parties are duelling on the deck, while the ship of state drifts away.Click here to read…
CJ Rana infected with COVID-19- Republica
Chief Justice Cholendra Shamsher JB Rana has been admitted to hospital after he tested positive for COVID-19. Click here to read…
Pakistan
SBP signs agreement for $3bn Saudi fund: Dawn
The agreement was signed by SFD Chief Executive Officer Sultan Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Marshad and SBP Governor Dr Reza Baqir at the State Bank in Karachi, according to a statement issued by the SBP. Click here to read…
A convict was invited to moot attended by judges, deplores PM Imran: Dawn
The prime minister feared that another blasphemous attempt would be made by the West against Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and said this time a well-calculated and unanimous response should come from the Muslims so that the false impression could not come to the fore that the Muslims were against freedom of expression. Click here to read…
Rupee slides to new low as deficit widens: The Express Tribune
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the rupee had closed at Rs175.46 on Friday.A report of Arif Habib Limited stated that the rupee fell 0.42% day-on-day while it had been down 13.58% since hitting the high of Rs152.28 on May 14, 2021. Click here to read…
Pakistan offers to host OIC FMs on Afghanistan: The Express Tribune
“Pakistan fully endorses the initiative. We have also offered to host the meeting, in Islamabad, on December 17, 2021. We are confident that OIC member states will endorse the offer,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in a statement on Monday. Click here to read…
Foreign reserves plunge to historic low of $ 1.2 b: SJB – Daily FT
The main Opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) yesterday claimed that the country’s net foreign reserves had plunged to an all-time low of $ 1.2 billion and warned of a looming dark future.
SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne revealed the precariously low reserves figure – excluding gold reserves of $ 300 million – in Parliament yesterday. Click here to read…