Afghanistan
Taliban Urges Nations to Reopen Embassies in Kabul: Tolo News
The Taliban seek to re-establish relations and asked nations to invest and help rebuild Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said they expect the United States to restart its diplomatic mission in Kabul.
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Afghan Analysts Sharply Criticize US's Hasty Withdrawal: Tolo News
According to analysts, the resulting power vacuum and other rapid developments have left Afghanistan in a very uncertain situation. This withdrawal has three unpleasant consequences: the shameful fleeing of the president, a power vacuum, and a lack of a roadmap for Afghanistan’s future, said Malek Setiz, an international relations analyst.
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UNSC Urges Taliban to Let People Leave Afghanistan: Tolo News
A divided U.N. Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution calling on the Taliban to allow safe passage for those seeking to leave Afghanistan but did not mention the creation of a safe zone in Kabul, as suggested by the French president on Sunday.
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Supreme leader of Taliban to come to Kabul: The Khaama Press
The supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Mullah Hebtullah Akhund arrived from an unknown place in Kandahar province on Sunday, August 29. The supreme leader of whom the world has only a single photo is due to come to the Afghan capital and hold a series of talks with other Taliban officials and other Afghan politicians and leaders.
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Bangladesh
Bangladesh wants peace and business in Afghanistan- The Daily Observer
Bangladesh wants to see peace in Afghanistan, security for its people and quick evacuation of stranded foreigners, following Taliban's takeover on August 15, in the wake of hasty US troop withdrawal.
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Central bank mounts monitoring banks' special funds for capital market investment- Financial Express
The central bank mounted monitoring and supervision on the special fund constituted by commercial banks only for investment in the capital market, officials said, on detection of some deviations.
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Smuggler, blacker, land broker turns JatiyaSangsadwhip!- Daily Sun
Shamsul Haque Chowdhury has turned into whip of JatiyaSangsad from a humble background as he was involved in selling cigarette and cinema tickets in the black-market, smuggling sari and brokering land, said former Chhatra League leader Avijit Dhar Bappi.
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BNP: Any plan to remove Zia’s grave will invite dire consequences- Dhaka Tribune
BNP on Tuesday warned that the government will have to face dire consequences if it removes the grave of party founder Ziaur Rahman from ChandrimaUdyan in the capital.
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Nearly half of all captured ABT operatives out on bail- Dhaka Tribune
Seventeen days after blogger Asif Mohiddin escaped an attack on his life in January 2013, police arrested Saad al Nahin and six others for attempting to murder the blogger.
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Dhaka receives 56 lakh Sinopharm vaccine doses- The Independent
Around 56 lakh doses of Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Dhaka from China early Tuesday.
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Apparel export to EU awaits severe competition: experts- Daily Star
Bangladesh will face severe competition in garment shipment to the European Union (EU) once it makes the United Nations status graduation from a least developed to a developing nation, a noted economist said yesterday.
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IPO quota for general investors increased- Daily Star
The stock market regulator increased quota for general investors in initial public offering (IPO) to 70 per cent, up from 60 per cent earlier.
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Bhutan
Situation on border improves, Govt. revises Covid-19 protocols- Kuensel
The government yesterday announced a revision of the Covid-19 safety protocols for inbound travellers, business opening hours, and sporting activities with immediate effect.
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Fair recruitment procedures important- Kuensel
The recent High Court judgment that upheld Trongsa dzongkhag court’s verdict and ordered Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) to recruit an applicant as Dzongkha producer and anchor is also a case of lapses in management and recruitment process.
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Govt. to build 1,000 affordable housing units for middle- and low-income residents- Business Bhutan
The government will come up with 1,000 affordable housing units for middle- and low-income residents. Works and Human Settlement Minister Dorji Tshering said 70% will be for the low income civil servants, while 30% will be for other low income and marginalized groups.
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About 20,000 children yet to receive first dose of Covid-19 vaccine
Around 59,000 children between 12 to 17 years accounting to 78.6% of the eligible children population have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. The information was shared by Health Minister Dasho Dechen Wangmo during the virtual press-meet session on 27 August 2021.
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An Art for Change – UN Bhutan’s roadshow advocates on climate change- BBS
Climate change is a giant but it doesn’t mean advocacies about it should be big. It can be small. Messages on climate change and the environment can be in the form of art. The agencies collaborated to conduct an Art for Change roadshow at Wangbama Central School in Thimphu.
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Maldives
For Maldives Environment Minister Aminath Shauna, fighting climate change is an existential battle - IMF
Maldives is a country that lives and dies by the ocean that surrounds its 1,200 islands. The nation has built an economy on drawing tourists to its crystal blue waters. But the same waters, rising because of climate change, also continually threaten its population.
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India surges ahead of China in the Maldives - Deccan Herald
The ongoing jostling for strategic influence between New Delhi and Beijing in the Indian Ocean archipelago of Maldives has just seen India surge ahead after it bagged the contract to build the $500 million Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP) last week.
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Saudi official meets with Maldives’ minister of Islamic affairs - Arab News
Undersecretary at the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs Sheikh AwadAlanzi met with Maldives’ Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Zahir Ali in Male on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by Saudi Ambassador to the Maldives Matrek bin Abdullah Al-Ajalin and a number of officials.
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Myanmar
Richard Horsey on Myanmar 7 Months After the Coup - The Diplomat
The Myanmar military’s seizure of power in February tipped the country into turmoil. Almost immediately, mass protests erupted and tens of thousands went on strike to oppose the new military junta led by Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing. Seven months on, the demonstrations have largely dissipated under the violent repression of the security forces, but armed resistance – in both urban and rural areas – has taken their place, holding out the prospect of a grinding political stalemate.
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Myanmar Junta Troops Die in Weekend Clashes - The Irrawaddy
Myanmar’s regime sustained casualties, allegedly including a battalion commander, during fighting with ethnic armed groups and civilian resistance fighters in three states over the weekend. At least five junta soldiers reportedly died during clashes with joint forces of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Kokang’s Myanmar National Democratic Army (MNDAA) near Muse in northern Shan State on Saturday.
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Arakan Army Seeks to Build ‘Inclusive’ Administration in Rakhine State - The Diplomat
Seven months since the military coup in Myanmar, the political wing of the rebel Arakan Army (AA) has significantly expanded its administrative and judicial mechanisms across Rakhine State in western Myanmar, with hundreds of its personnel now effectively administering the region independently of the military junta that rules in Naypyidaw.
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15 Myanmar Junta Soldiers Reported Killed in Shan State - The Irrawaddy
At least 15 Myanmar junta soldiers were killed on Monday as clashes with the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) continued in northern Shan State, according to local media. Fighting erupted between the two sides on July 28. The military regime confirmed that junta soldiers were killed and injured in clashes on Saturday with the MNDAA, but denied that commanding officers were among the casualties.
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Nepal
UML falls into minority in Bagmati- The Himalayan
Bagmati province government led by CPN-UML Vice-chair Ashta Laxmi Shakya fell into minority with 12 of 57 UML lawmakers defecting to the CPN(Unified Socialist). The UML now has only 45 lawmakers in the 110-member Bagmati Provincial Assembly.
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Expand Cabinet without further ado, PM told- The Himalayan
Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba discussed Cabinet expansion and other political issues with the five-party alliance leaders today.
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Probe hints at Indian security personnel’s involvement in Darchula youth disappearance- Kathmandu Post
The panel formed to investigate last month’s incident in which a Darchula youth fell into Mahakali while crossing the river using a cable crossing has said “it appears the incident took place in the presence of Indian security personnel” and recommended that the government take diplomatic initiatives to bring the perpetrator(s) to book.
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The Kabul chaos and South Asia: CK Lal- Kathmandu Post
The fall of the United States-backed government in Afghanistan may not exactly be the Saigon moment for President Biden, but its reverberations in South Asia are unlikely to be any less calamitous.
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China thanks Nepal for support on COVID-19 origin controversy- Republica
China has expressed its gratitude to Nepal for “always adhering to an objective and fair position and giving valuable support on the issue of origin tracing of the COVID-19 infection.
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Pakistan
Don’t blame Pakistan for Kabul’s fall, US told: Dawn
It was not Pakistan’s military strategy but Afghanistan’s internal problems that caused the collapse of the former Afghan government, argues Islamabad’s US ambassador Asad Majeed Khan. In an interview to BBC broadcast on Monday night, Ambassador Khan argued Pakistan was still trying to help create a common understanding among all Afghan factions.
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India can’t use Afghan soil any more: cabinet: Dawn
The federal cabinet on Tuesday expressed the hope that after the Taliban takeover of the neighbouring country, India would not be able to use Afghan soil against Pakistan.
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German FM, General Qamar discuss unfolding situation in Afghanistan: The Express Tribune
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), during the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation including the latest developments in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed.
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Pakistan believes Taliban will form govt in few days: The News
Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a news conference in Islamabad with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas that Pakistan expects that a consensus government will be formed in the coming days in Afghanistan
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PMDA: Bilawal announces PPP’s participation in protest rally: The News
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Tuesday announced his party’s support to journalists’ protest call against the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) and termed it an attempt to suppress the media and freedom of expression.
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‘Digital Pakistan’: PM launches Pak-ID mobile app for CNIC: The Express Tribune
The mobile app, Pak-ID, helps to capture biometrics and scan documents digitally by using the camera of smartphones, according to the official statement issued on Tuesday.
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka inflation rises to 6.0-pct in August 2021 - ECONOMYNEXT
Sri Lanka’s inflation in the capital Colombo had risen to 6.0 percent in August 2021, from 5.7 percent in July with prices rising 0.3 percent in the month, data from the state statistics office shows. The widely watched Colombo Consumer Price Index rose to 143.5 points in August from 143.1 in July with food prices rising 0.7 percent. The food sub-index had risen 11.5 percent during the past 12-months.
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4,221 persons test positive for COVID-19 - Daily FT
Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 detections rose to 440,302 with the detection of 4,221 COVID-19 positive persons yesterday. According to health officials, the patients detected yesterday are from the New Year cluster. A total of 13,936 PCR tests were carried out yesterday. On Monday, 13,696 PCR tests and 3,173 rapid antigen tests were carried out, keeping daily testing well below 20,000. According to the Epidemiology Unit, 4,558 persons from the New Year cluster and four persons from the Prisons cluster tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
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Sri Lanka central bank gets US$150mn swap from Bangladesh, SDR541mn from IMF - ECONOMYNEXT
Sri Lanka has got 150 million US dollars in a currency swap arrangement from the central bank of Bangladesh, and a special drawing rights allocation from the International Monetary amounting to around 787 million US dollars to boost gross reserves, the central bank said. Bangladesh Bank has given 150 million US dollars out of 200 million agreed in tranches of 50 million, 100 million and another 50 million. So far 150 million had been received. “This swap facility has been provided for a period of 3 months with the possibility of rolling over twice for similar periods,” the central bank said.
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President issues emergency regulations on essential food supplies - Daily FT
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last night issued emergency regulations to ensure an uninterrupted supply of essential food items at a fair price while appointing Maj. Gen. M.D.S.P. Niwunhella as the Essential Services Commissioner. The regulations were issued as per powers vested to the President under the Public Security Ordinance. Essential food items include rice, paddy and sugar while traders will be banned from all unfair practices such as hoarding, creating artificial shortages, selling at exorbitant prices or above the Maximum Retail Price (MRP), thereby imposing additional burden to the public.
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