‘Used to be a festival’: Why Pakistan is seeing a subdued election campaign - In a recent essay, I opined that #Pakistan is “…chaos masquerading as a state”. A nuclear armed state at that. We’ve all heard the phrase “too big to fail”, well Pakistan is too dangerous to be allowed to fail. And it is close to failure. A failing economy, exacerbated by historic floods and displacement last year and a volatile political scene make for a poisonous stew. #SouthAsiahttps://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/1/19/used-to-be-a-festival-why-pakistan-is-seeing-a-subdued-election-campaign
Eerie silence now dominates the atmosphere around the abandoned school in Yonphula, Trashigang where the wind almost seems to screech through broken windowpanes....
The government on Thursday allowed the export of essential food items to five African nations overriding an existing ban. The export curbs on food grains such as rice and wheat have affected food availability in strategic partner countries....
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has opened a hearing on a petition filed by human rights groups to stop the deportations of Afghans who were born in Pakistan and those who would be at risk if they were returned to Afghanistan....
"..the Boston-based drug company Vertex is neither selling a transformative new treatment for cystic fibrosis in the developing world, nor allowing other local companies to produce it..."
We have seen this with #covid19 - #vaccines are STILL being hoarded by the West
Bangladesh police have arrested nearly 8,000 opposition figures in a nationwide crackdown since officers broke up a major rally in the capital a week ago, a report said Sunday. The sweeping wave of detentions comes ahead of a general election due in January....
At least 157 people were killed and over 160 others injured when a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake, the worst since 2015, struck Nepal and destroyed hundreds of houses in the Himalayan nation's remote mountainous region, officials said on Saturday....
"To heighten their colour, the rhizomes from which the spice [tumeric] is extracted are routinely dusted with lead chromate, a neurotoxin. The practice helps explain why South Asia has the highest rates of lead poisoning in the world.[...] Yet it turns out that with clever policies, enlightened leadership and astute messaging this blight can be greatly reduced. Bangladesh has shown how."
Another environmental (sewage) sample from Karachi has been found positive for polio which raised the current year’s tally for Pakistan to 55, according to sources in the National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH)....
Buddhism’s long fight against brahminism and caste
‘Dust on the Throne’ focusses on grossly overlooked aspects of Buddhism in Southasia and beyond, highlighting casteless and anti-caste legacies connecting ancient and modern Buddhists. Gajendran Ayyathurai writes.
At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 others injured after two trains collided on Monday in Bhairab of Kishoreganj in Bangladesh, about 80 kilometres from capital Dhaka....
According to officials, more than 111.2 tonnes of rice being smuggled into Nepal has been seized by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and police in the last four months....
Sri Lanka said on Thursday it reached an agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China covering about $4.2 billion of outstanding debt, while talks with other official creditors stall....
India, the world’s top rice exporter, may extend an export levy on parboiled rice to control local prices ahead of key polls, keeping the market tight and raising the risk of higher global food inflation....
Pakistan is chaos masquerading as a country, it’s almost painful to observe the daily outrages, attacks, and natural disasters plaguing the country. The economy is ruined, the political landscape is full of mines and uncertainty, regional conflict and fundamentalist Islamic terror take thousands of lives every year. And last year’s floods displaced millions and wiped out a ton of crops. Pakistan’s electric grid remains unreliable, and its infrastructure minimal. What infrastructure exists is degrading due to poor maintenance and corruption - which is rife. And this country has nukes, about 170 of them. Just another potential geopolitical flashpoint or failed state. #Pakistan#SouthAsia
Indian authorities have instituted mass testing to halt the spread of the deadly Nipah virus, which has killed two people in the southern state of Kerala....
Once vibrant, now silent: Abandoned school in Yonphula, Bhutan haunts locals (kuenselonline.com)
Eerie silence now dominates the atmosphere around the abandoned school in Yonphula, Trashigang where the wind almost seems to screech through broken windowpanes....
Indian Govt allows non-basmati rice exports to 5 African countries (www.livemint.com)
The government on Thursday allowed the export of essential food items to five African nations overriding an existing ban. The export curbs on food grains such as rice and wheat have affected food availability in strategic partner countries....
Pakistan’s top court hears petition to halt deportations of Afghans (www.aljazeera.com)
Pakistan’s Supreme Court has opened a hearing on a petition filed by human rights groups to stop the deportations of Afghans who were born in Pakistan and those who would be at risk if they were returned to Afghanistan....
[Op-ed] India pushes the world toward another rice crisis (www.japantimes.co.jp)
Spooked by volatile foodgrain prices ahead of a general election next year, India’s government has banned or taxed rice and wheat exports.
Bangladesh arrests 8,000 opposition activists (www.brecorder.com)
Bangladesh police have arrested nearly 8,000 opposition figures in a nationwide crackdown since officers broke up a major rally in the capital a week ago, a report said Sunday. The sweeping wave of detentions comes ahead of a general election due in January....
157 killed as strong earthquake jolts Nepal's mountainous western region (death count expected to rise) (www.thehindu.com)
At least 157 people were killed and over 160 others injured when a powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake, the worst since 2015, struck Nepal and destroyed hundreds of houses in the Himalayan nation's remote mountainous region, officials said on Saturday....
Poliovirus detected in another sample from Karachi, Pakistan (www.dawn.com)
Another environmental (sewage) sample from Karachi has been found positive for polio which raised the current year’s tally for Pakistan to 55, according to sources in the National Polio Laboratory at the National Institute of Health (NIH)....
Bangladesh train accident: 14 killed, over 100 injured as intercity, freight trains collide in Bhairab (www.firstpost.com)
At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 others injured after two trains collided on Monday in Bhairab of Kishoreganj in Bangladesh, about 80 kilometres from capital Dhaka....
After export ban, rice smuggling booms along Indo-Nepal border (www.bqprime.com)
According to officials, more than 111.2 tonnes of rice being smuggled into Nepal has been seized by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and police in the last four months....
Sri Lanka says China debt deal covers $4.2 bln as talks with other creditors drag on (www.reuters.com)
Sri Lanka said on Thursday it reached an agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China covering about $4.2 billion of outstanding debt, while talks with other official creditors stall....
India Mulls Extension of Parboiled Rice Curbs Ahead of Key Polls (www.bloomberg.com)
India, the world’s top rice exporter, may extend an export levy on parboiled rice to control local prices ahead of key polls, keeping the market tight and raising the risk of higher global food inflation....
[Explainer]: What is Nipah virus? Kerala starts mass testing after outbreak in India (www.theguardian.com)
Indian authorities have instituted mass testing to halt the spread of the deadly Nipah virus, which has killed two people in the southern state of Kerala....