Afghanistan
Taliban sentence 3 Afghans to lengthy terms, flogging for political activism (VOA)
Top diplomat who ran botched Afghanistan evacuation was picked after Kabul fell, given no plan: testimony (New York Post)
Afghan allies endangered: Congress grapples with the Special Immigrant Visa program’s shortcomings (Washington Examiner)
Pakistan
Pakistan and Taliban to expand trade despite lingering tensions (Nikkei Asia)
Exiled Afghan journalist shot, injured in Pakistan (VOA)
RFE/RL Freelance Journalist Attacked By Armed Men In Islamabad (Radio Free Europe)
More than a dozen Pakistani judges receive letters with ‘toxic’ powder (Al Jazeera)
India
US has not asked India to cut Russian oil purchases, American official says (Reuters)
Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan, intelligence officials claim (The Guardian)
Modi sets ambitious India economic goals for probable third term (Reuters)
India’s Largest Opposition Congress Party Pledges Jobs, Farmer Welfare in Manifesto (Bloomberg)
India’s Congress pledges to step up affirmative action if voted back to power (Reuters)
India’s remote Ladakh protests against Beijing-Delhi squeeze (Nikkei Asia)
Icy Desert Ladakh Turns Up the Heat on Modi Ahead of Indian Elections (The Diplomat)
Dozens of Indian workers depart for Israel to take up construction jobs (AP)
India’s central bank holds rate, looking for inflation "elephant" to vanish (Reuters)
Modi’s Messenger to the World (Foreign Policy)
U.S.-India Ties Remain Fundamentally Fragile (Foreign Policy – opinion)
NSB
Bangladesh power system gets dirtier on rapid coal use growth (Reuters – opinion)
Bhutan to Upgrade Bitcoin Mining in Himalayas as ‘Halving’ Looms (Bloomberg)
Central Asia
8 Uzbeks Killed In Traffic Accident In Kazakhstan (Radio Free Europe)
Kyrgyzstan: China solidifying economic hold on Bishkek (EurasiaNet)
In Moscow Attack, a Handful of Suspects but a Million Tajiks Under Suspicion (New York Times)
Russia ‘Punishes’ Tajik Migrants With Entry Denials, Deportations After Terror Attack (Radio Free Europe)
EU ‘Dithers’ As Foreign Agent Laws Spread Across Europe And Central Asia, Says Rights Watchdog (Radio Free Europe)
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SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS