Afghanistan
U.S. Watchdog Tells Congress No ‘Specific’ Controls In Place For Afghan Assistance (Radio Free Europe)
Many Questions Remain About the Afghan Fund, and Its Frozen $3.5 Billion (The Diplomat)
Taliban-appointed prime minister meets with a top Pakistan politician in hopes of reducing tensions (AP)
Pakistani Islamist Leader Attempts To Help Reset Ties With Afghan Taliban (Radio Free Europe)
Pakistan
Pakistani Justices Reject Ban for Politicians With Past Convictions (New York Times)
Pakistan court ruling allows ex-PM Sharif to run for fourth time (Reuters)
Pakistani officer wounded while protecting polio vaccination workers dies, raising bombing toll to 7 (AP)
India
India’s Top Court Reverses Early Release of 11 Men Convicted of Gang Rape (New York Times)
India’s top court quashes release of men in Muslim woman’s gang-rape – lawyer (Reuters)
China and India race to expand aircraft carrier fleets (Nikkei Asia)
Ethnic conflict in India’s Manipur has ‘completely ruined’ businesses (Al Jazeera)
NSB
The US and UK say Bangladesh’s elections extending Hasina’s rule were not credible (AP)
US says Bangladesh elections were not free and fair (Reuters)
UN Urges Bangladesh to Change Course After Controversial Vote (Agence France-Presse)
Bangladesh PM says vote ‘victory of people’; opposition to continue protest (Al Jazeera)
Bangladesh’s Hasina celebrates ‘absolute victory’ after polls without opposition (Agence France-Presse)
Bangladesh is now in effect a one-party state (The Economist – opinion)
Voters begin casting ballots in Bhutan, where an economic crisis looms large (AP)
Bhutan votes in final round of national elections, economy main issue (Reuters)
Maldives president courts investors in China as Indian ties sag (Reuters)
Sri Lanka to join US-led naval operations against Houthi rebels in Red Sea (AP)
Sri Lanka Navigates the Seas of Geopolitics (The Diplomat)
Central Asia
Kazakhstan: Alleged Deripaska plane purchase raises sanctions bypass questions (EurasiaNet)
Anger In Kyrgyzstan As Self-Proclaimed ‘New God’ Becomes The Latest Prison Death (Radio Free Europe)
Russian Neo-Imperialist Assertions Spark Pushback in Uzbekistan (The Diplomat)
Indo-Pacific
India and Maldives Trade Barbs After Modi’s Beach Visit (New York Times)
Top India Travel Platform Suspends Maldives Trips As Row Worsens (Bloomberg)
Why Modi’s beach shots sparked calls for an Indian boycott of Maldives tourism (CNN)
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SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS