Afghanistan
Taliban delays secret prisoner swap to please Trump (The Telegraph)
Afghanistan faces a complex set of challenges in 2025 — here’s what you need to know (The Hill – opinion)
I Served With Matthew Livelsberger in Afghanistan. He Awed Us (Newsweek – opinion)
Pakistan
U.S. sanctions on Pakistan could tilt region’s power balance toward India (Nikkei Asia)
Militants kidnap 16 government employees in northwest Pakistan (VOA)
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai to attend girls’ education summit in Pakistan (Agence France-Presse)
State-run Pakistan International Airlines resumes direct flights to Europe after EU lifts ban (AP)
Gas explosion traps 12 workers after coal mine collapses in southwest Pakistan (AP)
Will Trump Intervene to Get Pakistan’s Imran Khan Freed? (The Diplomat)
India
India holds highest-level talks with Taliban over security concerns, trade and aid (The Independent)
India readies for mammoth Hindu festival of 400 million pilgrims (Agence France-Presse)
India, Indonesia Set for Travel ‘Bonanza’ as Middle Classes Grow (Bloomberg)
Bengali-speaking Indians caught up in immigration crackdown (Deutsche Welle)
India Revises Trade Data After Error Calculating Gold Imports (Bloomberg)
India Infrastructure Lender Plans Up to $4.7 Billion Fundraising (Bloomberg)
NSB
European Investment Bank to boost funds for Bangladesh as it weathers political turmoil (AP)
Bangladesh graft probe ensnares ex-PM Hasina’s niece, a U.K. minister (Nikkei Asia)
Tulip Siddiq owes money to Bangladeshi taxpayer over ‘unlawful’ privileges, court papers claim (The Telegraph)
Bangladesh’s Fragile Progress Toward Freedom of Expression (The Diplomat – opinion)
Nepal court orders bail for politician accused of fraud (Agence France-Presse)
No, Sri Lanka’s Tamil question has not been resolved (Al Jazeera – opinion)
Central Asia
China aims to deepen Central Asia influence with new railway project (VOA)
Tajikistan bets on giant dam to solve electricity crisis (Agence France-Presse)
A tale of two Tajikistans: the macro and micro realities (EurasiaNet)
Indo-Pacific
World’s largest dam to be built by China raises concerns in India, Bangladesh (VOA)
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SCA MORNING PRESS CLIPS
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