Pakistan
Pakistan, Afghanistan exchange fire along contested Durand Line
Pakistan has claimed responsibility for killing over 200 Taliban fighters in a series of precision strikes along the contested Durand Line.
Taliban visit to India upsets Pakistan, signals New Delhi's changing Afghan posture
Coinciding with the visit, Pakistan conducted military operations inside Afghanistan, followed by airstrikes on multiple border towns. Retaliation against Pakistan's police training facilities and border outposts followed.
Pakistan protests India-Afghanistan joint statement
Pakistan contends that the joint statement's reference to Jammu and Kashmir contradicts United Nations Security Council resolutions and undermines the region's disputed status.
Pakistan’s India-shaped chip on the shoulder, and why a peaceful coexistence is as elusive as ever
Pakistan must first redefine how it sees India - not solely as a threat to be contained but as a neighbour with whom coexistence is unavoidable. That psychological leap has eluded generations of Pakistani leaders.
Bangladesh’s coming political reset
Tarique Rahman’s announcement of his imminent return to Bangladesh has overnight redefined the country’s political narrative after nearly two decades of exile.
LONG READ: The GEMIs, the Global Emerging Markets' interlocking institutions
The international order is breaking up as the Global Emerging Markets build a raft of new non-Western interlocking international institutions to run their vision of a new multipolar world order.
China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran push back on Trump ambitions in or near Afghanistan
Trump’s administration has been exploring options for keeping a military footprint in Afghanistan - a move that Russia has already said would have catasrophic consequences.
Germany preparing to enter direct negotiations with Afghanistan’s Taliban government
It has also been speculated that Germany might be readying to accept a liaison presence on the part of the Afghan government, that stops short of full recognition.
Afghan deportations risk bolstering ISIS-K ranks
According to UN data, more than 2.6mn Afghans have returned since January, many of them after decades abroad. Analysts caution that the abrupt influx risks creating conditions that extremist groups can exploit.
BERTRAND: The return of geopolitical gravity
Four extraordinary events happened last week within the span of just 72 hours; a week which may well be remembered as one of the most consequential in the transition from Pax Americana to the multipolar world.
Pakistan’s agricultural sector and food security hit hard by flooding
Pakistan is grappling with the most severe flooding in over four decades in parts of Punjab, its agricultural heartland, with far-reaching consequences for food production, rural livelihoods, and the country’s export earnings
How India sees the Pakistan-Saudi defence pact
While the practicality of the pact is doubted in New Delhi’s policy circles, it adds a fresh layer of complexity to South Asia’s security environment and creates potential ripple effects across the Middle East and the Indian Ocean region.
Uzbekistan probing export options
Tashkent is finding there’s no easy path to the sea.
Global Alliance commits $7.5bn to clean energy in developing world
Analysts have repeatedly warned that clean energy investment in developing economies such as Afghanistan, but excluding China, remains dangerously below levels required to meet international climate objectives.
Gold sets fresh record in Pakistan as global prices surge
Globally, bullion traded close to all-time highs as investors awaited key US inflation data and speeches from Federal Reserve officials later this week.
Argentina’s meltdown, Asia’s dilemma
Argentina has been here before - the country having endured multiple financial meltdowns over the last half-century - each one leaving scars on its once vibrant society and economy.
Explosion kills five at Afghan-Pakistan border migrant camp
The blast struck on the evening of September 18 evening in Chaman, a Pakistani border town, at a taxi stand where Afghan migrants and local residents had assembled.
Internet shutdown pushes Afghanistan’s banking to the brink
Reports from northern Afghanistan indicated severe difficulties in processing financial transactions after WiFi services were suspended in a number of provinces, including Balkh. In Mazar-i-Sharif, banking operations were reportedly brought to a halt
Pakistan gives Saudi Arabia a landmark Article 5 collective security guarantee
In what is likely to be a game-changing decision, Pakistan, a nuclear power, has given Saudi Arabia an Article 5-like collective security guarantee.
Extreme poverty falling steadily – OWID
To track progress towards ending extreme poverty, the United Nations relies on World Bank estimates of the number of people living below a poverty threshold called the “International Poverty Line” (IPL), Our World in Data (OWID) reports.