DAILY NEWS: A quick look at South Asian stories that matter…writes Joyeeta Basu.
News in brief from South Asia
India
Opposition to corner government on COVID-19, Pegasus: The Parliament is set to witness a stormy day today as the Opposition will continue to corner the government over a range of issues including the row over Pegasus spyware, farmers’ issue, and COVID-19 management, reports the Financial Express.
Centre provided over Rs 30K crore to J&K and Ladakh to complete projects: The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday informed the Rajya Sabha that over Rs 30,000 crore has been provided to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh for completion of different projects, reports IANS.
Assembly Elections 2022: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya will file their nomination papers from their seats Gorakhpur and Sirathu respectively today, reports the financial Express.
Centre issues new guidelines on educational institutions’ reopening: The Union Ministry of Education has issued modified guidelines on the reopening of educational institutions and has allowed states to decide if parental consent is needed by school students to attend physical classes, reports DNA News.
Financial news
Sensex opens with losses: Domestic markets started Thursday’s trading session with losses. S&P BSE Sensex was down over 100 points at 59,455 while NSE Nifty 50 slipped 25 points to trade at 17,750, reports the Financial Express.
Pakistan
IMF board approves $1 billion disbursement for Pakistan: The International Monetary Fund has said its Executive Board approved a $1 billion disbursement to Pakistan after completing a sixth review of the country’s reforms under its $6 billion loan program, reports the Economic Times.
Bangladesh
Meghalaya engaging with Bangladesh for submarine cable: Meghalaya government is actively engaging with the Union government and government of Bangladesh to ensure that submarine cable is made available to the Shillong Technology Park from Chittagong port, reports the Economic Times.
Afghanistan
India cuts development aid to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan: In Union Budget 2022-23, India has slashed its development assistance to the war-torn country to Rs 200 crore, down 43 per cent from Rs 350 crore in 2021-22, when Kabul was under a democratic government, reports The Print.
Sri Lanka
Export Import Bank of India, Sri Lanka sign $500-million loan agreement: The Export-Import Bank of India and the Government of Sri Lanka have signed a $500- million Line of Credit agreement aimed to help the crisis-hit island nation overcome one of its worst economic meltdowns, reports The Hindu.
On a lighter note…
Kapil Sharma shares his son Trishaan’s first birthday photos, calls him ‘lead actor’: Comedian Kapil Sharma gave a glimpse of his son Trishaan’s first birthday by sharing pictures of his family. He wrote, “Title:- first bday, Lead actor:- Trishaan, Supporting cast:- Anayra, dadi, mummy, papa, First photo shoot of #trishaan,” reports DNA News.
Taapsee Pannu’s film Looop Lapeta to release in two days: Taapsee Pannu’s Looop Lapeta’s will start streaming on Netflix from February 4. Directed by Aakash Bhatia, the film is an adaptation of the hit movie Run Lola Run, which is a 1998 movie directed by Tom Tykwer.
Shamita Shetty’s birthday bash turns into reunion for Bigg boss 15 contestants: Two days after ‘Bigg Boss 15,’ actress Shamita Shetty celebrated her birthday. Shetty organised a huge birthday bash which was attended by family and a few friends from the show, reports DNA News.
