VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: July 06, 2022
Afghanistan
Karzai Calls Clerics’ Gathering 'Symbolic': Tolo News

Former President Hamid Karzai called the gathering of the Islamic clerics held in Kabul "symbolic," saying that this was more a gathering of the “Taliban movement themselves." Click here to read...

Unknown Disease Strikes 50 Children in Southern Afghanistan: The Khaama Press

The disease that has affected 50 children in the Siori region of the province of Zabul has cholera-like symptoms, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency. A mobile medical team has reportedly been sent to the region to examine and attend to the sick children and prevent the spread of the unknown disease, according to Dr. Abdul Hakim Hakimi, the Taliban’s head of the public health department in Zabul province. Click here to read...

China Envoy in Kabul Says Humanitarian Aid is Priority: Tolo News

China says that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is critical and noted that the United States has not released the frozen assets of Afghanistan. Wang Yu, China's ambassador to Kabul, expressed concerns over the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan at an event which was held to hand over Chinese aid to needy people in Afghanistan, making remarks that held the US responsible for this situation. Click here to read...

Bangladesh
Load shedding at specific times likely- The Daily Star

The government is considering reducing electricity production to save the fuel for producing power, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday. Click here to read...

PM Hasina’s mango diplomacy: Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif gets 1 metric tonne Amrapali- The Daily Star

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sent 1000kg of famed Amrapali mango to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as gift in a gesture of goodwill. Click here to read...

Bangladesh Ambassador to Poland, Japanese Ambassador to receive ‘Bangabandhu Medal for Diplomatic Excellence’- The Daily Star

Bangladesh Ambassador to Poland, Sultana Laila Hossain, and Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Ito Naoki, will receive the 'Bangabandhu Medal for Diplomatic Excellence' – for their significant contributions. Click here to read...

Bhutan
Ngawang Dramtoe lhops struggle to save maize- Kuensel

Lhops (Doyas) of Ngawang Dramtoe in Tading, Samtse are struggling to save their maize from wild animals. Click here to read...

Water flagship programme to address water shortage in Tangmachhu- Kuensel

Catering to Maenbi gewog, Tangmachu school and other government offices like the basic health unit and RNR office, Tangmachu town is growing. Click here to read...

Export restriction on potatoes from Bhutan to India lifted - Kuensel

The government of India (GoI) has given a one-year extension of exemption on the export of potatoes from Bhutan to India. Click here to read...

Maldives
Maldives to introduce an unemployment benefit scheme: Edition MV

Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer signed the agreement on behalf of the government while Country Director for Maldives Faris Hadd-Zavos signed the agreement on behalf of the World Bank. Click here to read...

Government announces measures to decrease expenditure, increase revenue: The Sun

The government, on Tuesday, has announced measures which will be taken to decrease state expenditure and increase state revenue in order to improve the fiscal situation of Maldives. Click here to read...

Myanmar
Myanmar’s SAC refuses to allow Sokhonn to meet Aung San Suu Kyi - Asia News Network

Foreign minister and ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar Prak Sokhonn was unable to meet with former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi due to unspecified “judicial procedures” cited by the ruling State Administration Council (SAC). Click here to read...

Two Indians shot dead in Myanmar near border: Report - Hindustan Times

Two people of Tamil origin were shot dead in the Tamu area of Myanmar, bordering Manipur, on Tuesday, according to media reports in the neighbouring country that Indian authorities were trying to corroborateClick here to read...

Beijing wants instability in Myanmar: Southeast Asia expert Bertil Lintner - India Blooms

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Myanmar on Saturday to attend a regional conference that the opposition views as a "violation of peace efforts". For his first visit since the military seized power in Myanmar ousting the elected government, Chinese FM Wang Yi will look to secure Beijing’s long-term interests. Click here to read...

Further clashes break out between resistance and junta forces in southern Shan, Karenni states - Myanmar Now

The anti-junta Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) launched a lethal attack on a military vehicle southeast of Loikaw last week, causing multiple casualties, a spokesperson for the resistance group said. Click here to read...

A Toothless International Response to a Merciless Myanmar Regime - The Irrawaddy

The world sees Myanmar’s generals and their military as “a bunch of thugs”. The problem, however, is that it doesn’t treat them as thugs. In a recent interview with The Irrawaddy, US State Department Counselor Derek Chollet called the ruling military “a bunch of thugs” Click here to read...

Myanmar military’s proxy party convenes central assembly - Myanmar Now

The proxy party of Myanmar’s military convened its annual central committee meeting in Naypyitaw on Wednesday amid tight security and expectations of a shakeup of senior leaders. Click here to read...

Nepal
Govt to withdraw citizenship bill, pass new one- The Himalayan Times

The government today decided to withdraw the Citizenship Act (Amendment) Bill from the Parliament. It will register a new citizenship bill and seek its passage through a fasttrack process. Click here to read...

Malaysia's Weston Company to hire Nepali workers on zero investment- The Himalayan Times

Malaysia-based Information Technology (IT) Company is all set to hire Nepali workers on zero investment. Click here to read...

Federal government overlooks statute as it wants to oversee Valley’s security- The Kathmandu Post

Nepali Congress and CPN-UML are in favour while the Maoists are against the proposed arrangement. Click here to read...

Gender-responsive budgeting: Good on paper, poor on implementation- The Kathmandu Post

In the absence of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, existing gender financing policies of Nepal have failed to yield desired results. Click here to read...

Pakistan
Parliamentary body to keep eye on talks with TTP: Dawn

The military on Tuesday secured the nod of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security’s for peace talks with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after conceding to the Pakistan Peoples Party’s demand for the process to be overseen by a parliamentary committee. Click here to read...

Pakistan turns net importer of Afghan goods: Dawn

As Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan saw a deeper drop since the Taliban took control of Kabul in August 2021, the government on Tuesday took a major decision to allow trade of all products to Kabul in the rupee via land routes owing to the non-availability of tradable currency through banking channels. Click here to read...

Army budget trimmed to pave way for IMF deal: The Express Tribune

Pakistan has slashed the armed forces development programme by Rs72 billion or one-fifth of the allocation made on June 10 in order to meet a major condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about achieving primary budget surplus in the new fiscal year. Click here to read...

Power subsidy dilemma: Govt reluctant to approve proposed hike in tariff: The News

Despite making a commitment with the IMF for raising the electricity tariff by Rs7.92 per unit, the federal cabinet has not yet approved the recent proposed increase of the power tariff by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) in a phase-wise manner. Click here to read...

Imran Khan warns of spilling beans if pushed to wall: The News

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan said Tuesday he would spill the beans if pushed to the wall, adding he was silent only for the sake of the country. Click here to read...

Sri Lanka
Bankrupt Sri Lanka's inflation jumps beyond 50 percent: ABS-CBN News

Sri Lanka's inflation hit a ninth consecutive record in June, official data showed Friday, rising to 54.6 percent a day after the IMF asked the bankrupt nation to rein in galloping prices and corruption. Click here to read...

Sri Lanka is 'bankrupt,' says PM Wickremesinghe: DW News

Sri Lanka is bankrupt and its unprecedented economic crisis is set to last until at least the end of next year, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told lawmakers in parliament on TuesdayClick here to read...

India to Supply Fuel to Sri Lanka Only After Advance Payment: Bloomberg

India is seeking payment in advance for supply of fuel to Sri Lanka after credit lines were exhausted, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The larger South Asian neighbor stopped supplying gasoline and diesel on credit after the island nation ran out of dollars to purchase fuels amid its worst economic crisis. Click here to read...

UK reinstates warning against travel to Sri Lanka: BBC

A shortage of basic necessities including medicines, cooking gas, fuel and food has sparked protests and violence in the Asian country. Sri Lanka's government said it only had enough petrol to last one day as it faces its worst crisis in 70 years. Click here to read...

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