Neighbourhood News digest - 03 May 2023

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s women and Taliban vie for spotlight at top UN Doha meet – Independent

Hundreds of Afghan women have taken part in protests to criticise what they see as an intentional decision to sideline them from a key UN meeting in Doha. The closed-door meetings, which involve discussions on the human rights situation in Afghanistan as well as on the removal of sanctions on the Taliban-led nation, will see nations around the world take part. The de facto authorities from the Taliban have not been invited to the critical talks being led by the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres. Click here to read... [2]

Foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China to meet in Islamabad – La Prensa Latina

Foreign ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China are expected to meet in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad over the weekend for trilateral talks focusing on the situation in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. “Both the Afghan interim foreign minister and Chinese foreign minister are expected to reach Islamabad over the weekend for trilateral mechanism talks,” a Pakistani foreign ministry official, who asked not to be named, told EFE. According to the official, the final date for the trilateral talks was still being finalized and could take place this weekend or early next week. “The trilateral meeting is expected on May 6 but it is being finally approved by the three sides,” another foreign ministry official told EFE on the condition of anonymity. Click here to read... [3]

Afghan girls, barred from education, turn to Madrassas to learn religious sciences – The Print

Afghan girls have turned to madrassas (religious schools) to learn the religious sciences since the country closed the schools for girls above the sixth grade, TOLOnews reported. Despite repeated requests to the Taliban for opening schools for girls in Afghanistan, the de-facto authorities have remained tight-lipped on the situation.In order to study religious sciences, 18-year-old Mubashera, who is currently in the twelfth grade, is enrolled in a madrassa. “It is ok that we can be (Quran reciter) through seminaries but it cannot replace our education. We cannot be a doctor by learning in seminaries,” Mubashera stated. Click here to read... [4]

Is Taliban Eyeing Greater Role with India-Russia-Afghanistan Strategic Railway Plan – Times Now

In a big strategic move, Taliban has rolled out plans to create the shortest and most economical route between Moscow and Delhi through Afghanistan. Taliban's government announced a plan to create 1,468 km-long railway track between Mazar-e-Sharif-Herat-Kandahar provinces to Delhi, then Moscow. The railway track will also connect East Asia with Iran, Turkey and European countries, and Central Asia and Russia with South Asia and sea ports. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

PM seeks long-term US partnership to build Smart Bangladesh – Daily Star

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said Bangladesh wants the United States as a long-term productive partner for increasing global competitiveness, and expand the export base to become a "developing" country in 2026. "We shall need support to increase our global competitiveness and expand the export base. I am optimistic that the United States would become our long-term productive partner in this challenging venture through trade, investment, technology transfer, and by creating a smooth and predictable supply chain for mutual benefits," she said. Click here to read... [6]

Multimodal connectivity to shape future links between Bangladesh, India – Daily Star

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma yesterday said the future links between Bangladesh and India would be shaped by multimodal connectivity, including through road and rail, inland waterways, coastal shipping, as well as energy and digital connectivity. He emphasized the long-term significance of connectivity in facilitating closer economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties. Verma was invited to deliver a keynote address at a seminar organized by Unnayan Shamannay on "Multimodal Connectivity" between Bangladesh and India. Click here to read... [7]

BNP demands immediate repeal of DSA – New Age

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party demanded the immediate repeal of the Digital Security Act, 2018, and the withdrawal of all cases filed under it. The party made the demand after discussing the issue in its standing committee meeting held virtually on Monday, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a press conference on Tuesday at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office. Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan

Govt. considering incentives for tourists: PM – Kuensel

The government is planning to introduce incentives for tourists to visit the country, Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said at a monthly meeting with the private sector last Friday. The meeting was attended by tour operators, contractors, and entrepreneurs working in various fields. Click here to read... [9]

Govt. launches new SOP on sharing information to media – Kuensel

With the implementation of a standard operating procedure (SOP), the government has increased the scrutiny of sharing public information with the media. In a six-page executive order issued by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Employment (MoICE) on April 28, only information related to functions and responsibilities are allowed to be shared with the media. Click here to read... [10]

Bhutan-China border resolution: What it holds for India – Financial Express

The talks over the Bhutan-China border settlement have raised concern for India. For Bhutan, the border settlement with China is about getting rid of the historical burden, messed with centuries-old feuds over the clumsy border dispute. In fact, it was not until 1998 that Beijing even formally recognized Bhutan as a sovereign state. Click here to read... [11]

Maldives

Maldives Press Freedom in Danger - HRW

After taking office, Solih was posed to turn over a new leaf on press freedom. Despite years ranking as one of the worst countries for media freedom in Asia, in 2021 the Maldives rose to 72nd place in the World Press Freedom Index. Today, that trend has reversed, with the Maldives dropping 15 places in 2022 amid fears of a further decline this year. Click here to read... [12]

India hands over two ships to Maldives, AN-32 propellers to SL - Tribune India

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today handed over two ships to the Maldives — a fast patrol ship and landing craft assault ship — at function in the island nation. Rajnath is on a three-day visit to the Maldives. The fast patrol ship is capable of coastal and offshore surveillance at high speed. It was commissioned as a coast guard ship in the Maldives National Defence Forces. President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi were present on the occasion. Click here to read... [13]

Myanmar

China’s foreign minister touts ‘friendship’ on Myanmar visit - Aljazeera

The Chinese CGTN broadcaster said Qin told Min Aung Hlaing that Beijing attaches “great importance” to its “friendship” with Myanmar and said the two men agreed to “further promote comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries”. “China advocates that the international community should respect Myanmar’s sovereignty and play a constructive role in helping it achieving peace and reconciliation,” Qin said, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry. Click here to read... [14]

Myanmar Junta pardons over 2000 prisoners jailed for dissent, PSG suspends Messi, and more - WioNews

In the latest,The junta in Myanmar announced that it had released more than 2,000 prisoners who had been jailed for inciting unrest against the military. In the United States, another woman has now accused former President Donald Trump of molesting her on a New York City-bound jet back in 1979. Click here to read... [15]

India-Myanmar Kaladan Waterway: Kolkata Port To Flag Off First Trial Movement Of Cargo Ship To Sittwe Port On 4 May - Swarjya Marg

A cargo ship will set sail from the Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP) in Kolkata on 4 may, for a trial run to test the new facility at Sittwe in Myanmar, as per a statement by Union minister Santanu Thakur. A shipment of 300 tonnes of cement from Ramco Cements Limited will be exported to Myanmar through this transit, as per reports. Click here to read... [16]

Nepal

Generational idiosyncrasy of Nepali Congress – The Kathmandu Post

Today, nepotism and the system of spoils used by NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba and his coterie has added another layer to the already toxic intra-party politics. The hegemony of the Deuba faction has proved to be an insurmountable hurdle for the next generation of political men such as Gagan Thapa, Bishwa Prakash Sharma and Shekhar Koirala. Click here to read... [17]

Nepal Supreme Court orders government to recognize same-sex marriage – Jurist

The Supreme Court of Nepal Tuesday instructed the government to legally recognize same-sex marriage. They further recommended a five-step plan in order to allow same-sex couples and non-cisgender individuals to get married in line with a 2015 court-ordered report, which has not yet been acted upon by the government. Click here to read... [18]

Nepal's economy slightly rebounds after entering a brief recession – Business Standard

Nepal's economy showed some signs of improvement after entering a brief recession, with the country's statistics department on Tuesday projecting a 2.16 per cent growth rate for the Himalayan nation. Nepal plunged into its first recession in six decades as economic output continued to be weighed down by inflation and political instability. Click here to read... [19]

Nepal Has Not Had a Chief Justice for 15 Months – The Wire

Nepal’s judiciary has been without a Chief Justice (CJ) for almost 15 months. Hari Krishna Karki, the senior-most justice of the Supreme Court, has been serving as acting CJ after another acting CJ, Deepak Kumar Karki, retired in October last year. Click here to read... [20]

Pakistan

Pakistan inflation hits record 36.4% in April, highest in region – The Hindu

Pakistan consumer prices rose a record 36.4% in the year to April, the highest inflation rate in South Asia, up from March's previous record of 35.4%, the statistics bureau said on Tuesday. Pakistan's rural areas recorded food inflation of 40.2%, the bureau told Reuters. Food inflation for both rural and urban areas reached 48.1%, the highest since FY16 when the bureau started recording the categories separately. Click here to read... [21]

Staff level agreement with IMF to be finalized after Budget 2023: Ex-Pak min – Mint

Pakistan's former finance minister Miftah Ismail said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will finalize the staff-level agreement after reviewing the Budget that is going to be announced in June this year, according to a report published by ARY News. Click here to read... [22]

Pakistan Taliban Commander Killed In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province – NDTV

Pakistani security forces on Monday claimed to have killed a notorious Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander who was involved in multiple attacks on law enforcement agencies and polio teams. Abdul Jabar Shah of the banned TTP Gandapur group was killed in an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering South Waziristan tribal district. Two terrorists were also injured in the operation. Click here to read... [23]

China, Russia, Pakistan Foreign Ministers to attend May 4 SCO meet in Goa – The Hindu

The Foreign Ministers of China and Russia will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Goa on May 4 and 5, on key visits expected to lay the groundwork for Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin to travel to India in early July. China’s Foreign Ministry on May 2 confirmed Foreign Minister Qin Gang’s trip to Goa, which comes exactly two months after he travelled to New Delhi for the G-20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, when he also had bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Click here to read... [24]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Banks Concerned Over Local Debt Restructuring, Seek Transparency from Government – Outlook India

Sri Lanka’s banking sector has sought more clarity and transparency from the government on the recently proposed domestic debt restructuring plans without causing a further escalation of the economic crisis in the country. Having obtained a $3 billion facility from the International Monetary Fund, cash-strapped Sri Lanka is currently negotiating debt restructuring with bilateral and multilateral creditors and is expected to make an announcement on the restructuring of both domestic and external debt. Click here to read... [25]

IAF chief meets Sri Lanka's top military leaders, exchange views on matters of bilateral importance – The Hindu

Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal V.R. Chaudhari on Tuesday met Sri Lanka's top military leaders and exchanged views on several matters of bilateral importance, while recalling the longstanding friendship between the two countries, amid China's growing influence in the island nation. Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari, who arrived here on Monday on a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka, called on the Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF), Air Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana at Air Force Headquarters hereClick here to read... [26]

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives conduct dialogue on Indian Ocean maritime cooperation – Island

Factum Sri Lanka, an Asia-Pacific focused think-tank on foreign policy, in partnership with The Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) and The Baani Centre for International Policy, Maldives, held a Trilateral Dialogue on Maritime Cooperation in the Indian Ocean in Colombo on April 30, 2023. The Dialogue was held in the backdrop of the Indian Ocean – The Ocean of the 21st Century’s significant big power contestations and focused on how small, island, and littoral states in South Asia can position themselves as hubs for cooperation in several areas, such maritime infrastructure, dealing with maritime disasters, climate resilience, and economy and trade. Click here to read... [27]