Neighborhood News Digest – 22 June 2023

Afghanistan

Forcefully Displacing, Relocating Ethnic Groups Should be Stopped in Afghanistan: CSTO – The Khaama Press

The foreign ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) demanded that the forced displacement and relocation of ethnic and religious groups in Afghanistan should be stopped. The foreign ministers of CSTO in a joint statement on Tuesday emphasized they respect the fundamental rights of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan. Click here to read... [2]

Kabul Will Mediate TTP-Islamabad Talks If Pakistan Wants It: Mujahid – Tolo News

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that if Islamabad seeks it, the Islamic Emirate will mediate negotiations between Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Earlier, Pakistani media reported that the Afghan interim government tried to resume negotiations between the TTP and Islamabad. Click here to read... [3]

Bangladesh

Election Commission monitoring Rajshahi, Sylhet city polls through CCTV cameras - UNB

Election Commissioners Brigadier General Md Ahsan Habib Khan, Md. Alamgir and Rasheda Sultana have been observing the overall situation since 6 am this morning. They are monitoring the polls situation through 23 digital display boards, and 368 CCTV cameras in 2,520 voting rooms. Voting in 345 polling centers is being monitored through the display boards with autorotation after every 10 seconds. Click here to read... [4]

National election will be held on time, says Hasina - BD News

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says the 12th national election will be held on time as a continuation of the democratic process established by her Awami League government. The premier was speaking at a media briefing on Wednesday about her recent visits to Switzerland and Qatar. Click here to read... [5]

Bhutan

Bhutan Lowers Daily Tourist Tax For Visitors, But There Is A Catch – NDTV

Bhutan is lowering a fees it charges tourists who stay for more than four nights. According to a report in Independent, the move is an attempt to boost the number of visitors after the pandemic. Bhutan had increased the nightly charge, called Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), to $200 in September last year, as it opened its borders after more than two years of closure forced by Covid-19. This was a substantial hike from the $65 it had charged for about three decades. Click here to read... [6]

Maldives

Nasheed shakes up Maldives politics; leaves MDP - Avas

Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has announced his departure from the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Nasheed, who was MDP's President, sent a hand-written letter addressed to MDP Chairman Fayyaz Ismail informing him of his decision. The letter was shared on social media by Nasheed. Click here to read... [7]

Pres. of 77th UNGA session recognizes Maldives’ proactive engagement at UN - Raajje

Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has acknowledged the proactive engagement of the Maldives at the United Nations. As part of his ongoing official visit to Washington D.C. and New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid met with his successor, the President of the 77th UNGA session on Wednesday. Click here to read... [8]

Myanmar

World must rethink fundamental approach to Myanmar: UN expert - Aljazeera

Thomas Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, told reporters in Jakarta there had been no progress on implementing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) five-point peace plan, which the regional grouping agreed with Myanmar coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing soon after he took power in February 2021. Click here to read... [9]

Illegal Myanmar immigrants set up settlements in Manipur: Report - Shillong Times

A report by a sub-committee of the Manipur Cabinet has revealed that 2,187 illegal immigrants from Myanmar have set up settlements in 41 locations in four districts. The sub-committee is headed by Tribal Affairs and Hill Development Minister Letpao Haokip. The report said that the highest number of 1,147 Myanmar nationals were currently residing in Tengnoupal, followed by 881 in Chandel, 154 in Churachandpur and five in Kamjong. Click here to read... [10]

Nepal

India notifies procedure for wheat export to Nepal – The Hindu Business line

The Directorate-General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has asked experienced exporters to apply for permits for the allocation of wheat export quota to Nepal by June 30. However, it has not specified how much quantity will be permitted. Wheat export has been banned since May 13, 2022, except with permission from the government to friendly countries and on humanitarian grounds. Click here to read... [11]

Nepal’s Pokhara hosts massive event to mark International Yoga Day, promote tourism – The Print

About 1,000 Yoga enthusiasts on Wednesday held a massive event in Nepal’s Pokhara in a bid to promote the traditional Indian fitness routine, as the world marked International Yoga Day. The event, which featured Nepal’s Tourism Minister Sudan Kirati and Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava, also focussed on promoting tourism with an eye on the Indian market. Click here to read... [12]

Pakistan

Rawalpindi gains the upper hand in troubled Pakistan – The Hindu

After the violent events of May 9 in Pakistan following former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest in an alleged corruption case, the country’s powerful military establishment has decided to decimate Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). Negotiations are now off the table as the Army leadership swiftly dismantles the ‘Imran Khan Project’, which it had initiated with fanfare some years ago. Click here to read... [13]

Pakistan economic crisis: After Toyota, Suzuki shuts motorcycle and car plants due to kit shortage – Business Today

The plants have been shut till July 8. Pakistan Suzuki kept its four-wheeler plant shut for over 75 days from August 2022 till June 19. The SBP's curb on opening fresh letters of credit has adversely affected the arrival of completely knocked-down kits being imported by local assemblers, the Dawn reported. Click here to read... [14]

Pakistan is being run by its very own Ayatollahs. But this time, Jihadists aren’t to blame – The Print

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan’s Generals can’t risk opening a fourth front. Their surrender to the Tehreek-e-Labbaik last week demonstrates just how fragile the foundations of the State itself have become. Click here to read... [15]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan foreign minister to visit China June 24-30 - Chinese foreign ministry - Devi Discourse

Sri Lankan foreign minister Ali Sabry will visit China on June 24-30, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Click here to read... [16]

Sri Lanka consumer inflation slows to 22.1% in May - Zawya

Sri Lanka's National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) inflation eased to 22.1% year-on-year in May after a 33.6% rise in April, the statistics department said on Wednesday. The NCPI captures broader retail price inflation and is released with a lag of 21 days every month. Food price rises eased to 15.8% in May from 27.1% in April, while non-food inflation was at 27.6%, the Department of Census and Statistics said in a statement. Click here to read... [17]