Neighborhood News Digest – 20 July 2023

Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, Women Protest Ban On Beauty Parlours - NDTV

Security officials shot in the air and used firehoses Wednesday to disperse dozens of Afghan women protesting in Kabul against an order by Taliban authorities to shut down beauty parlours, the latest curb to squeeze them out of public life. Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban government has barred girls and women from high schools and universities, banned them from parks, funfairs and gyms, and ordered them to cover up in public.Click here to read… [2]

Swedish Committee for Afghanistan suspends some operations after Taliban order – The Print

The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, a major humanitarian organisation, has paused some of its operations, it said on Wednesday, after a Taliban order halting Swedish activities in the country. The Taliban administration last week said all activities by Sweden in Afghanistan must stop in response to the burning of a Koran in Stockholm last month but it was not clear which institutions the order would apply to.Click here to read… [3]

Afghanistan’s Central Bank to auction USD 14 million – The Print

Afghanistan’s Central Bank Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) will auction USD 14 million by Wednesday to stabilize the national currency Afghani exchange rate, reported Khaama Press as stated by Afghanistan Central Bank. The bank further said that partial settlement of transactions is not permitted and that the auction winners must make a single, timely cash delivery of all amounts owed to Da Afghanistan Bank.Click here to read… [4]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh leather exports surge; India surpasses US as top market - Fibre2Fashion

During the first five months of 2023, Bangladesh's leather apparel and accessories exports reached a noteworthy $174.328 million. Interestingly, India has become a more significant market than the United States, a shift from the usual trend. India and the US comprised 22.30 per cent and 19.75 per cent of these exports, respectively. However, in 2022, the US and India were the first and second largest markets for Bangladesh's total leather exports, which amounted to $474.555 million.Click here to read… [5]

ADB To Help Improve Community Resilience, Livelihoods In Rural Bangladesh - Orissa Diary

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $120 million loan to help improve access to basic services and climate resilience of remote and rural communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.Click here to read… [6]

Bhutan

Bengal irrigation minister Partha Bhowmik seeks the Centre’s help to rein in Bhutan rivers – The Telegraph Online

Bengal irrigation minister Partha Bhowmik on Tuesday sought the Centre’s help to rein in the rivers descending from Bhutan and flowing through north Bengal. “These rivers come down from Bhutan and cause flash floods in certain areas of our state during the monsoon. As Bhutan is involved in it, we believe the Centre should play a key role in addressing the issue.Click here to read… [7]

Maldives

What the Maldivian election heralds for Indo-Pacific security - East Asia Forum

In September 2023, the Maldives will hold its next presidential election. Irrespective of the outcome, the Maldives is likely to pursue a foreign policy that supports stronger Indo-Pacific partnerships. It is not inaccurate to say that Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is likely to uphold Indo-Pacific partnerships because of his government’s close relationship with Delhi. But such an assessment is incomplete without considering what drives the Maldives’ interests and its recent regional security diplomacy.Click here to read… [8]

India Vs China: How This Geopolitical Rivalry Is Shaping The Presidential Elections In The Maldives - Swarajyamarg

As the campaigning for the upcoming presidential election in the Maldives gains momentum, the long-standing geopolitical rivalry between India and China is emerging as a critical factor shaping the political landscape of the island nation.Click here to read… [9]

Myanmar

Myanmar: Junta Continues Atrocities Against the Rohingya

Last month, when Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar, about 600,000 ethnic Rohingya were left trapped and exposed in its path. Hundreds were killed and hundreds of thousands of buildings damaged. This devastation and loss of life was both foreseeable and avoidable. Click here to read… [10]

India Steps Up Diplomacy With Myanmar

India is facing a vexing new foreign-policy headache along its border—and it doesn’t have to do with Pakistan or China. On Sunday, Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met his counterpart from Myanmar’s military-led government, Than Swe, on the sidelines of a regional conference in Bangkok. The meeting followed a two-day visit to Myanmar this month by Indian Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane.Click here to read… [11]

China has a responsibility for the 'tragic' situation in Myanmar, says MI6 chief

China has a responsibility for the "tragic" situation in Myanmar because it is the "foremost supporter" of the military regime, the head of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 has said. "It is appalling to see what is happening in that wonderful country," Sir Richard Moore told Sky News during a briefing with journalists in the Czech capital, Prague.Click here to read… [12]

Nepal

Nepal FM urges India to invest in its hydropower, IT sectors – Indian Express

Nepal Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat Tuesday urged India to invest in the neighbouring country, especially in the areas of hydropower, tourism, and information and communication technology. He also emphasised that India and Nepal share “not only a government-to-government relationship,” but rather one that “is also defined with its people-to-people relationship.”Click here to read… [13]

China launches ‘Silk Roadster’ projects under BRI in Nepal – The Kathmandu Post

The Communist Party of China (CPC) last week launched the “Silk Roadster” platform under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Nepal in the presence of some political parties and social organisations in Bhaktapur. Chinese leaders said the platform is a new concept brought to Nepal to mark the tenth anniversary of the proposition of the BRI by Chinese President Xi Jinping.Click here to read… [14]

Pakistan

IMF urges Pakistan to continue monetary policy tightening cycle – India Today

Pakistan must continue its monetary tightening cycle, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a staff report on Tuesday, a week after the lender approved a new bailout arrangement and less than two weeks before the country's central bank holds its next policy meeting. "The recent policy rate hike is welcome, but the tightening cycle should continue if needed to reduce inflation and facilitate external rebalancing," the staff report said.Click here to read… [15]

Pakistani Generals have a dilemma—keeping Imran Khan out can destabilise country’s politics – The Print

Thousands watched as a leather whip fell on the back of Kale Khan, proclaimed “a notorious smuggler” by the regime of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq: The hand of God was always busy in the Islamic utopia the General was building. Floggings and even amputation—“under local anaesthesia”, the regulations conceded, in a concession to modernity—were introduced in a new criminal code to punish criminals, fornicators and political opponents.Click here to read… [16]

Pakistan Facing "Exceptionally High" Economic Risks, Says IMF – NDTV

Beyond the upcoming election cycle and the current standby agreement, Pakistan needs another International Monetary Fund (IMF) program and assistance from other multilateral lenders, the lender stated in a report released on Tuesday, according to Dawn.Click here to read… [17]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Parliament passes Anti-Corruption Bill with 190 amendments - Devidiscourse

The Sri Lankan Parliament passed the Anti-Corruption Bill with a record 190 amendments, Daily Mirror reported on Wednesday. Notably, the bill was subjected to broad discussions by various individuals, organizations as well as the international community.Click here to read… [18]

India To Again Push For 13th Amendment On Tamil Issue As President Wickremesinghe Comes Calling - ABP Live

India plans to once again push for the implementation of the 13th Amendment in the Sri Lankan constitution that will address the issue of giving equal rights to the minority Tamil population there, during the upcoming visit of of Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe, ABP Live has learnt.Click here to read… [19]