Neighborhood News Digest – 25 August 2023

Afghanistan

WFP Says '5.6 Million' Afghans Given Aid in July – Tolo News

The World Food Program announced it provided food and cash to more than 5.6 million people across Afghanistan in July. Wahidullah Amani, the spokesperson of the World Food Program in Afghanistan, said that the assistance of the organization includes 35,000 tons of food and $9 million in cash, which was distributed to the citizens of Afghanistan in July.Click here to read… [2]

Modi, Iran President explore partnership on Afghanistan, counter-terrorism – The Economic Times

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Iranian President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi to discuss cooperation in various areas, including Afghanistan, counter-terrorism, energy, trade, investment, and connectivity. They also agreed to expedite infrastructure cooperation, particularly regarding the Chabahar Port, which serves as India's gateway to Afghanistan and Central Asia.Click here to read… [3]

Bangladesh

Is New Delhi loading the dice in favour of Awami League - Deccan Herald

The people of Bangladesh may be forgiven for wondering whether India is trying to fix the next general election, due in January 2024 to ensure the re-election of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A series of media reports, from the Indian diplomatic establishment have suddenly appeared, claiming that India and the United States were ‘on the same page’, in the belief that only Hasina and her Awami League were capable of keeping China and Islamists at bay in Bangladesh.Click here to read… [4]

The 'undesirables' - National News

To date, not one refugee has returned to Rakhine State through the repatriation mechanism agreed on by Myanmar and Bangladesh in November 2017. The Rohingya’s demands for citizenship, which they have historically been denied, and requests for security assurances, have gone unheeded by Myanmar's military junta.Click here to read… [5]

Bhutan

China, Bhutan hold first meeting on ‘delimitation of boundary’, agree to speed up border resolution – The Hindu

China and Bhutan have this week held the first meeting of newly set up joint technical team on the delimitation of their disputed boundary, as officials from both sides met for four days in China and agreed to speed up a boundary resolution.Click here to read… [6]

India to export rice to Mauritius & Bhutan in an exception for friends – Mint

India will supply 14,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice this year to Mauritius and 79,000 tonnes to Bhutan under humanitarian operations, making an exception for two key diplomatic partners. The decision has been taken after India received requests from both the nations to exempt the export prohibition on non-basmati rice, two government officials aware of the matter said.Click here to read… [7]

Bhutan: Web-based Corporate and Retail Internet Banking launched for businesses, individuals – The Print

The Bank of Bhutan on Thursday launched a new web-based Corporate and Retail Internet Banking Service, according to The Bhutan Live. Now, businesses and individuals can perform various online financial and non-financial transactions with the comfort of digital devices.Click here to read… [8]

Maldives

Onion shortage in India drives Maldives prices to MVR 5 per kg - Edition

Due to the challenge in procuring onions from India persists as onion prices surge in the Indian market, the cost of onions in Maldives has also increased. Approximately two days ago, a 25 kg sack of onions was available for purchase at MVR 225. However, the price has surged to MVR 350, a rise of MVR 5 per kilogram.Click here to read… [9]

Myanmar

Myanmar junta ‘furious’ over US bank sanctions - RFA

U.S. sanctions on two of Myanmar’s state-owned banks aimed at cutting off funds to the military regime are making the junta “furious,” military officials have acknowledged, prompting the junta to pivot to banks in India, China and Thailand to conduct foreign currency transactions.Click here to read… [10]

Rohingya: Gang violence stalks world's largest refugee camp - BBC

Drug smuggling and human trafficking gangs have turned life at Cox's Bazar into a nightmare for the close to one million ethnic minority Rohingyas, many of whom crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2017 to escape a military crackdown. Forty-eight people have died in gang violence as of mid-July, exceeding the 40 fatalities for all of 2022.Click here to read… [11]

Nepal

Bundling of many legal amendments in a single bill raises question of intent – The Kathmandu Post

The government on May 9 registered a bill to amend some Nepal Acts in the House of Representatives. The bill seeks to revise 80 Acts—around a third of the country’s total. With the single bill, the government is preparing to amend the Acts related to criminal office, forest use, environment protection, university education—and what not. In case of minor revisions, there is a practice of amending multiple Acts through a single bill. But in recent years, successive governments have been introducing such bills even for crucial changes to multiple Acts in a single go.Click here to read… [12]

Nepal gay marriage 'victory' hits legal roadblock – BBC

On 13 July, the district court in Nepal's capital Kathmandu, refused to register their marriage, arguing that lower courts were not bound to follow the interim order as it was only directed at the government. The district court's refusal to register the marriage is being seen as a fresh setback to decades of progress Nepal has made to improve legal protections and social acceptance of sexual minorities.Click here to read… [13]

After Bhutan, Assam refinery eyes Nepal for supplying high-altitude diesel – The Hindu

With the market in civil war-ravaged Myanmar unlikely to open up anytime soon, an Assam refinery is now eyeing Nepal for a special grade of diesel that can be used easily in sub-zero conditions. The public sector Numaligarh Refinery (NRL), often referred to as the Assam Accord Refinery, has been the lone supplier of low-pour high-speed diesel to Bhutan for several years now. This grade of diesel, enabling vehicles and machines to be operated in temperatures as low as -30 degrees centigrade, is also supplied to the Indian armed forces across the Himalayan belt.Click here to read… [14]

Nepal resumes importing onions from India to calm rising demand – The Economic Times

Traders in Nepal have resumed importing onions from India to meet the soaring domestic demand ahead of a festival season, days after the supply was halted following India's decision to slap a 40 per cent export tax on the vegetable. Last week, India, the world's biggest exporter of onions, imposed a 40 per cent tariff on the export of the vegetable till December 31.Click here to read… [15]

Pakistan

ECP vows fair polls ‘as soon as possible’, level playing field – Dawn

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Thursday held out the assurance that transparent polls would be conducted in the country ‘as soon as possible’ and level playing field would be provided to all political parties to take part in the democratic exercise. The assurance came during the first consultative session held with political parties on the roadmap to elections with Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in the chair.Click here to read… [16]

Chandrayaan-3 Gets Front-Page Coverage In Pakistan Despite Strained Ties – NDTV

Despite the chill in bilateral ties, Pakistan's media today gave front-page coverage to India's historic moon landing while a former minister even called it a "great moment" for India's space agency, ISRO. 'India becomes first nation to land near Moon's south pole' was the headline in most of the Pakistani newspapers and websites.Click here to read… [17]

Pakistan in BRICS? China pushes for expansion; India stands firm against Islamabad’s inclusion – Mint

China wants to integrate Pakistan into the BRICS alliance, and XI Jinping’s attempt has triggered a diplomatic complexity. This development arises as China argues that the BRICS coalition should expand its membership to include more developing nations, using this rationale to advocate for Pakistan's inclusion.Click here to read… [18]

Explained | What are the amendments to the Pakistan Army Act? – The Hindu

On July 27, the Pakistan senate passed a Bill to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952. The Bill has expanded the ambit of the Army Act by inserting clause 1A in Section 8 of the Act. With this change, the Act will include civilians working in entities affiliated with or controlled by the Pakistan Army like the Fauji Foundation, Army Welfare Trust, Fauji Urea, Fauji Cement, etc. The Bill has added two new sections to Section 26 of the Act.Click here to read… [19]

Pakistan court adjourns hearing on Imran Khan's appeal in the Toshakhana case – India Today

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday adjourned the hearing until Friday on the appeal filed by Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan challenging his conviction and sentence by a sessions court in the Toshakhana corruption case. A panel of judges comprising IHC Chief Justice Amer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri resumed the hearing of appeal against the conviction of 70-year-old Khan in the Toshakhana case.Click here to read… [20]

Sri Lanka

EAM S Jaishankar for full implementation of 13A in Sri Lanka for addressing issues of Tamil community - Times of India

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed hope for a reconciliation process that addresses the aspirations of the minority Tamil community in Sri Lanka for equality, justice and self-respect, as he highlighted the implementation of the 13 Amendment to the Constitution to achieve the objective.Click here to read… [21]

Chandrayaan-3's landing on Moon "remarkable milestone": Sri Lanka Opposition leader Premadasa - Dev Discourse

Congratulating India, Sri Lankan Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said that the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon "is a remarkable milestone for the advancement of lunar science and exploration." Premadasa, in Lankan Parliament, noted that the mission, launched on July 14, reached the Moon's South Pole, making India the sole nation to achieve such a feat.Click here to read… [22]