Neighborhood News Digest – 20 November 2023

Afghanistan

Pakistan military says four fighters killed near Afghanistan border – AlJazeera

Pakistani security forces have killed four armed fighters, including a highly sought individual, near the northwestern border with Afghanistan, the military announced Sunday. Pakistani forces traded gunfire with the fighters during an “intelligence-based operation” in the Khaisoor area of North Waziristan district, said a military press release. The troops killed four fighters, including one “high-value target” identified by the single name of “Ibrahim”. Click here to read... [2]

Saffron traders in Afghanistan urge for more facilities in exports, visas – Business Standard

Saffron traders in western Herat province say the government needs to give them greater assistance in securing visas and exporting their goods overseas, particularly as the ninth Saffron Flower Festival is approaching in the country, Pajhwok News reported. Click here to read... [3]

From Monday, 300 Containers will Arrive from Karachi Daily: ACCI – Tolo News

The Chamber of Commerce and Investment said that based on the agreement between the authorities of the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan, up to 300 containers of goods currently stopped at the port of Karachi are going to go to Afghanistan starting tomorrow (Monday). The head of the Administration of this chamber told TOLOnews that Pakistan's stopping of containers full of transit goods in Karachi port has caused huge financial losses to the merchants of the country. Click here to read... [4]

Afghanistan’s economy on the brink of collapse: USIP – The Khaama Press

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) said in a report published on Friday that Afghanistan’s economy is on the verge of collapse. Many Afghan families are struggling to meet their basic needs. The report blames the economic decline on factors like the return of migrants, restrictions on women’s work, and the ban on poppy cultivation without providing alternative crops for farmers. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

India Playing Neutral Role; Awami League Will Win, Minister Shahriar Alam Says - ABP Live

The ruling Awami League government of Bangladesh is hopeful that not only will it come back to power during the upcoming parliamentary elections to be held on January 7, 2024, but will come back with a “big margin”, even as the country is witnessing political violence and strike calls almost every day, including in capital Dhaka, according to State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Md. Shahriar Alam. Click here to read... [6]

Border Security Force nabs seven Indians, one Bangladeshi near international border - Telegraph India

The Border Security Force (BSF) intercepted seven Indians and a Bangladeshi from the international frontier in north Bengal on Saturday. All of them have been handed over to police. Sources said the 91st battalion of the BSF posted at Elendry border outpost in South Dinajpur district had apprehended Shankar Roy, Mujahar Ali and Imran Haque from Chakrashail village around 7.30pm on Saturday. The trio, all residents of the South Dinajpur district, were moving suspiciously on a motorcycle, said the BSF. Click here to read... [7]

ICC receives Palestine referral from Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros, Djibouti and South Africa - Jurist.org

The International Criminal Court (ICC) released a statement on Friday saying it received a referral from Bangladesh, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Comoros, Djibouti and South Africa regarding the Situation in the State of Palestine. ICC Prosecutor Karim AA Khan KC affirmed that an investigation is currently ongoing with its own dedicated team. Click here to read... [8]

Bangladesh top court upholds ban on largest Islamist party - Tribune India

Bangladesh’s highest court on Sunday dismissed an appeal by the country’s largest Islamist party seeking to overturn a 2013 ruling that barred it from participating in elections for violating the constitutional provision of secularism Bangladesh is set to hold its next national elections on January 7. Click here to read... [9]

Bhutan

Bhutan Parliamentary Friendship Group established – Kuensel

Ambassador Sonam Tobgay co-hosted a reception with David Smith MP, Co-Chair of Bhutan Parliamentary Friendship Group and Senator Dean Smith, Deputy Chair, for Parliamentarians and friends of Bhutan to celebrate the establishment of the Bhutan Parliamentary Friendship Group at the Australian Parliament House in Canberra on November 13. Click here to read... [10]

FCB is exploring bigger markets in India for potatoes – The Bhutan Live

The Food Corporation of Bhutan, FCB with support from relevant stakeholders have now started exploring bigger markets in India for potatoes from Bhutan. Recently a truckload of potatoes was exported to Kolkata for trial from the FCB’s auction yard in Phuentshogling. If everything goes well as planned, the market issues of potato growers are likely to be solved from next year. Click here to read... [11]

Temple celebrating 50 years of Bhutan-India ties nearing completion – Kuensel

A Bhutanese temple, a tribute marking the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Bhutan and India, in Rajgir, Bihar is close to completion. The Consul General of Bhutanese Consulate General of Kolkata attended the sertog (golden pinnacle) installation ceremony performed by the monks led by the head lam of Bhutanese monastery in Bodhgaya yesterday. Click here to read... [12]

Maldives

Why the Maldives President requested India to withdraw its troops from the island- Indian Express

Mohamed Muizzu, the newly elected President of Maldives, “formally requested” the Indian government to “withdraw its military personnel” from the country, through a statement from his office issued on November 18. India’s Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju, who was present at Muizzu’s swearing-in ceremony on November 17, is also learnt to have discussed the matter with him. Muizzu in his meeting with Minister Rijiju it was “agreed” that the “two governments would discuss workable solutions for continued cooperation” through the use of these platforms as this “serves the interests of the people of Maldives”. Click here to read... [13]

Maldives' new Foreign Minister Zameer aims for collaborative solutions with India- Avas

The newly appointed Foreign Minister, Moosa Zameer, has expressed his commitment to working collaboratively with India on issues of mutual interest and concern. Zameer made the remark on social media platform X, responding to a congratulatory message from India's External Affairs Minister Dr. Subramaniam Jayashankar on his appointment as Foreign Minister. Click here to read... [14]

Myanmar

29 Myanmarese soldiers sent back to Myanmar - NE NOW

At least 29 Myanmarese soldiers, who sought shelter in Mizoram following an intense gunfight with militia group People’s Defence Force (PDF), were sent back to their country on Sunday, an official said. With these, a total of 74 officers and personnel of the Myanmar army, who fled to India after their camps were overrun by pro-democracy militia groups in the recent gunfight, have been safely escorted back to Myanmar, the official said. Click here to read... [15]

Philippines’ Marcos says Myanmar a difficult problem for ASEAN - The Print

The conflict in military-ruled Myanmar has been a difficult issue for the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN to address, with little progress made towards a resolution and intensifying fighting, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos said. Click here to read... [16]

Vietnamese spiritual leader urges India to start peace dialogue between Myanmar junta and rebels - The Hindu

India must intervene to build dialogue among the warring factions in Myanmar, the senior-most Vietnamese Buddhist monk stationed in India has proposed. In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Thầy Huyền Diệu, also known as the Venerable Dr. Lam, the founder of the Vietnamese monastery in Bodh Gaya, said India has cultural influence in the form of Buddhism and should exercise this advantage over Myanmar to initiate dialogue among the junta, the National Unity government, and ethnic armed groups in that country. Click here to read... [17]

Nepal

Kathmandu Valley Police arrest 165 people for illegal gambling during Tihar Festival - g2g news

The Kathmandu Valley Police arrested 165 people in raids recently across multiple illegal gambling establishments during the Tihar festival (Diwali Celebration) in Nepal. The police raided a total of 13 locations in Kathmandu after receiving intelligence about the possibility of illegal gambling activities being carried out in these places, as per the Kathmandu Valley Police Office. The raids led to the seizure of cash worth Nepalese Rs 34.6 lakh. Click here to read... [18]

Pimpri-Chinchwad: Traffic Management, Next-Gen Tech In Focus As Nepal Delegation Meets PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh - Free Press Journal

A delegation from Nepal paid a visit to the main administrative headquarters of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) on Saturday. During the session, discussions ranged across several vital subjects, encompassing next-generation technologies, city traffic management, water supply, drainage, and more, with PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh. Click here to read... [19]

Nepal-China ties tense up over TikTok, airport - Wion News

The Nepalese govt has decided to ban the Chinese-owned social media app- TikTok for disturbing social harmony and goodwill. Kathmandu has also sent shockwaves to Beijing after it launched a probe into a Chinese project - the newly built Pokhara International Airport that was inaugurated in January. Click here to read... [20]

Pakistan

Govt urged to revive five-year development planning – Dawn

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has advised Pakistan to revive its five-year development planning, get climate-sensitive public investment management plans working and publish criteria for project appraisals for transparency to attract global climate financing. Click here to read... [21]

U.S. lawmakers call for withholding assistance to Pakistan over constitutional order and election fairness concerns – The Hindu

A group of 11 influential U.S. lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to withhold future assistance to Pakistan until Islamabad restores constitutional order and holds free and fair elections, it emerged on November 19. In a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the lawmakers, which included Congresswoman Ilhan Omar requested the state department to assess if U.S.-origin security assistance had facilitated human rights violations in Pakistan. Click here to read... [22]

IMF Revises Pakistan's Foreign Loan Requirement To $25 Billion: Report – NDTV

The IMF has revised down Pakistan's foreign loan requirements to USD 25 billion for the ongoing fiscal year -- reducing it by USD 3.4 billion in a big relief for its cash-starved economy, according to a media report on Saturday. The Washington-based global lender also lowered the economic growth projection to just 2 per cent, turning down the government's external as well as macroeconomic forecasts, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Click here to read... [23]

Roadside Bomb Kills 3 People In Pakistan's Insurgency-Hit Baluchistan Province – Outlook

Police officer Mohammad Rahim said the bomb was planted on a dirt road in Balgatar area of Kech district and was detonated remotely. Three men, two of whom were brothers, were killed while on their way to a family gathering, and a privately owned car was destroyed, he said. Click here to read... [24]

Sri Lanka

MDMK urges Union govt. to ‘deal toughly’ with Sri Lanka on fishermen issue– The Hindu

Sri Lankan navy on November 18 took custody of 22 Indian fishermen and their two dhows on charges of poaching in the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) principal secretary, Durai Vaiko asked for a strong action from the Union Government on arrest of Indian Fisherman. Durai Vaiko further stated that, Arresting fishermen from Tamil Nadu appears to be a “routine” affair for the Sri Lankan Navy along the Palk Bay region. Click here to read... [25]

Sri Lanka shares details of its agreement with China’s Exim Bank with Paris Club- All India Radio

Sri Lanka has shared details of its agreement with China’s Exim Bank with the Paris Club. Reports from local news portals indicated the island nation had come to an agreement with the Chinese EXIM Bank in October this year to restructure the debt owed by Sri Lanka. Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe noted that sharing these details was a crucial step towards potential assistance from the Paris Club. Mr. Weerasinghe expressed hope that this would pave the way for clearing an impending International Monetary Fund (IMF) review before the year's end. Click here to read... [26]

President addresses leader’s session of the 2nd Voice of Global South Summit- The Island

In a virtual address during the Leader’s Session of the Second Voice of Global South Summit, President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the invitation, acknowledging India’s pivotal role in organizing the event. The summit was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi and attended by distinguished leaders from various developing countries. During his address at the First Summit, President Wickremesinghe highlighted common challenges faced by the Global South, particularly economic issues such as debt settlement difficulties and limited accessibility to international financial markets. Click here to read... [27]