Neighborhood News Digest- 20 May 2024

Afghanistan

Baradar: Baghlan Flood Disaster 'Severe,' Requires Immediate Aid-Tolo News

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, described the flood disaster in Baghlan (including casualties and damages) as significant during a meeting with officials from UN agencies in Afghanistan. According to a statement from the Economic Deputy Office, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in this meeting, asked UN representatives to coordinate with the Islamic Emirate to increase their development aid in addition to humanitarian assistance to the flood victims in Baghlan. Click here to read... [2]

Ministry Urges Return of Smuggled Artifacts- Tolo News

The acting Minister of Information and Culture, Khairullah Khairkhwa, emphasized the need to return smuggled artifacts to the country on International Museum Day. Khairkhwa stated that individuals involved in the smuggling of historical artifacts should be handed over to judicial authorities. According to him, the interim government has prevented the smuggling of 1,500 historical and ancient artifacts out of the country in the past three years. Click here to read... [3]

Afghan-Russian Economic, Trade Relations Take Center Stage at Kazan Summit-Tolo News

Nooruddin Azizi, the acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, held meetings with the president of Mordovia, and senior officials of the Russian Federation and Tatarstan on the sidelines of the Kazan Summit. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said that the discussions focused on increasing and balancing bilateral trade, preferential tariffs for Afghan goods, Russian investment in Afghanistan's mining and water dam projects, and Afghanistan's role in the North-South international transport corridor. Click here to read... [4]

Russia shows interest in importing Afghanistan’s agricultural products-The Khaama Press

Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, has announced that Moscow is interested in importing agricultural products from Afghanistan into its markets. TASS news agency reported that the Russian Prime Minister made these remarks on Friday, May 17, during the sidelines of the “Kazan” meeting. He called for increased exports from Afghanistan to Russia and mentioned the development of relations between the two countries in the areas of transportation and supply. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

Achieving $110b export target by FY27 is difficult - The Daily Star

The government's target of earning $110 billion from exports by the fiscal year of 2026-27 would be difficult to attain because of the persisting challenges in the global and local economies, economists and businesspeople said. Click here to read... [6]

Australian FM's Visit: Trade, Rohingya, regional security to get priority – The Daily Star

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong is scheduled to pay an official visit to Bangladesh on May 21-22 to strengthen bilateral relationship with Bangladesh and find ways to boost cooperation for regional peace, prosperity, and security. Click here to read... [7]

Dhaka seeks Delhi's support in locating missing MP Anar – Dhaka Tribune

The Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and the Deputy High Commission in Kolkata are in touch with the Ministry of External Affairs of India regarding the reported missing of MP Anwarul Azim Anar. Click here to read... [8]

Upazila polls: Election Commission eyes bigger turnout in second phase – Dhaka Tribune

Voters will show more interest in exercising their franchise in the second phase of the nationwide upazila elections, slated for tomorrow, compared to the first round of balloting, said Election Commissioner Md Alamgir. Click here to read... [9]

Bhutan

Bhutanese turn to EU as Australia tightens visa rules – Kuensel

As the greenest pasture for the Bhutanese, Australia becomes more stringent with its visa rules, they are increasingly eyeing the EU. There is no data on how many Bhutanese have moved to the EU countries so far. However, the success stories of visa applicants have become more visible in recent times. The increasing popularity of Europe as a destination for Bhutanese can be seen through advertisements on social media by consultancy firms and the discussions among those planning to emigrate. The trend has picked up after Australia changed its visa rules, which affected some immigrants and forced them to explore alternative destinations. Click here to read... [10]

Maldives

Saudi delegation in Maldives to conduct religious programs – Adhadhu

A delegation from Saudi Arabia's Islamic Ministry has arrived in the Maldives. Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed said the Saudi delegation is visiting to conduct a program for scholars and religious workers in collaboration with the Islamic Ministry. Shaheem said that many such social and scientific projects will be carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs of Saudi Arabia in the future. Click here to read... [11]

Maldives' state debt rises to MVR 126 billion – The Edition

Maldives' public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) debt, by the end of this year's first quarter, has reached a staggering MVR 126 billion. The quarterly bulletin published by Ministry of Finance shows that the total outstanding PPG debt is at MVR 126,184.9 million (MVR 126.2 billion, USD 8.19 billion), which is 110.1 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is an increase of MVR 1.4 billion within (USD 90.8 million) the first three months of 2024, given that the country's debt was at MVR 124.8 billion (USD 8.1 billion) at the end of last year. Click here to read... [12]

Myanmar

Myanmar Rebels Claim Control Of Town, Deny Targeting Rohingya - NDTV

A powerful armed ethnic group in Myanmar said on Sunday it had won control over a town in the western state of Rakhine after weeks of fighting, denying accusations it had targeted members of the Muslim-minority Rohingya during the offensive. Khine Thu Kha, a spokesman for the Arakan Army (AA), said its soldiers had taken Buthidaung near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh, marking another battlefield defeat for the ruling junta that is fighting opposition groups on multiple fronts. Click here to read... [13]

Myanmar: If sanctions aren’t the solution, what is - Lowly Institute

The decision by Australia in February last year to impose sanctions on 16 members of Myanmar’s ruling junta, as well as two military holding companies, received rare praise from a wide range of Myanmar resistance groups, international activists, and trade unions who had long been dissatisfied with Australia’s Myanmar policy. Click here to read... [14]

How Myanmar became the opium capital of the world - East Asia Forum

Myanmar’s opium production, along with heroin exports, have skyrocketed since the 2021 coup, as economic and social turmoil leaves many farmers with few alternatives. The military regime, along with drug traffickers, often compel farmers to cultivate opium. This means that record-high profits from poppy seed farming are doing little to improve the livelihoods for most in the country. The United Nations and broader international community should ensure that development initiatives in Myanmar reflect the push and pull factors fuelling the country's opium industry. Click here to read... [15]

Nepal

Nepal bans sale of Indian spice-mix products over quality concerns - The Hindu

After Singapore and Hong Kong, Nepal has also banned the sale and import of certain spice-mix products manufactured by Indian brands over alleged quality concerns. Four spice-mix products by MDH and Everest were banned in the Himalayan nation from Friday due to suspected ethylene oxide or EtO contamination, according to the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control here. Click here to read... [16]

Nepal PM Prachanda set to seek Vote of Confidence for fourth time - Indian Express

The prime minister is required to take a vote of confidence within 30 days if the party he is representing splits or if a member of the coalition government withdraws support, as per the Article 100 clause 2 of the Constitution. The Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) withdrew its support last week while quitting the coalition government. This will be the fourth vote of confidence for Prime Minister Prachanda within one and a half year after he assumed the top executive position on December 25, 2022. Click here to read... [17]

EU and Nepal launch new flagship to support electrification of rural areas - European Commission

Today, a new Global Gateway energy flagship project was launched in Nepal with the inauguration of a 28 km extension of Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV double circuit electricity transmission line and sub-stations that allow distribution of electricity from hydropower. The flagship project “Efficient Transmission of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources in Nepal,” will support electrification of rural households and provision of clean, affordable, and reliable energy to the Nepali population. Click here to read... [18]

Pakistan

Shehbaz appointed interim PML-N president, Nawaz set for re-election on May 28-The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been appointed interim president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), stated that his elder brother and former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif was unjustly removed from the party's presidency through a conspiracy. On May 13, Prime Minister Shehbaz had stepped down as the president of the PML-N, paving the way for party supremo and three times former premier Nawaz Sharif to be elected as the party head. Click here to read... [19]

Turkish FM Hakan Fidan arrives in Islamabad on official visit-The Express Tribune

Foreign Minister of Turkiye Hakan Fidan arrived in Islamabad on Sunday on a two-day official visit to Pakistan. FM Fidan was received by Additional Foreign Secretary (Afghanistan & West Asia) Ambassador Ahmed Naseem Warraich. FM Fidan will call on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and hold extensive discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, a Foreign Office statement said. Click here to read... [20]

Pakistani students flee Kyrgyzstan after mob attacks-Dawn

After a mob attack left several int¬er¬national students, inc¬luding Pakistanis, injured in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bish¬kek, Pakistan on Sat¬urday summoned Kyrgyz envoy Melis Moldaliev to the Foreign Office and demanded “all possible measures” for the protection of the students, with the embassy asking them to remain indoors till de-escalation of the situation. Click here to read... [21]

Dar discusses MBS visit preparations with Saudi FM-The Express Tribune

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and discussed with him issues of bilateral interest, including preparations for the visit of the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman to Pakistan. According to a Foreign Office statement, during the telephone call, their discussed bilateral relations and focused on exploring various avenues for further strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors. Click here to read... [22]

Sri Lanka

Arrest of four persons over War Dead Commemoration: Sri Lankan authorities in Canada in dilemma – Daily Mirror

The recent arrest of four Tamils in the Eastern Province over the commemoration of war dead has left Sri Lankan diplomatic authorities in Canada in a precarious position in countering allegations regarding human rights violations, a top source said. Click here to read... [23]

March outstanding credit card balance stands at Rs. 148.7 bn – Daily Mirror

Outstanding credit card balance of the licensed commercial banking sector has little changed in March from February despite an uptick signaling the trend that would follow as the consumers grow more optimistic about the economy. The interest rates have fallen to single digit levels. Click here to read... [24]

President meets Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Investments – Daily Mirror

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is on an official visit to Indonesia, met Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, the President's Media Division (PMD) said. Click here to read... [25]

UN rights office urges Sri Lanka to reveal fate of the disappeared – Daily Mirror

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday urged the Sri Lankan Government to take decisive action to uncover the fates and locations of tens of thousands of individuals subjected to enforced disappearances over the years and to hold those responsible accountable. Click here to read... [26]