Neighborhood News Digest- 27 May 2024

Afghanistan

Afghanistan 6th Most Vulnerable Country to Climate Change: UNDP-Tolo News

The representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Stephen Rodriques, said that although Afghanistan does not contribute to climate change, it is the sixth most vulnerable country, losing millions of dollars annually as a result. In an exclusive interview with TOLO news, Stephen Rodriques said that the climate change and flooding have caused damage to residents in several provinces of Afghanistan. Click here to read… [2]

Mujahid: Afghanistan’s Conditions Must Be Met for Doha Participation-Tolo News

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate, said that after reviewing the agenda of the third Doha meeting, the Islamic Emirate will participate if the agenda proves to be beneficial for Afghanistan. Zabihullah Mujahid also said that in the upcoming Doha meeting, there should be discussions on greater engagement with the Islamic Emirate, lifting restrictions on interim government officials, and addressing key issues concerning Afghanistan. Click here to read… [3]

UN expresses concern over rise in child marriages in Afghanistan-The Khaama Press

The United Nations Women’s Section has reported a 25% increase in child marriages in Afghanistan due to the ban on girls’ education. In a published report, the organization has called on the international community to pay attention to the Afghanistan situation, including restoring human rights, particularly women’s rights. Click here to read… [4]

Iran Secures Water Rights from Afghanistan Following Negotiations: Qomi- Tolo News

The ambassador and special representative of Iran to Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said that over 300 million cubic meters of Tehran's water rights have been secured from Afghanistan this solar year through negotiations and agreements with Afghanistan's interim government. In an interview with an Iranian media outlet, Hassan Kazemi Qomi said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ensured Iran's water rights by repairing the Kamal Khan Dam gates and dredging the water transfer route towards Sistan. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

Budget for FY25: Scope likely for legalising black money - The Daily Star

The government is thinking about allowing again undisclosed money to be legalised and laundered money to be brought back home through formal channels in the next budget. Click here to read… [6]

Geopolitical Competition: Bangladesh needs to prepare better – The Daily Star

As great power competition intensifies in the Indian Ocean region, it is high time that Bangladesh prepares better and plays its balancing act effectively to ensure its national interest, said international relations analysts at a book launch yesterday. Click here to read… [7]

RMG seeks tax relief, incentives in FY25 budget to tackle challenging economic climate – Dhaka Tribune

Facing a slowdown in global demand and rising production costs, Bangladesh's garment industry is urging the government for tax breaks and extended policy support in the upcoming FY25 budget. Click here to read… [8]

Draconian laws stifling journos’ voices: Rizvi – The Daily Star

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday alleged that journalists in Bangladesh are working in a fearful atmosphere, facing numerous adversities, as the government has enacted several draconian laws aimed at stifling voices. Click here to read… [9]

Bhutan

Bhutan receives Nu 2.5 billion first tranche for ESP-Kuensel

The Ambassador of India to Bhutan, Sudhakar Dalela, handed over a cheque of Nu 2.5 billion as the first tranche of the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) to finance minister Lekey Dorji on May 22. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay officially launched the Nu 15 billion ESP on May 18 in Thimphu. The Government of India will support the ESP. A dedicated ESP secretariat under the cabinet will oversee the programme’s implementation. Click here to read… [10]

Overseas agents dominate tourism in Bhutan-Kuensel

As the government aims to increase the annual average number of tourist arrivals to 300,000, skepticism among tourism service providers is on the rise. They argue that while the government benefits from the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), the real profits are being siphoned off by overseas agents. Tour operators say overseas agents dominate local agents because tourists can apply for visas online, bypassing local agents. Click here to read… [11]

Maldives

New FTA to be signed between Maldives and India – Adhadhu

Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed has announced that efforts were underway to reach a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the Maldives and India. At a press conference on May 25, Economic Minister Saeed stated that India is willing to have a free trade agreement with Maldives separately, in addition to SAFTA. An FTA was signed between South Asian countries in 2004. The agreement was titled the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). Click here to read… [12]

Pres. in Antigua and Barbuda for fourth SIDS Conference – Raajje

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is in Antigua and Barbuda to participate in the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The SIDS conference is hosted by the UN once a decade. The Fourth International Conference on SIDS is scheduled to take place in Antigua and Barbuda from May 27 – 30. As part of the summit, the president will be delivering his national statement at the plenary of the summit on May 27. Click here to read… [13]

Myanmar

International community unites against escalating crisis in Myanmar - Weekly Blitz

In response to the escalating conflict in Myanmar, a coalition of nations, including the United States of America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, issued a resolute joint statement on May 24, 2024. This declaration vehemently condemns the violence ravaging the country and urgently calls for concerted international action to mitigate the worsening humanitarian crisis. Click here to read… [14]

NIA finds ‘hawala’ route used to buy illegal weapons from Myanmar by Northeast insurgents - New Indian Express

The anti-terror federal probe agency NIA in its investigation into a case related to smuggling of weapons in the North-East region of the country, has found that ‘hawala’ channels are being used to pay to Myanmar-based suppliers of arms and ammunition, which are illegally brought to Manipur and Mizoram, sources here said on Sunday. The sources said that the NIA teams found out about the mode of payment on Saturday following raids at six locations including a gun shop in Mizoram capital Aizawl. Click here to read… [15]

"Won't let that happen": PM Sheikh Hasina on 'plot' to carve out new state out of Bangladesh, Myanmar - Devi discourse

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has claimed that a plot is being hatched to carve out "a Christian state like East Timor," from parts of Bangladesh and Myanmar and asserted that she "won't let this happen," as reported by The Daily Star. Hasina has further claimed that she was offered a hassle-free re-election in the January 7 polls if she allowed a foreign country to build an airbase inside Bangladeshi territory. Click here to read… [16]

China – Myanmar border trade declines - Mizzima

China-Myanmar border trade between 1 April and 10 May 2024 dropped by US$ 127.28 million compared to the same period last year. This year overland trade with China was worth US$ 280.44 between 1 April and 10 May. Last year over the same period it was worth US$ 407.7 million, according to the junta’s Ministry of Commerce’s trade figures. Total trade at the Muse border crossing was US$ 140.216 million, of which US$ 138 million was exports and US$ 2.216 million was imports. Total trade at the Kampaiti border crossing was US$ 67.66 million, of which, US$ 55.895 million was exports and US$ 11.765 million was imports. Total trade at the Kengtung border crossing was US$ 71.27 million, of which, US$ 25.333 million was exports and US$ 45.946 million was imports. Total trade at the Lweje border crossing was US$ $1.214 million, which was all imports. There were no exports from Lweje during this period. Between 1 April and 10 May, no trade went through the Chinshwehaw border crossing. Click here to read… [17]

Nepal

Utilize reopened Nepal-China border points for mutual benefits - My Republica

The official announcement of the reopening of 14 traditional border trade points between Nepal and China on Saturday marks a significant milestone in the bilateral relations of these two neighboring nations. After a hiatus of four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the resumption of trade and movement through these traditional crossings, including the notable Kimathangka transit in Sankhuwasabha, promises to enhance economic ties and foster deeper people-to-people connections, which are crucial for sustainable and mutually beneficial relations. Click here to read… [18]

‘Nepal's hydropower can benefit Bangladesh, entire region’ - Business Post BD

Bangladesh's neighbouring Nepal holds vast potential for hydropower generation. The Himalayan country has set an ambitious target to generate 28,000 megawatts (MW) of hydroelectricity by 2035, with significant portions aimed at export — 10,000 MW to India and 5,000 MW to Bangladesh. Bangladesh is hopeful to start importing 40 MW of electricity from Nepal in the first phase using the Indian gridline starting in July. Click here to read… [19]

Nepal ranks 10th among countries at high climate risk - khabar Hub

Due to its unique topography and geological characteristics, Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change. According to a study by the international organization ‘German Watch,’ Nepal ranks 10th among countries at high risk from climate change based on the Long-Term Climate Risk Index (2000–2019) conducted in 2011. The impacts of rising temperatures due to climate change are more pronounced in the Himalayan region. Click here to read… [20]

Pakistan

PML-N, PPP invite PTI to ‘meaningful’ talks-The Express Tribune

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), two major components of the ruling coalition, have invited the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to abandon street protests and engage in political dialogue with the government. Acting President Yousuf Raza Gilani and Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal both emphasized the government's openness to talks, but stressed that the PTI must decide with whom it wants to negotiate. Click here to read… [21]

PPP seeks ‘more than due’ share in standing committees-Dawn

The PPP, a key ally of the PML-N-led coalition government in Centre, has demanded a bigger share of the pie of parliamentary committees and more federal money for Sindh, a party source told Dawn. The party — which agreed to support the federal government in the National Assembly and Senate without seeking any ministries — insisted on chairing more committees in the two houses than its due share as per its seats. Click here to read… [22]

KP CM Gandapur briefs Imran on SIFC meeting-Dawn

A day after he attended an SIFC meeting during which he talked to the army chief “twice”, Khyber Pakh-tunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur met PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in the Adiala jail on Sunday. The meeting between the chief minister and the former prime minister, held in Adiala’s conference room, lasted about 40 minutes, sources claimed. Click here to read… [23]

Kuwait, Qatar emirs confirm Pakistan visit-The Express Tribune

The emirs of Kuwait and Qatar have accepted an invitation extended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to visit Pakistan. During separate meetings with the ambassadors of the two Gulf nations, Premier Shehbaz received letters from the emirs of both countries. Ambassador Nasir Abdul Rahman Jasir Al-Mutairi of Kuwait presented a letter from Emir Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, while the Qatari Ambassador delivered a letter from Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, both confirming the acceptance of the premier's invitation to visit Pakistan at “mutually agreed dates”. Click here to read… [24]

Sri Lanka

China, US, India, France compete for SL’s graphite deposits – Daily Mirror

In another example of the global spotlight on Sri Lanka’s strategic assets and resources, China, India, the United States and France are in a competition to secure investments in the country’s graphite sector, the Daily Mirror learns. Click here to read… [25]

Opposition MPs leave to rescue Sri Lankans held hostage in Myanmar, Russia – Daily Mirror

Three members of the Opposition left Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) for Thailand for a diplomatic mission to rescue the 49 Sri Lankan youths and women who are forcibly held in the cyber camp of computer criminals in Myanmar and the Sri Lankan war heroes who are in the middle of the Russian-Ukraine war and bring them back to Sri Lanka. Click here to read… [26]

Tourist arrivals to cross 100,000 mark in May – Daily Mirror

Provisional data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority showed tourist arrivals recording a moderate growth reaching 79,431 in the first three weeks of the month (from 1st of May to 21st of May) when compared to 83,309 arrivals recorded in May last year. Click here to read… [27]