Neighborhood News Digest- 20 August 2024

Afghanistan

Islamic Emirate Marks 105th Anniversary of Afghan Independence Day-Tolo News

Senior officials of the Islamic Emirate commemorated the 105th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, during the commemoration program said that "Instead of trying new experiences, we should implement what other nations have tested and are now reaping the benefits of. We should observe what countries in the region and the world have done, how they have secured their defense, and where and how they have maintained it under the close scrutiny of their enemies," Click here to read… [2]

Iran to Complete Major Border Closure with Afghanistan-Tolo News

Sirus Amanollahi, a commander for the Iranian Army’s ground forces, has told the country's media that 330 kilometers of the border closure project on Iran's eastern border with Afghanistan will be completed by the end of this year. During his visit to Iran's eastern border, Sirus Amanollahi added that the border closure project is being implemented to ensure security within Iran. Click here to read… [3]

Zabiullah Mujahid seeks to mediate between Pakistan and TTP-The Khaama Press

Zabiullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban administration, has expressed the Taliban government’s willingness to mediate discussions between Pakistan and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). According to reports, Mr. Mujahid made these remarks on Saturday, August 17, during an interview with Independent Urdu. Click here to read… [4]

Uzbekistan products exhibition inaugurated in Kabul-The Khaama Press

The Uzbekistan Products Exhibition in Kabul was inaugurated with the presence of Abdullah Aripov, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, and Taliban officials. The exhibition showcased various Uzbek products, including vehicles, food, agricultural products, clothing, and electrical appliances. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

Khaleda’s bank accounts unfrozen after 17 years – Daily Star

The National Board of Revenue yesterday asked banks to unfreeze the accounts of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. The move came 17 years after the NBR froze the accounts. Click here to read… [6]

Hasina faces another ICT case – Daily Star

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina faces charges of crimes against humanity in another complaint at the International Crimes Tribunal, this time with allies Hasanul Haq Inu, Rashed Khan Menon and Anwar Hossain Manju, among others, as her co-accused. Click here to read… [7]

Outbound tourism to India slows to a crawl – Daily Star

Political unrest in Bangladesh since the start of July has been severely affecting India's inbound tourism industry, according to local outbound tour operators. Click here to read… [8]

UN hopes interim government will end violence, restore order in Bangladesh – Dhaka Tribune

The United Nations has expressed its full support for Bangladesh's interim government as it takes on the critical task of leading the nation. Click here to read… [9]

Hefazat rally in Shapla Chattar: Odhikar publishes list of killed people – Dhaka Tribune

Odhikar, a human rights organization, has published a list of people allegedly killed during the Awami League-led government crackdown on May 5 and 6, 2013 centring a rally of Hefazat-e-Islam arranged at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel. Click here to read… [10]

Bhutan

Govt. launches multilingual Invest Bhutan portal to attract FDIs - Kuensel

The government launched the Invest Bhutan Web Portal in Thimphu on August 16 as it gears towards attracting Nu 500 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) by 2029. Click here to read… [11]

Inflation drops to 1.84 percent, easing cost of living pressures – Kuensel

The costs of goods and services eased to 1.84 percent in June this year compared to the same month last year, according to the National Statistics Bureau (NSB). This was 1.99 percentage points down from the inflation rate of 3.83 percent in June last year. Click here to read… [12]

Maldives

Governor Munawwar meets Ambassadors of China, India amid worsening financial crisis – Adhadhu

The Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) Ahmed Munawwar has met with the Ambassadors of China and India amid growing fears that the country's usable dollar reserves could run out as the financial crisis worsens. MMA said Munawwar met separately with Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar and Chinese Ambassador Wang Lixin. China and India are the two largest lenders for the Maldives. The government is working to facilitate the repayment of loans. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has repeatedly claimed that China has given the green signal to restructure debts. Click here to read… [13]

Speaker Abdul Raheem departs to China – Avas

Parliament Speaker Abdul Raheem Abdullah has traveled to China on an official visit. The Speaker will be attending the 2024 Inter-regional Seminar on the Achievement of the SDGs for Parliaments of Developing Countries. The seminar is scheduled to take place in Beijing from the 19th to the 28th of this month. Accompanying Speaker Abdul Raheem are Villimale MP Mohamed Ismail, Baarah MP Ibrahim Shujau, and Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid. Click here to read… [14]

Pakistan

Govt expands traders' tax scheme-The Express Tribune

The government has quietly expanded the scope of the traders' scheme to include shops located in residential areas, as uncertainty looms over the approval of the $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme due to a financing gap and ad-hoc relief for electricity consumers. Click here to read… [15]

Imran smells conspiracy against him-The Express Tribune

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has alleged that the "entire drama" surrounding former spymaster Lt Gen Faiz Hameed's arrest was designed to push him into a military court. He cast doubt on the ongoing investigation targeting the former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief in connection with the May 9 unrest, alleging that the authorities were trying to squeeze a confession out of him and were pushing him to claim that the day's events were part of a grand conspiracy. Click here to read… [16]

Rulers alienating S Arabia, China: Fazl-The Express Tribune

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has criticized the rulers for their flawed policies, which, according to him, have alienated Pakistan's trusted allies. "Our friends like Saudi Arabia and China no longer trust us. Why is there this trust deficit? It's because of our attempts to please the United States," Fazl said on Sunday while addressing a large public rally in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province. Click here to read… [17]

Sri Lanka

Mere election promises will not suffice at this presidential poll – Daily Mirror

Ahead of the launch of their manifestos and theme songs, key presidential candidates are likely to face pressure from lobby groups to outline specific, time-bound action plans for implementation, rather than relying on broadly worded, catchy ideas. Click here to read… [18]

NPP government will remove VAT on medicines, school items, food: Anura Kumara – Daily Mirror

A future National People's Power (NPP) government will remove the VAT on medicines, school items and food items through its first budget, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said today. Click here to read… [19]

Over 600 polls-related complaints reported – Daily Mirror

A total of 631 complaints related to the upcoming Presidential election have been received by the Election Commission as of yesterday evening. Click here to read… [20]

International Election Observers arrive in Sri Lanka to monitor presidential poll – Times of India

A group of election observers from the European Union and the Commonwealth have arrived in Sri Lanka to monitor the upcoming Presidential election, Election Commission Officials stated on Sunday. Click here to read… [21]