Neighbourhood News Digest – 18 December 2024

Afghanistan

Leader of the Islamic Emirate Overseeing Critical Economic Decisions – Tolo News

The Economic Deputy of the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Tuesday that the leader of the Islamic Emirate chaired an extraordinary meeting of the Economic Commission, where decisions were made across eleven key sectors. The meeting addressed issues such as identifying harmful customs, establishing industrial parks, allocating land for industrialists in all provinces, reclaiming seized land, distributing land for mineral processing factories, and constructing mosques for men and women along highways. Click here to read... [2]

Russia Passes Law to Recognise Afghanistan's Taliban Government, New Leadership In Syria –News 18

Russia’s parliament passed a law on Tuesday that would allow courts to suspend bans on groups designated by Moscow as terrorist organisations – paving the way for it to normalise ties with the Afghan Taliban and potentially with the new leadership of Syria. No country currently recognises the Taliban government in Afghanistan, which seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal after 20 years of war. But Russia has been gradually building ties with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin said in July was now an ally in fighting terrorism. Click here to read... [3]

Bangladesh

US reaffirms support for Rohingyas amid concern over Myanmar – Dhaka Tribune

Bangladesh has shown generosity in hosting Rohingya refugees who have fled persecution in Myanmar, says State Department spokesperson. Expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar, the United States has said helping resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis remains a priority for it. "So, we are following this development closely. We’re remained concerned by the conflict and its potential to undermine regional stability and security," US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular media briefing in Washington on December 17. He made the remarks when a reporter wanted to know how the US is assessing the situation and the fate of the Rohingya refugees, noting that the Arakan Army has taken control of the Rakhine state. The people and government of Bangladesh have shown generosity in hosting Rohingya refugees who have fled persecution in Myanmar, Miller said. Click here to read... [4]

Export diversification is a necessity– Dhaka Tribune

It is extremely encouraging to learn that in the first five months of the current fiscal year, non-leather footwear exports grew 41% year-on-year to $217.81 million according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). There has been no shortage of words written on Bangladesh’s need for export diversification; while the readymade garment (RMG) sector will continue to be the dominant export sector for us for the foreseeable future, the fact that we are no closer to establishing other viable export industries that could take the pressure off of this industry is quite simply a failure on the part of the country for decades now. Click here to read... [5]

Bhutan

Gelephu Mindfulness City to use Four-Plus-One funding model to raise finance – Kuensel

The Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) project will leverage a “four-plus-one” funding model to mobilise investments, according to GMC Board Director Yee Ean Pang, who spoke during the GMC Forum held in Thimphu December 17. Yee Ean Pang, founder of Urbina Capital Pte Limited and former director general of Investments at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, outlined the multi-pronged approach to secure funding for this visionary initiative. At the GMC level, innovative funding schemes, including the issuance of nation building bonds and Founding Members’ programme, have been rolled out. The Gelephu Investment Development Corporation has introduced nation building bond aiming to raise USD 100 million, particularly from non-resident Bhutanese. This funding will help finance key infrastructure, including Bhutan’s first international airport planned at GMC. Click here to read... [6]

China building villages near Doklam in Bhutan: Satellite data – Hindustan Times

The eight villages in Bhutan’s western sector, close to Doklam, are all strategically located in a valley or a ridge overlooking a valley that China claims. China has built at least 22 villages and settlements over the past eight years within territory that has traditionally been part of Bhutan, with eight villages coming up in areas in proximity to the strategic Doklam plateau since 2020, according to satellite imagery. The eight villages in Bhutan’s western sector, close to Doklam, are all strategically located in a valley or a ridge overlooking a valley that China claims, and several are close to Chinese military outposts or bases. The largest of the 22 villages detected by observers and researchers – Jiwu, built on a traditional Bhutanese pastureland known as Tshethangkha – is also located in the western sector. Click here to read... [7]

Maldives

Vice President Discusses Enhanced Cooperation with Chinese Officials – PSM News

Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef met with key Chinese officials to discuss strategies for enhanced cooperation and strengthened bilateral ties to bolster Maldives-China relations. As part of his ongoing visit to China, Vice President Latheef held discussions with Wang Yong, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). The high-level meeting also saw the attendance of Luo Zhaohui, Chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), and Liu Xiaokai, Chairman of the CPPCC Yunnan Provincial Committee. Click here to read... [8]

Vice President Launches Key Initiatives at Blue Economy Forum in China – PSM News

Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef has launched the Global Development Project Pool (GDPP) Information Management System and inaugurated the China-Indian Ocean Region Centre for Maritime Cooperation and Training. These launches took place at the closing ceremony of the Third China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Development Cooperation in Kunming, China, marking a significant step toward enhancing global development and maritime cooperation. Vice President Latheef is in Kunming at the invitation of the Chinese government to attend the Third China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Development Cooperation. At the forum's inaugural ceremony, he delivered the opening remarks, underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts in sustainable maritime development. Click here to read... [9]

Myanmar

Thailand Confirms Details of ‘Informal’ Myanmar Meetings – The Diplomat

Thailand will host two regional meetings on December 19 and 20, 2024, to address Myanmar's ongoing conflict. The first meeting, focusing on border security and transnational crime, will include Myanmar's junta-appointed Foreign Minister Than Swe and officials from China, Laos, Thailand, India, and Bangladesh. The second meeting, on December 20, will involve interested ASEAN members and discuss the stalled Five-Point Consensus peace plan. This initiative reflects Thailand's proactive role in seeking solutions to the Myanmar crisis under its current government. Click here to read... [10]

Myanmar junta intimidates aid groups in effort to hide hunger crisis – Reuters

Myanmar’s ruling junta has suppressed information about a severe food crisis gripping the country by pressuring researchers not to collect data about hunger and aid workers not to publish it, a Reuters investigation has found. In conversations over the past two years, junta representatives have warned senior aid workers against releasing data and analysis that indicate millions of people in Myanmar are experiencing serious hunger, according to people familiar with the matter. In a sign of the sensitivity around this data, the world’s leading hunger watchdog – the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – in recent weeks removed its color-coded assessment of Myanmar from the global map on its website where it displays the levels of hunger afflicting dozens of countries. The reason: fears for the safety of the researchers. Click here to read... [11]

Nepal

India-Nepal Startup Summit 2024 Commences in Kathmandu – Zee News

The India-Nepal Startup Summit 2024 has commenced in Kathmandu today, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to foster collaboration and innovation between the two nations. This summit aims to create a platform for startups to network, pitch their ideas, and explore opportunities for growth and investment. The event organised by Startup Network (Nepal) in collaboration with the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and PHDCCI (India- Nepal Center) brought experts from various fields to one platform. Click here to read... [12]

Pakistan

Govt mulls bulk imports via Gwadar port – The Dawn

The government is exploring the feasibility and strategy for routing 60 per cent of public sector imports, including wheat, fertiliser and sugar, through Gwadar Port. The proposal was discussed threadbare in a federal cabinet committee meeting chaired by Commerce Minister Jam Kamal on Tuesday. Maritime Affairs Minister Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh and senior officials from the ministries of commerce, maritime affairs, interior, and planning attended the meeting. An official announcement said the committee, established to propose actionable recommendations to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reviewed progress on existing plans and discussed the roadmap to enhance the utilisation of Gwadar port. Click here to read... [13]

5 security men martyred in D.I. Khan, Shangla – The Dawn

Five security personnel were martyred and several others injured in two separate incidents — an IED blast in Dera Ismail Khan and a militant attack on a police checkpoint in Sha­ngla district — on December 17. In the first incident, an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a security forces’ vehicle in the Zarkani area of Daraban tehsil in Dera Ismail Khan. Three personnel were martyred and two others injured in the incident, sources said. The martyred soldiers were identified as Ashfaq, Mukhtiar Wali and Arif, while Farzand and Sami sustained injuries. The injured were transported to Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Dera Ismail Khan. Click here to read... [14]

Sri Lanka

‘Helped us immensely’: Sri Lankan President Dissanayake thanks India for $5 billion economic support– Hindustan Times

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on December 16 thanked India for economic support during the island nation's financial meltdown and crucial assistance in restructuring bilateral debt. Dissanayake is on his first bilateral visit to New Delhi after assuming power in Colombo. Issuing a joint press statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India's bilateral projects in Sri Lanka is “always” based on Colombo's “development priorities”. “India has so far provided 5 billion dollars in line of credit and grant assistance to Sri Lanka. We have cooperation in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka,” PM Modi said. Click here to read... [15]

Adani Group dealings with other countries not Sri Lanka’s concern: President – Daily Mirror

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said his government is not concerned with Adani Group’s dealings with other countries but is instead focused only on what the conglomerate does in Sri Lanka. He said his “stable government” intends to “pave the way” for more Indian investments. “We don’t have any concerns over how they (Adani) work with other countries. What is important for us is how they work with us,” Dissanayake told ET in an exclusive interview on December 17. The business house, which has important investments in Sri Lanka, is under the scanner in the US and contesting an indictment by the FBI. Click here to read... [16]