VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: May 10, 2022

Afghanistan

US Ambassador at UN: Hijab Ruling 'Unconscionable': Tolo News

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield in reaction to the Islamic Emirate’s new ruling on women’s hijab said “what they did today is unconscionable.” Greenfield said the Islamic Emirate will be judged by their actions “not their words." Click here to read... [2]

Resistance Front: 22 Taliban Militants Killed; Taliban: We Had No Casualties in the Panjshir Conflict: The Khaama Press

“Hostilities had grown in Dara district, but a small-scale damage had been done to Taliban troops, including the destruction of three vehicles and the injury of three members,” Abu Bakr Siddiqui, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Panjshir province, told the media today, 9th May. Click here to read... [3]

Women’s Movement for Justice and Freedom: We Do Not Accept Forced Hijab and Dictatorship: The Khaama Press

“No to mandatory hijab,” chanted the women’s movement for justice and freedom in response to the Taliban’s plan to make hijab mandatory.
On Monday, May 9, members of the movement organized a gathering in Kabul, the Afghan capital, declaring the mandatory hijab “misogyny” that has sunk society into darkness and authoritarianism. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh

US may influence ASEAN to press Myanmar take back Rohingyas: Momen- The Daily Star

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has stressed that the US may influence the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to persuade the Myanmar government to stop atrocities on its nationals and take the Rohingyas back to their land.

It’s nothing but a trap- The Daily Star

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi yesterday said Awami League's assurance of a fair election is only a trap to deceive their party. Click here to read... [5]

Help implement Delta Plan- The Daily Star

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought support from the Asian Development Bank to implement Delta Plan 2100. Click here to read... [6]

Continue supporting Bangladesh to make smooth LDC graduation: Law minister urges EU- The Daily Star

Bangladesh has sought European Union's constant support to make its graduation smooth and sustainable from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, said Law Minister Anisul Huq today (May 9, 2022). Click here to read... [7]

Climate change: 'Hungry Tide' author Amitav Ghosh lauds Bangladesh's innovative approach- The Daily Star

Celebrated author and climate change activist Amitav Ghosh has lauded Bangladesh's action to fight climate change challenges while expressing concerns for his native West Bengal. Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan

Govt to take up fuel price difference- The Bhutanese

The Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji said that there is a major difference in the base price of fuels between Bhutan, India and Nepal which goes up to Nu 30 to Nu 26 per liter. Click here to read... [9]

Judiciary to undergo major reforms with new rules- The Bhutanese

One question that is increasingly being asked these days is on who will hold the judiciary and judges accountable. Click here to read... [10]

Recouping Nu 10B from tax reforms, an uphill task?- Kuensel

In the past three years, tax revenue decreased by almost 24 percent, according to the latest official data. In absolute terms, tax revenue fell from Nu 27.17B in the fiscal year 2018-19 to Nu 20.66B in the fiscal year 2020-21. Click here to read... [11]

Private schools left jittery amid dwindling enrollment- Bhutan Times

Private schools across the nation are worried that the schools may have to close shop by next year if the current trend of low enrollment continues unabated. Click here to read... [12]

India agrees to Bhutan’s third internet gateway proposal- Kuensel

During the Meet the Press on Friday, the Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Tandi Dorji said the rate would be less than USD 5 per Mbps (megabits per second). Currently, the country is paying USD 7 per Mbps for the two international gateways both coming from India. Click here to read... [13]

Maldives

Brazil to donate 80,000 doses of vaccines to Maldives: Rajje MV

The new Ambassador of Brazil to Maldives, Sergio Luiz Canaes, has stated that Brazil will be donating 80,000 doses of vaccines to the Maldives. The new Ambassador of Brazil stated this in a meeting he had with the President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday. Click here to read... [14]

Myanmar

Key challenges to Myanmar’s development and governance remain - ASEAN News Today

Myanmar’s efforts to reverse a legacy of isolation began with the quasi-civilian government (QCG) led by former president U Thein Sein. From 2011–2015, his government undertook a series of political, economic and social reforms that built the foundation for future democratic development (FDD). Click here to read... [15]

Myanmar junta removes police chief - Myanmar Now

Lt-Gen Than Hlaing was removed from his position this week as chief of the junta’s police force and deputy minister of home affairs—replaced by a lower ranking general, Myanmar Now has learned. Click here to read... [16]

Plans to open files against two Arakan village administrators for links with AA - BNI Online

The military council is planning to open respective case-files against two village administrators, one Muslim and another Rakhine, at Sittwe city police station for allegedly maintaining links with the Arakan Army (AA). Both the administrators namely Roh Phil from Baudoufa village and Tun Hla Sein from Kyauk Kaing Tan village under Sittwe township were arrested by the military personnel on 4 May from their residences. Click here to read... [17]

Military Tensions Rise in Western Myanmar as Arakan Army Chief Warns Regime - The Irrawaddy

Major-General Tun Myat Naing, chief of the powerful ethnic armed organization (EAO) the Arakan Army (AA) based in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State, has issued a public warning to the head of the Myanmar military’s Western Command, raising the prospect of renewed fighting in Rakhine. Click here to read... [18]

Karenni fighters kill 25 junta troops in attack on army convoy - Myanmar Now

Fighting in Kayah (Karenni) State’s Hpruso Township on Saturday left 25 regime soldiers dead and four army vehicles destroyed, according to Karenni resistance forces. In a statement, the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) said that the clash began after the group and its ally, the Karenni Army (KA), carried out an ambush at around 8am. Click here to read... [19]

Resistance forces strike Myanmar army convoys on Chin State roads - Myanmar Now

Repeated interceptions of military convoys by resistance forces in Chin State have led to frequent roadside clashes in recent days and resulted in casualties on both sides, according to members of the anti-junta groups involved. Click here to read... [20]

Nepal

Climate disasters drive Bangladesh children from classrooms to work- Himalayan Times

Twelve-year-old Alamin's house rested on the bank of the Ilsha river in southern Bangladesh until last year, when the surging river eroded it and the family's farmland away, forcing them to flee to a slum in Keraniganj, close to the capital Dhaka. Click here to read... [21]

Nepal records eight COVID-19 cases on Monday- Himalayan Times

The national active Covid-19 caseload of Nepal active caseload has reached to 190 on Monday as six people tested positive for the infection in past 24 hours. Click here to read... [22]

Despite law, Nepal fails to achieve Dalit women representation in wards- Kathmandu Post

Parties say they failed to find candidates, an argument Dalit activists do not agree withClick here to read... [23]

Bhairahawa airport to openon May 16, but Modi won’t land there- Kathmandu Post

Nepal’s second international airport, which has failed to market itself, would have drawn attention if the Indian prime minister landed there, officials say. Click here to read... [24]

Border checkpoints to be closed from today- Republica

Border checkpoints in Banke and Bardiya are to be closed from tonight in view of the May 13 civic poll in Nepal. Click here to read... [25]

The local election code of conduct is strict, but it’s on paper only- Online Khabar

Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand and State Minister for Health and Population Umesh Shrestha arrived in Chitwan to persuade Nepali Congress leader Jagannath Paudel to withdraw his nomination from the mayor of Bharatpur. Click here to read... [26]

Pakistan

Punjab governor removed despite president’s resistance: Dawn

The federal government, in a late night announcement, notified that Punjab Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema has ceased to hold office on the advice of the prime minister sent to the president on April 17 and reinforced on May 1. Click here to read... [27]

Imran must be reined in before he divides Pakistan further: PM: The Express Tribune

Following an "anti-state" speech by former prime minister Imran Khan a day earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that the former premier must be reined in before he divides the country any further. Click here to read... [28]

S Arabia’s $3bn additional deposits ‘tied to IMF programme revival’: The News

The Saudi Arabian government makes possibility of offering up to $3 billion additional deposit in Pakistan's central bank conditional to Islamabad’s revival of IMF’s stalled bailout programme, officials said on Monday. Click here to read... [29]

NA resolution condemns Imran Khan's statements: The News

The National Assembly Monday unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the recent statements issued by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan “against the armed forces of Pakistan”. Click here to read... [30]

Sri Lanka

Lanka PM quits after daylong violence kills 5, including MP: Times of India

Sri Lanka’s PM Mahinda Rajapaksa quit on Monday to make way for a unity government, in a bid to find a way out of the country’s worst economic crisis in history, but protesters said they also wanted his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to stand down as president. Click here to read... [31]

Government Backers Attack Peaceful Protesters: Human Right Watch

Clashes broke out in Sri Lanka on May 9, 2022 after government supporters attacked peaceful anti-government protest sites in Colombo, the capital, and elsewhere, Human Rights Watch said today. Click here to read... [32]

Sri Lanka is the first domino to fall in the face of a global debt crisis: The Guardian

The departure of Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, follows weeks of protest and a deepening crisis. There is no bankruptcy system for states but if there was then the south Asian country – down to its last $50m (£40m) of reserves – would be first in line to use it. Click here to read... [33]

Sri Lanka MP among five killed as violence escalates: Aljazeera

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has been forced to resign after a day of violence saw five people including a ruling party member of parliament dead, with reports emerging of people attacking properties linked to the ruling party across the island nation. Click here to read... [34]

Ancestral home of Sri Lanka's Rajapaksas set on fire in Hambantota: Economic Times

Video footage showed the entire house of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Medamulana in Hambantota city was burning away as protestors hooted away, the Daily Mirror reported. Click here to read... [35]