VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: September 02, 2022

Afghanistan

Biden administration pivoting to long-term strategy to assist Afghans - Edition

The Biden administration is pivoting to a long-term strategy to assist Afghans who worked with or on behalf of the US government, according to a senior administration official. Last year, amid the evacuation out of Afghanistan, the administration stood up "Operation Allies Welcome," a whole-of-government effort to resettle Afghans to the United States. Since then, around 86,000 Afghan nationals have resettled to the USClick here to read... [2]

China’s economic footprint steadily expanding across Afghanistan - The Print

China is focusing firmly on business and cultural diplomacy to expand its economic footprint across Afghanistan. It is also sparing no effort to promote and support the Taliban, which finds itself in near diplomatic isolation. Click here to read... [3]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit India next week - The Hindu
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh will pay an official visit to India next week, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday. During her stay in India, PM Hasina will offer prayers at Ajmer Sharif and award Mujib Scholarships, an initiative of the Government of Bangladesh for the descendants of 200 Indian Armed Forces personnel who were martyred or suffered critical injuries during the Liberation War of 1971, Dhaka has announced. Click here to read... [4]

JMC seeks Bangladesh PM intervention for implementation of railway project from Balurghat-Hili to Mahendraganj-Tura in Meghalaya - Syllad

A delegation of the Joint Movement Committee for Corridor has recently sought the intervention of the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for expediting the process of rendering the long-cherished dream of corridor from Balurghat-Hili to Mahendraganj-Tura (Meghalaya) on and through the land of Bangladesh a tangible reality. Click here to read... [5]

Bhutan

CARBON WASHING: GOOGLE REDUCES AIRLINE EMISSIONS CALCULATIONS - Globetrender

According to research conducted by the BBC, the way Google calculates emissions from flying has changed, meaning flights now seem to be less polluting than they were before. Globetrender applies a new term for this – “Carbon Washing”. Click here to read... [6]

Innovative ICT-integrated classroom in two schools in Thimphu - Kuensel Online

The innovative ICT-integrated pilot classroom project has been established in Dechencholing Higher Secondary School and Loselling Middle Secondary school in Thimphu. The pilot project is for five years from 2021 to 2025 with a total fund of USD 784,000 funded by the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea. Click here to read... [7]

New WFP country representative presents credentials - Kuensel Online

The new Country Director and Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) to Bhutan, Carrie Morrison presented her credentials to the Foreign Minister, Lyonpo Dr Tandi Dorji, yesterday. Carrie Morrison, a Canadian national, was appointed as the WFP Country Director by Executive Director of WFP, David M Beasley in July 2022. Click here to read... [8]

Maldives

Underwater expedition aims to unravel mysteries of the Maldives - Edition

The institute says 10 Maldivian marine scientists have been selected as the first "Maldivian Aquanauts" to lead over 30 first descents in submersibles to explore the country's deeps. The very first descent will be led by an all-women team of aquanauts. Click here to read... [9]

India our first & closest friend. But China a partner too, says Maldives foreign minister Shahid - The Print

From Operation Cactus in 1988 to the Covid pandemic of 2020, Maldivians have always found India to be their “first and closest” friend, Abdulla Shahid, Foreign Minister of Maldives, has said. However, Malé will continue to work with China, Shahid told ThePrint in an interview. Click here to read... [10]

Myanmar

Junta arrest 60 Rohingya adrift at sea - Mizzima

Junta troops apprehended a drifting boat containing 66 Rohingya, six of whom had died, off the coast from Gayatgyi Village in Ayeyarwaddy Region’s Amar Township on 29 August. According to a resident of Gayatgyi Village there had been two boats. The one captured by the junta troops had engine failure and was just drifting and the other boat escaped before the troops arrived. Click here to read... [11]

Junta offices in Tanintharyi’s Dawei Town attacked - Mizzima

The Regional Immigration Office and Road Transport Administration Department in Dawei Town’s Myothit Ward 4 in Tanintharyi Region were attacked at noon on 30 August. A witness said that two men on motorcycles pulled up in front of the offices and opened fire on them. Click here to read... [12]

UN pursuing ‘Mission Impossible’ negotiating peace with the Myanmar junta - BNI Online

The United Nations Special Envoy’s recent visit to Myanmar is part of a process that the UN feels its representatives need to go through in attempts to reason with the Myanmar military generals who illegally grabbed power in a coup in February 2021. But what is clear, as can be seen in our cover story for Mizzima Weekly this week, is that junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is spinning the UN envoy around his little finger. Click here to read... [13]

Myanmar plans $200m currency intervention to fight inflation - Asia Nikkei

Myanmar's central bank has decided to inject over $200 million worth of foreign currency into the forex market to control inflation that it says is caused by soaring fuel prices. The central bank has frequently sold dollars to defend its currency, but this marks the first intervention of over $100 million since the military took control of the government last year. Such operations are capped at around $50 million. Click here to read... [14]

Pakistan

Satellite view reveals scope of apocalyptic flooding in Pakistan - Space.com

Heavy monsoon rains have pelted the Asian country since mid-June, exceeding 10 times the average rainfall values for this part of the year, according to(opens in new tab) the European Space Agency (ESA), which released a new satellite image of the beleaguered country on Thursday (Sept. 1) Click here to read... [15]

Urgent aid appeal launched as satellite images show a third of Pakistan underwater - The Guardian

Aid workers have appealed for urgent donations to fight the “absolutely devastating” impact of flooding in Pakistan, as new satellite images appeared to confirm that a third of the country is now underwater. As the UK’s Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched an appeal to raise funds for the 33 million people affected, the European Space Agency released stark images based on data captured by its Copernicus satellite. Click here to read... [16]

Onus on Pakistan to resume trade ties with India - siasat.com

The onus is on Pakistan to resume trade with India as it was Islamabad that suspended the bilateral economic engagement in 2019, people familiar with the development said on Thursday. They also said India has not made any decision on extending aid to Pakistan to help it deal with recent devastating floods. Click here to read... [17]

Sri Lanka

IMF provisionally agrees on USD 2.9 billion loan for crisis-hit Sri Lanka - East Mojo

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka has reached a preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a loan of about USD 2.9 billion, the international lender said on Thursday. Sri Lanka is going through its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948, which was triggered by a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. Click here to read... [18]

IMF agreement gives us confidence, grateful to India: Sri Lankan envoy - Indian Express

The preliminary agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), under which Sri Lanka nation stands to receive $2.9 billion to tackle the ongoing economic crisis, is a “first step” in the long haul of economic recovery but will provide the country and investors “confidence” to attract increased investments and remittances, Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda said Thursday. Click here to read... [19]