VIF Neighbourhood News Digest - November 29, 2022

Afghanistan

Hina holds political talks with Afghan govt today – Dawn

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will pay a one-day visit to Afghanistan on Tuesday (today) to hold a political dialogue with the Afghan interim government. Bilateral relations, including cooperation in areas of education, trade and investment, regional connectivity, people-to-people contacts and matters related to regional security will come under discussion, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release on Monday. Click here to read... [2]

Taliban calls on Iranian investors to invest in Afghanistan – Mehr News Agency

Speaking in a meeting with a group of Iranian investors, held at the venue of the ministry on Monday, regarding the way of investment in Afghanistan, he urged Iranian traders and merchants to make investments in Afghanistan in line with strengthening bilateral relations in relevant fields. During the meeting, Azizi pointed out that the Taliban has paved suitable ways for foreign investment in Afghanistan, adding that Afghanistan is home to large mines and this country has created great opportunities and facilitated the investment of foreign companies as well. Click here to read... [3]

The MoD Says it Has Repaired 60 Helicopters, Fixed-Wing Aircraft – Tolo News

The Islamic Emirate's Ministry of Defense said that maintenance teams of the Afghan air force have so far repaired more than sixty helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft that were rendered unusable by technical issues. According to the Ministry of Defense's spokesman, among sixty repaired aircraft, three transport aircraft (Two An-32s and one An-26) have also been repaired and are now ready to fly. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh

PM Hasina urges to take effective actions to restore rights of Palestinian people – Dhaka Tribune

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the international community to work together for effective and decisive actions and step up the efforts to restore the legitimate rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people to live in safety, stability, and dignity in a sovereign homeland. She came up with the call on Monday on the occasion of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The prime minister issued a message marking the day. “On the solemn occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, Bangladesh joins the international community in reaffirming its unwavering support towards the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people of self-determination and establishment of the State of Palestine based on a two-state solution with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its Capital,” she said in the message. Click here to read... [5]

BNP to announce plans to oust government on December 10 – The Daily Star

BNP will announce a set of programmes during its December 10 rally to ensure that the government steps down, said BNP Standing Committee Member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday. He made the remarks while addressing a roundtable titled "Strengthening Democracy in Bangladesh and the Role of International Community", held at Jatiya Press Club. Mosharraf said, "The government will see a mass uprising and united movement. It will be ousted from power soon." He said BNP has already observed eight successful, peaceful divisional movements to "save the people of Bangladesh and protect the country from Awami League's misrule".Click here to read... [6]

Tokyo, Dhaka should enhance security co-op – The Daily Star

Japan is the largest bilateral development partner of Bangladesh. It has provided about $27 billion in grants and loans to Bangladesh since 1971. Japan is currently implementing some of the major infrastructure projects. The two countries are willing to elevate the relations to a strategic level during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Japan. Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Ito Naoki, shared his views with Porimol Palma of The Daily Star. Click here to read... [7]

Bhutan

Space science and Bhutan’s future – Kuensel Online

On Saturday, November 26, the Indian Space Research Organisation launched nine satellites, including an earth observation satellite (EOS-06) in multiple orbits. The mission was hugely successful. For Bhutan, the achievement carried a special significance because the collaboration between the two friendly nations sent ISRO Nano Satellite-2 into the space. Click here to read... [8]

Maldives

EU integral to Maldives' development: Foreign Minister

The European Union (EU) is an integral development partner of the Maldives, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid stated last Wednesday at the commencement of the sixth annual Maldives-EU Policy Dialogue. Minister Shahid said that Maldives and the EU have maintained a solid relationship since diplomatic ties were established in 1993. He acknowledged the EU's continued assistance to the Maldives, and thanked them for their support over the last 29-years. Click here to read... [9]

"Maldives committed to address global environmental agenda through development of informed policies” - Raajje

Vice President Faisal Naseem has reiterated the commitment of the Maldivian government to address the global environmental agenda through the development of informed policies on nitrogen management in the archipelago nation. The Vice President made this remark while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the "South Asian Nitrogen Hub" (SANH) meeting in the Maldives. Click here to read... [10]

Myanmar

Smuggling from Myanmar, Assam govt's curbs hit arecanut trade in NE states - Dajji World

Due to large-scale smuggling from Myanmar and Assam government's restrictions, arecanut farmers in the northeastern states, especially Mizoram and Tripura, are affected a lot and are seeking central intervention. The illicit trade of arecanut, which is also known as betel nut or 'supari', is on the rise with the security forces, including the Assam Rifles, often seizing thousands of tonnes of the product, along with drugs, exotic animals and other goods smuggled in from Myanmar. Click here to read... [11]

Journalist held by Myanmar urges Japan to pressure junta - The News

A Japanese journalist released from Myanmar in a prisoner amnesty called on Monday for Tokyo to put more pressure on the junta and accept refugees fleeing the Southeast Asian country. Toru Kubota spent three-and-a-half months in prison after being detained near an anti-government rally in Yangon in July along with two Myanmar citizens. Thousands of people have been jailed during a bloody crackdown on dissent in Myanmar since a military coup in February 2021. Click here to read... [12]

Informal ceasefire with Myanmar military ‘not permanent’ solution, Arakan Army says - Myanmar Now

The Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) agreed to a temporary truce last week following months of hostilities in Rakhine State, according to a representative of the ethnic armed organisation. The informal ceasefire was brokered by Nippon Foundation chair Yohei Sasakawa, AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha said at an online press conference on Monday, adding that it went into effect on November 24. Click here to read... [13]

ASEAN’s Myanmar Headache Changes Hands - The Diplomat

Post-coup Myanmar has become something of a “Brahma’s head” for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Member states poke and prod for a year during their respective chairmanships, hoping for some progress on the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) peace plan, inevitably shrug their shoulders in dismay, and then pass the burden on. Brunei did so in 2021, as did Cambodia this year. Soon it will be the turn of Indonesia in 2023. Major powers have stayed away from the morass, deflecting the headache back onto ASEAN by emphasizing its centrality and responsibility for dealing with the group’s perennial black sheep. Click here to read... [14]

Nepal

Red flags in Delhi over China’s push for role in Nepal, Bangladesh projects – Hindustan Times

China First Highway Engineering was not among the five companies that qualified to bid for the Kathmandu Terai-Madhesh Expressway project and was included at a later stage. A range of activities by China in the neighbourhood, from pushing for a role in a major project to manage Bangladesh’s Teesta river to deploying surveillance ships in regional waters and taking on a crucial road project in Nepal, have raised concerns in New Delhi against the backdrop of the dragging border standoff. Click here to read... [15]

Another big blow to Oli in Nepal elections, Nepali Congress can form government in all 7 states- News Day Express

Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has suffered another major setback in Nepal. Like the federal government of Nepal, KP Oli’s party is heading towards defeat in the provinces as well. The Nepali Congress-led coalition is inching towards a majority in all 7 provinces. Analysts say that if the Nepali Congress-led coalition forms the government at the center, then the government of the same coalition can be formed in the provinces as well under the package deal. Click here to read... [16]

Re-polling at 10 voting centres in Dolakha on Thursday – The Kathmandu Post

The Election Commission has decided to conduct re-polls at ten voting centres in Dolakha on Thursday. The commission decided to hold re-polls stating that the voting process was not conducted in a free, fair and fearless environment at the polling centres on November 20. Click here to read... [17]

UML leading PR vote count with 2,550,372 votes – Khabarhub

Out of over 9.3 million votes counted so far under the proportional representation, the CPN (UML) is leading with 2,550,372 votes. The Nepali Congress is following with 2,415,834. Similarly, the Rastriya Swatantra Party has got 1,065,612, the CPN (Maoist Center) 1,078,448, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party 547,011 and the Janata Samajwadi Party 336,096. The Janamat Party and the CPN (Unified Socialist) are struggling to cross the threshold with 277,136 and 255,807 votes respectively.-owned power utility is increasing high-voltage power connections to industrial units. Click here to read... [18]

Pakistan

TTP ends ceasefire with government, orders its militants to 'carry out attacks in entire country' - Dawn

The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Monday called off the ceasefire agreed with the government in June and ordered its militants to stage attacks across the country, according to a statement from the group. “As military operations are ongoing against mujahideen in different areas [...] so it is imperative for you to carry out attacks wherever you can in the entire country,” the statement, which is available with Dawn.com, said while addressing its militantsClick here to read... [19]

BSF shoots down drone along India-Pakistan border in Amritsar – The Tribune

The Border Security Force has shot down a drone that sneaked into the Indian side from Pakistan in Punjab's Amritsar district, officials said on Tuesday. The BSF personnel fired at the drone on Monday night after they noticed it entering the Indian territory near Chaharpur village, around 40 km north of Amritsar city, they saidClick here to read... [20]

Pakistan, IMF begin online talks on $7 billion loan review – Financial Express

Pakistan reserves stood at $7.8 billion as of Nov. 18, barely enough to cover imports for a month. The Pakistan Stock Exchange fell around 2% on Monday, its first day of trading after the central bank unexpectedly hiked its key policy rate to 16% last week. ARY News reported on Monday that the IMF had asked Pakistan to reduce expenses before talks on the ninth review. Pakistan secured a $6 billion bailout in 2019 that was topped up with another $1 billion earlier this year. The IMF’s board approved the seventh and eight reviews in August, allowing the release of more than $1.1 billion. The ninth review has been pending since September. The IMF told Reuters last week that finalisation of a recovery plan from the floods was essential to support discussions, along with continued financial support from multilateral and bilateral partners. Click here to read... [21]

Sri Lanka

India’s Constitution Day celebrations in Sri Lanka – Daily News

India’s ‘Constitution Day’ was observed through a series of events organised by the High Commission of India, Colombo on November 26, 2022. The special day marked the adoption of the Indian Constitution on November 26, 1949. More than 200 schoolchildren from different parts of Sri Lanka enthusiastically participated in the Children’s Art Competition organised on Saturday. Themes of the competition such as ‘Incredible India’ and ‘Fundamental Duties’ were closely linked to India and her Constitution which helped the young and creative students from Sri Lanka develop a closer understanding of their civilizational partner, India. Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay who was the Chief Guest at the Competition, complimented families and teachers of the children for nurturing the talents of the next generation by encouraging them to participate in such competitions. Click here to read... [22]

Senior military officers meet High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda – Daily News

Senior military officers from the Sri Lanka Army, Navy, and Air Force following the 62nd National Defence Course at the National Defence College (NDC) in New Delhi, paid a courtesy call on Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda at the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi. These senior officers, Brigadier UKDDP Udugama, Commodore MDK Wijewardana and Group Captain WPAH Perera highlighted the significance of the content of the National Defence Course conducted by India’s apex institution for the study and practice of National Security and Strategy during the interaction with the High Commissioner. Defence Adviser-Sri Lanka High Commission, India Cmdr. Rohan Joseph also joined the discussion. Established in 1960, the NDC is dedicated to the intellectual development and strategic enculturation of selected senior officers of the Armed Forces and Civilian Government Services of India and those from foreign countries, for higher leadership positions and responsibilities. Click here to read... [23]

Why Sri Lanka needs an Enhanced Naval Fleet – Daily Star
The global maritime domain and the role of naval power in peacetime have changed significantly in recent decades. With the sea as the area of operations naval forces are an essential instrument for the State not only in war, but in peacetime as well. In comparison to the Army and Air Force, naval forces are useful to the State outside a war context as they provide prosperity to the State through the protection of shipping lanes and civilian vesselsClick here to read... [24]