Neighborhood News Digest – 16 February 2023

Afghanistan

Afghanistan remains primary source of terrorist threat for Central and South Asia: UN report – The Hindu

Afghanistan remains the primary source of terrorist threat for Central and South Asia, with groups such as ISIL-K, Al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan enjoying greater freedom of movement in the country owing to the absence of an effective Taliban security strategy, a UN report has said. Click here to read... [2]

‘India, Iran, China missions in Kabul facing terror risk’ – Hindustan Times

The embassies of India, China, and Iran in Kabul face the threat of attack by the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP), which has strengthened its capacity faster than anticipated and positioned itself as the primary rival to the Taliban setup in Afghanistan, according to assessments by several countries. Click here to read... [3]

Uzbekistan resumes operations on Afghanistan railroad after dispute – Eurasianet

Uzbekistan and Afghanistan have signed an agreement on an Uzbek-operated railroad that runs on Afghan territory, allowing the full resumption of vital cargo and aid deliveries after a short hiatus. That will come as a relief to Kabul, since the deal resolves a dispute over the railroad Afghanistan uses to receive around half of its imports and much of its humanitarian aid. Click here to read... [4]

ISIS Is the Common Enemy Of Afghanistan, International Community: Khalilzad – Menafn

Zalmay Khalilzad, Former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation says that ISIS is the common enemy of Afghanistan and the International Community. The Afghan-American diplomat on Twitter said that cooperation against ISIS (Daesh) can be an important part of future relations. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

FS Kwatra calls on PM Hasina, reaffirms India's support for deeper economic partnership with Bangladesh – Economic Times

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Wednesday called on Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during which he reaffirmed India's support for wider and deeper development and economic partnership with her country. They also agreed to maintain close engagement in the context of Bangladesh's participation as a Guest Country during India's G20 Presidency. Click here to read... [6]

Bangladesh seeks US support for RAB’s capacity building – Dhaka Tribune

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday sought US support for increased capacity of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) while visiting US state department Counsellor Derek Chollet acknowledged improvement in performance of the Bangladesh's elite anti-crime police unit. Click here to read... [7]

‘We hope China will help repatriate Rohingyas’ – The Daily Star

State Minister for the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman yesterday expressed hope that China will help to repatriate Rohingya people. Enamur made the comments after a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen at the ministry's office at Bangladesh Secretariat. "We hope China will play an important role in repatriating forcefully displaced Rohingya people to Myanmar," said Enamur. Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan

India to help Bangladesh import hydropower from Nepal, Bhutan: FS – United News of Bangladesh

India has assured Bangladesh of extending its cooperation for importing hydropower from Nepal and Bhutan through India, said Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen Wednesday. Talking to reporters at the Foreign Service Academy, he said they also discussed the "practical problem" in terms of transmission lines inside Bangladesh as there is a need for expanding the transmission network and boosting its capacity. Click here to read... [9]

More bans likely to save dwindling foreign exchange reserves – Kuensel

To save the plummeting country’s foreign exchange reserves, it is likely the government will add more items to the import ban list and monetary measures. In addition to the continuation of the moratorium on vehicle import, the finance ministry has proposed to the Cabinet, a phase-II moratorium to suspend construction loans and put a ban on the import of furniture, processed meat and food items, junk foods, alcohol, and LED television. Click here to read... [10]

Maldives

Maldives Non-Resident Ambassador presents credentials to President of Finland - Raajje

Aishath Shaan Shakir has presented her credentials as the Non-Resident Ambassador of Maldives to the Federal Republic of Germany. The Maldivian Ambassador to Germany and the Kingdom of Norway as well, Shaan presented her Letter of Credence to President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinistö during a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Wednesday. Click here to read... [11]

Young leaders are the strength and future of Maldives - Raajje

The young leaders of today are the strength and future of the country, says First Lady Fazna Ahmed. She said this in her remarks at the virtual opening of the 2nd Global Youth Mobilization (GYM) and the Big Six Movement on Wednesday. As such, she urged the society to pay attention to the growth and development of girl guides and young leaders. Click here to read... [12]

Myanmar

Myanmar: Supreme Court Rejects Aung San Suu Kyi’s Appeal On Corruption Charges - Eurasia Review

Myanmar’s Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s appeal of two corruption charges, sources close to the court told Radio Free Asia. Suu Kyi, 77, was sentenced by a military junta court in October to three years in Naypyidaw Prison for two corruption cases that involved charges of accepting money from Maung Weik, a businessman linked to the military. Click here to read... [13]

Four Myanmar Parties Register for Junta Election - The Irrawaddy

The USDP, FDP and MPD were among 34 parties that met military chief Min Aung Hlaing ahead of the 2020 general election. The party leaders sought the commander-in-chief’s assurance that he would intervene if voting was deemed unfair. They also called for then UEC chairman U Hla Thein to be replaced, saying they do not trust him because he was appointed by the National League for Democracy (NLD). Click here to read... [14]

Kinship across border: How Nagas helped their Myanmar brethren - East Mojo

February marked the second anniversary of the Myanmar coup but on February 2, 2023, residents of Chiu Village, also known as Solo, a Myanmar Naga settlement adjacent to the Indian border in Noklak district of Nagaland were not thinking about any protests. Instead, they watched as a fire caused by a solar panel malfunction gutted over 70 houses and a Morung. Click here to read... [15]

Nepal

Demand to make Nepal a 'Hindu Nation' intensifies again, millions of people gathered - News Track Live

The demand to make our neighboring country Nepal a Hindu nation once again has started intensifying and this campaign has also got the support of the country's former Maharaja Gyanendra Shah. Former king Gyanendra Shah on Monday (February 13) joined an important campaign related to the restoration of the former status of the Hindu state. This was Gyanendra Shah's first political presence after the end of the monarchy in Nepal. Significantly, this campaign has been launched on a day when the violent Maoist-turned-PM Pushpakamal Dahal 'Prachanda' Nepal government declared a public holiday in the country to mark the completion of 23 years of the Maoist war. Click here to read... [16]

Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to visit India on first foreign trip as Nepal PM soon: Reports - Economic Times

Nepal and India have discussed the possibility of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" visiting New Delhi on his first foreign trip after assuming power in December last year, according to a media report on Wednesday. Prachanda discussed his intention to visit India during his meeting with Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Monday, officials said. Click here to read... [17]

Creating a paper device to improve public health in Nepal - Nature.com

While working on his PhD at the University of Wyoming in Laramie in early 2010, Basant Giri worked with a microfluidic chip, a device half the size of a credit card that can channel the flow of a tiny amount of fluid for early cancer screening. Giri found that these minuscule devices could detect cancer biomarkers using 100-fold lower sample volumes than those required by conventional, bulky laboratory equipment. Click here to read... [18]

Pakistan

Pak Hikes Fuel Prices To Historic High With Effect From Today. Details Here – NDTV

Hours after unleashing a tax-loaded mini-budget, Pakistan on Wednesday night hiked up the prices of petrol and gas to a historic high in a bid to appease the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for unlocking the critical loan tranche, reported Geo News. The petrol price has been increased to 272 rupees per litre after an increase of 22.20 rupees, a press release from the Finance Division read, noting that the surge has taken place due to the rupee's devaluation against the dollar. Click here to read... [19]

Inflation in Pakistan could average 33% in H1 2023, says Moody’s economist – Times of India

Inflation in Pakistan could average 33% in the first half of 2023 before trending lower, and a bailout from the International Monetary Fund alone is unlikely to put the economy back on track, a senior economist with Moody's Analytics told Reuters. Click here to read... [20]

Fitch downgrades Pakistan's rating; warns default a 'real possibility' – India Today

The beleaguered Pakistani economy faces substantial credit risks with "critically low levels” of foreign exchange reserves, New York-based global ratings agency Fitch said on Tuesday, warning that a default is a "real possibility." Fitch downgraded Pakistan’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) to ‘CCC-’ from ‘CCC+’, citing further worsening in liquidity and policy risks. Click here to read... [21]

Pakistan court cancels bail of ex-PM Imran Khan in Election Commission protest case – The Hindu

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court in Islamabad on Wednesday rejected the bail of former Prime Minister Imran Khan for failing to attend the court hearing of a case linked to protests outside the election commission, a ruling which could lead to his arrest. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists staged a protest after Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the prohibited funding case last year. Click here to read... [22]

Sri Lanka

China silent on debt reduction targets for Sri Lanka to get IMF bailout loan – Economic Times

China on Wednesday said it supports debt-trapped Sri Lanka's efforts to get the much-needed IMF bailout facility but parried questions on reports that it will not follow the global lender's debt reduction targets for it to clear the relief package. Last month, China gave Sri Lanka the financing assurances required by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock a USD 2.9 billion bailout package for the country, days after India strongly backed the island nation's efforts to secure the loan from the global lender to recover from its worst-ever economic crisis. China's EXIM Bank has issued a letter granting Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on repayment and agreeing with the IMF's Extended Fund Facility (EFF). Click here to read... [23]

The Geopolitics of Sri Lanka’s Energy Crisis – Diplomat

Two top foreign officials visited Sri Lanka within a fortnight spanning late January and early February. The optics of these tightly choreographed events may have obscured the nuts-and-bolts objectives sought by the United States and India. As Quad members, the two powers are on the same page in their bid to counter China’s influence the region. With Sri Lanka going through its worst-ever economic crisis and on its knees for an IMF bailout, diplomatic interactions with such visitors take place in the shadow of a glaring power imbalance. Click here to read... [24]

Defence co-operation with Sri Lanka explored at Aero India – Economy Next

Sri Lanka’s State Minister for Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon at an aviation confab has brought out the potential for greater defence co-operation between the two countries, India’s embassy in Colombo said. Forums like Aero India can be used for defence cooperation through joint ventures, co-development and production whilst investing in research and development, the High Commission quoted Minister Tennakoon as saying.Minister Tennakoon had been accompanied by a business delegation from Sri Lanka to identify avenues for greater cooperation. Click here to read... [25]

Pakistan-Sri Lanka underline strong defence ties - Island

Sri Lankan Defence leadership has stressed the importance of maintaining existing strong military-to-military cooperation and expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s unstinted support in the past.The following is the text of statement issued by Pakistan High Commission in Colombo after the five-day visit undertaken by General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, NI (M), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Pakistan. It was his maiden overseas visit after his appointment as CJCSC. He arrived in Sri Lanka on 9th Feb on special invitation of his counterpart General Shavendra Silva, and was accorded a red carpet reception and a traditional welcome upon his arrival at BIA. During his stay, General Sahir called on the President of Sri Lanka, Secretary Defence, Chief of Defence Staff and Commanders of Sri Lankan Army, Navy and Air Force. Click here to read... [26]