Neighborhood News Digest – 06 April 2023

Afghanistan

Taliban order bars Afghan women from working with UN – UN News

Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have issued an order banning women nationals who are UN staff members from continuing to work, the UN spokesperson said on Tuesday. “Our colleagues on the ground at the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) received word of an order by the de facto authorities that bans female national staff members of the UN from working,” Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, told reporters at UN Headquarters during the regular daily briefing. Click here to read... [2]

Booming trade relations: Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan hit new highs – Samaa

Pakistan’s export of goods and services to Afghanistan witnessed an increase of 17.02 percent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year (2022-23) as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of last year, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported. The overall exports to Afghanistan were recorded at US $346.522 million during July-February (2022-23) against exports of US $296.109 million during July-February (2021-22), showing growth of 17.02 percent, SBP data revealed. Click here to read... [3]

Russia, Tajikistan Troops Hold Military Exercises Near Afghanistan Border – The Khaama Press

Russia and Tajikistan held military exercises at the Kharb-Maidon training ground in Tajikistan, 20 Km from the border with Afghanistan, that will continue till April 7, Officials said on Monday. At the Kharb-Maidon training facility in Tajikistan, 20 kilometres from the Afghan border, military contingents from Russia and Tajikistan began joint drills that will last through April 7, according to a Monday press release from the Central Military District of Russia, TASS News Agency reported. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh to scrap EVMs and conduct general polls with paper ballots - Mint

The Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) said that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will not be used in the upcoming 12th parliamentary elections scheduled for January 2024. "The government’s lack of funding to buy new machines and refurbish the old ones is a major reason behind the decision. Therefore, all 300 parliamentary constituencies in Bangladesh would see the use of paper ballots and transparent ballot boxes" BEC Secretary Jahangir Alam said. Click here to read... [5]

India and Bangladesh: Inspired Partners or Frenemies? – OpEd

India and Bangladesh are two important South Asian nations. Both nations have an important role in each other’s foreign policy. Moreover, these nations’ interactions are based on tradition, culture, language, and common ideals. It is evident that these two nations’ reciprocal connections are critical to each other’s economy and security. Click here to read... [6]

Bangladesh among 17 countries which abstained from voting on UN resolution on war crimes in Ukraine - TBS

Bangladesh along with 16 other countries, including India and Pakistan, have abstained from voting on a UN resolution for extending the mandate of the investigation into possible war crimes committed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine…A total of 28 countries supported the extension of the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine by a year while China and Eritrea were against it. Click here to read... [7]

'Tarique Rahman was not supposed to join event via video conference': Bangladesh Police on detaining 20 BNP members – FirstPost

Twenty Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) members have been detained during a video conference with the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rehman. The incident took place in Bangladesh’s Comilla where Tarique Rahman was addressing the public virtually.According to a report in the Dhaka Tribune, “The iftar mahfil was foiled after BNP men started clashing with police. Later additional police arrived and brought the situation under control.” Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan

Bhutan’s economy to slow down to 4.6 percent this year: ADB – Kuensel

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has projected growth in Bhutan’s gross domestic product (GDP) to slow down from 4.7 percent in 2022 to 4.6 percent in 2023, and further decline to 4.2 percent in 2024. These projections are based on the Bank’s Asian Development Outlook April 2023 released yesterday. However, the economic growth saw a 6 percentage points revision up from the Bank’s earlier projection of September last year at 4 percent in 2023. Click here to read... [9]

India, Bhutan agree on steps to boost cooperation in hydropower, trade and space – Hindustan Times

India and Bhutan have agreed on several new measures to enhance their cooperation in areas such as hydropower, trade and space, including the finalisation of a joint plan of action to deepen the space technology partnership. These measures were finalised during Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s visit to New Delhi which ended on Wednesday. The visit came against the backdrop of renewed focus on Bhutan’s efforts to resolve a border dispute with China, and Indian officials said the security concerns of New Delhi and Thimphu are “intertwined and indivisible”. Click here to read... [10]

Maldives

Maldives Development Update: Navigating a Tight Line (April 2023) - Relief Web

Driven by a rebound in tourism, Maldives’ economy recovered strongly last year, and poverty is expected to have fallen below pre-pandemic levels. But high external debt and tightened global financing pose risks to the country’s fiscal and external accounts, says the World Bank in its twice-a-year update, underscoring the need for more robust fiscal reforms. Click here to read... [11]

Finance Minister responds to World Bank forecast on Maldives economy - Avas

Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer has responded strongly to a World Bank report on the Maldives' economic situation. In its latest report, the World Bank updated its forecasts on the Maldives' economic growth to 6.6 percent from the previous forecast of 8.2 percent. The report said the Maldives is facing challenges due to its high borrowing and fragile economic state. The report further said inflation is expected to rise to 5.7 percent. Click here to read... [12]

Myanmar

Myanmar crisis cited as a challenge to regional efforts to save Mekong River - Asia News Network

Myanmar’s ongoing crisis was raised as a possible hindrance to regional cooperation to save the Mekong River, as other countries along the important waterway pledged on Wednesday to strengthen collaboration in efforts to conserve the water resource. At the quadrennial Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit in Laos’ capital Vientiane, member countries Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia pledged to take proactive measures to adapt to climate change, build a more effective notification system for unusual water flows and other emergencies, and explore innovative financing to pursue these efforts. Click here to read... [13]

Myanmar Airways International to commence Chennai-Yangon direct flight service from May 6 - The Hindu Business Line

Myanmar Airways International (MAI) will commence a direct non-stop flight between Chennai and Yangon every Saturday from May 6 to enhance the connectivity between the two countries. Chennai is the fourth city to have a direct connection after Delhi, Kolkata and Gaya, says STIC, the General Sales Agent of the airline in India. Click here to read... [14]

Nepal

Nepal to host power summit to explore energy markets on Apr 18-19 - Economic Times

Senior government officials, water resources experts and hydropower entrepreneur from South Asia will participate in a two-day power summit in Nepal later this month, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. The 8th edition of Power Summit 2023 with the theme "Broadening Green Energy Marlets”, on April 18 and 19 - largest private sector event - is being organised at the initiative of IPPAN (Independent Power Producers' Association of Nepal) in partnership with Nepal's Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation. Click here to read... [15]

Hunt for Amritpal Singh: High alert on Indo-Nepal border in Pilibhit - Times of India

The additional director general of Bareilly police, Prem Chand Meena, has sounded high alert at 54-kilometres long India-Nepal border stretch in Pilibhit on Wednesday in apprehension of Waris Punjab De leader Amritpal Singh’s escape to Nepal after his last location as suspected to be in Delhi on 02 April. Click here to read... [16]

Pakistan

Pakistan's election commission announces Punjab poll schedule; election on May 14 as directed by Supreme Court – India Today

Pakistan's election watchdog on Wednesday announced that it will hold the polls in the politically crucial Punjab province on May 14 as directed by the Supreme Court a day earlier. A three-member bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday fixed May 14 as the new date for elections to the Punjab Assembly, as it quashed the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to extend the poll date from April 10 to October 8. Click here to read... [17]

Pakistan has replied to India on review of Indus Water Treaty: Foreign Office – The Economic Times

Pakistan has responded to a letter by India asking to start negotiations for the review of the Indus Water Treaty, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday. India earlier this year for the first time issued a notice to Pakistan, seeking a review and modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), in view of Islamabad's "intransigence" to comply with the dispute redressal mechanism of the pact that was signed more than six decades ago for matters relating to cross-border rivers. Click here to read... [18]

Imran Khan ready to wait till October if Pakistan’s ruling coalition shares roadmap for general elections with him – The Tribune

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that he was ready to wait till October if the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement-led coalition government shares a roadmap with him for holding fair general elections. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Khan has been demanding early national elections since his ouster in April last year after he lost a confidence vote in Parliament. Click here to read... [19]

Saudi Arabia signals funding of $2 billion to Pakistan – Samaa

Pakistan’s economy is set to receive a much-needed boost as Saudi Arabia has given the green signal for funding worth $2 billion. The development comes amidst significant progress in financing worth $3 billion from friendly countries. Sources in the finance ministry confirmed that Saudi Arabia has given the green signal of financing $2 billion to Pakistan. Click here to read... [20]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan envoy Moragoda stresses importance of economic integration with India – Hindustan Times

Moragoda addressed the council at the invitation of its chairman, Bibek Debroy, at the organisation’s office at NITI Bhavan in New Delhi. Over the past few weeks, several Sri Lankan leaders have sought a greater role for India in the island country’s economic recovery following an unprecedented crisis. The envoy’s address to the council dealt with key areas related to India-Sri Lanka relations, particularly bilateral economic integration and cooperation. Click here to read... [21]

Triumph of India’s foreign policy – Daily Pioneer

Who could have dreamt that Sri Lanka where anti-India sentiment was sky-high and China (and Pakistan) ruled the roost, would come into India’s fold? Who could have thought that Sri Lanka, a country that was once touted to become the Singapore of South Asia, would default on its sovereign debt? Who could have imagined that the Rajapaksa clan which handled 70 per cent of the country’s wealth, were hailed as the victors of the 30-year-long war and were darlings of the south would be hounded out? Who could have conceived that six times Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe whose United National Party (UNP) won one (that too on PR) seat, would become President? In 2022 many unthinkable happened in Sri Lanka. Click here to read... [22]

Anti-Terrorism Bill published without adequate consultation with relevant stakeholders - BASL - Daily Mirror

Issuing a statement regarding the recently gazetted ‘Anti-Terrorism Bill’, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) today announced that it would not hesitate to challenge any bill that would deem to undermine the Rule of Law and the Liberty of the Citizen in the country. The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) observed that the Government published an ‘Anti-Terrorism Bill’, on the 22nd of March 2023. This Bill seeks to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and introduce an Anti-Terrorism Act. The BASL is of the view that no legislation should be introduced to curtail and suppress, directly or indirectly the fundamental rights of citizens, enshrined in the Constitution and that this Bill if passed into law will have far reaching effects. Click here to read... [23]