Neighborhood News Digest – 21 April 2023

Afghanistan

Taliban recognition not a focus of Afghanistan meeting, says UN - Aljazeera

A UN-convened meeting on Afghanistan next month will not focus on the possible international recognition of the Taliban administration, a UN spokesperson has stressed after comments by the deputy UN chief sparked concern and confusion. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to host a closed-door gathering in Doha on May 1-2 of special envoys on Afghanistan from several countries. His deputy, Amina Mohammed, suggested on Monday that the gathering “could find those baby steps to put us back on the pathway to recognition”. Click here to read... [2]

"Looking Positively": India Ahead Of UN Meeting On Afghanistan In Doha - NDTV

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that India is looking "positively" at the meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan to be hosted by UN chief Antonio Guterres in Doha next month. UN Secretary-General Guterres will be hosting the meeting in Doha on May 1 and 2. "We're looking at it. We're looking at it positively, but I guess we'll take a call closer to the time but we are looking at it," Mr Jaishankar said here in response to a question on whether India will be participating in the meeting. Click here to read... [3]

Millions close to hunger after WFP cuts food aid to Afghanistan - Aljazeera

Amina Mohammadi, a 34-year-old Afghan widow from the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif, is among millions of Afghans reliant on rations provided by the World Food Programme (WFP). But the mother of four is now worried about how to feed her children after the UN food agency last month announced drastic cuts in food assistance. The WFP has warned that if donors do not pledge new funds, the agency will not have the resources to carry out any food assistance by June. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh ready to celebrate Eid – Dhaka Tribune

The National Eidgah ground in Dhaka, the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, the Sholakia Eidgah ground in Kishoreganj and all mosques and grounds of the country are ready to hold the Eid-ul-Fitr congregations amid festivity. Hundreds of thousands of people left Dhaka for home by motorcycle, bus, train and air on Thursday while the highways saw huge crowds due to traffic gridlocks. Click here to read... [5]

India, Bangladesh agree to settle bilateral trade transactions in rupee, taka: Report – The Print

Bangladesh and India have agreed to settle a part of the bilateral trade transactions in their own currencies — Rupee and Taka — to ease pressure on dollar holdings, Bangladesh-based news website The Business Standard (TBS News) reported. In order to facilitate cross-country transactions, Sonali Bank and Eastern Bank will open accounts in the State Bank of India and ICICI Bank. The two Indian banks will also open similar accounts in the two Bangladeshi banks, as per the news report. Click here to read... [6]

A new turning point in Bangladesh-Japan ties? – Asian News

Being one of the most open and trade-oriented economies in South Asia, Bangladesh is slowly becoming a promising and lucrative business destination in the region. Japan, Bangladesh’s long-standing development partner, is eager to strengthen the bilateral connections due to the latter’s 170-million-strong consumer base, an expanding middle class, improved purchasing power, local demands, easily accessible labour, and economic development. Click here to read... [7]

Bangladesh to welcome EU, UK observers in election: PM – New Age

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said they would welcome observers from the European Union and the United Kingdom in the upcoming general election. ‘We will welcome observers from the European Union and the United Kingdom in the next general election,’ she said when the outgoing UK high commissioner in Dhaka Robert Chatterton Dickson paid a farewell call on her at the latter’s official Ganabhaban residence here. Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan

After Sino-Bhutan talks, New Delhi must prepare to counter Chinese claims in future Indo-Pak border parleys – Firstpost

It needs no great thinking to conclude that Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel’s recent meeting with the Indian leadership, starting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was mainly to update them about the ongoing border talks with China, but not to seek India’s approval for whatever is agreeable to his country. Going beyond the traditional bonding at the bilateral level, the current phase of the Bhutan-China talks are of added interest and equal concern to India, in the aftermath of the ‘Doklam stand-off’. Click here to read... [9]

Bhutan Airlines Expands Distribution Strategy with Amadeus – Travel News Asia

Travel sellers around the world can now book flights with Bhutan Airlines on the Amadeus Travel Platform. Operating out of Bhutan’s only international airport in Paro (PBH), the airline offers daily flights to Bangkok via Kolkata, and thrice weekly flights to Delhi, India. The new partnership gives Bhutan Airlines vital exposure to travel sellers around the world, including TMCs, tour operators, retail travel agencies, and OTAs. Click here to read... [10]

Maldives

Man in possession of drugs arrested from GDh. Thinadhoo – Raajje

An arrest has been made in Thinadhoo island of Gaaf Dhaal atoll, in connection with a drug bust. The Maldives Police Service (MPS) revealed that the drug operation was conducted in Thinadhoo as part of their efforts to curb drug trafficking and smuggling across the island nation, and to crackdown on such networks. The operation was conducted following an intel report of drug trade in the island, on April 17. Click here to read... [11]

Tourist arrivals increase by 18.8 percent Avas

The number of tourists visiting the Maldives thus far this year has increased by 18.8 percent. According to the Tourism Ministry, 621,093 tourists visited the Maldives as of the 18th of this month. This is an increase of 18.8 percent compared to 523,004 tourists during the same period last year. Click here to read... [12]

Myanmar

Sky-High Atrocities: The Deadly Rise of Myanmar Junta’s Aerial Campaign – The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s military regime is increasingly using air attacks to tackle the nationwide resistance movement as its ground troops fail to contain the popular armed uprising. A report issued by the United Nations Human Rights Office in March said the number of junta air raids between February 2022 and January 2023 more than doubled from a year earlier, from 125 to 300. Click here to read... [13]

Fresh influx of Myanmar nationals reported in Mizoram since April 12 air strikes – Hindustan Times

As many as 500 Myanmar nationals have entered Farkawn village of Mizoram’s Champhai district following airstrike by the Myanmar military aircraft on April 12 at Chin National Army’s headquarter of Camp Victoria, leaders from the Village-Level Committee on Myanmar Refugees said. Click here to read... [14]

Bangladesh foreign secretary meets Myanmar, Chinese reps to start Rohingya repatriation before monsoon – Asia News Network

With an aim to start Rohingya repatriation before the monsoon, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen held a tripartite meeting in Kunming with representatives from China and Myanmar yesterday. A diplomatic source told this to The Daily Star, but declined elaboration. Masud Bin Momen flew to Kunming of China on Monday. This trip was not publicised, and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also did not respond when he was asked about the secretary’s China visit after an event at the Foreign Service AcademyClick here to read... [15]

Nepal

Army gets fourth deadline extension for Kathmandu-Tarai expressway project – The Kathmandu Post

The government has decided to give three more years to the Nepal Army to complete the Rs175 billion Kathmandu-Tarai expressway, the fourth extension in six years after the project failed to meet the completion deadline. The Cabinet meeting on Tuesday took the decision to this effect. The new deadline is April 2027. Click here to read... [16]

Nepal Airlines Corporation Reels Under 50 Bn Chinese Debt – Business World

Even after over six decades of its establishment, Nepal Airlines Corporation, the government flag carrier, continues to be in the grip of a debt crisis. The corporation, which is in debt of nearly 50 billion, and the prevailing situation could be attributed majorly to Chinese aircraft, according to a local media group. Click here to read... [17]

Nepal President’s condition stable: Envoy – The Print

The condition of Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel, who is undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here, is stable, Nepalese ambassador Shankar P Sharma said on Thursday. Paudel, 78, was airlifted to New Delhi from Kathmandu on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to a local hospital following shortness of breath. Click here to read... [18]

Missing Indian climber Anurag Maloo found alive on Nepal's Mount Annapurna, in critical condition – Firstpost

Indian climber Anurag Maloo, who went missing earlier this week after falling into a deep crevasse on Mount Annapurna in Nepal, has been found alive in critical condition by rescuers. He is currently undergoing treatment in a hospital. “He is found alive. He has been taken to the hospital in critical condition, but he is still alive,” news agency PTI quoted Maloo’s brother, Sudhir, as saying. “We will have to shift our focus towards the medical side now,” he added. Click here to read... [19]

Pakistan

Pakistan's first discounted Russian crude oil order placed under new deal with Moscow – Hindustan Times

Pakistan has placed its first order for discounted Russian crude oil under a new deal struck between Islamabad and Moscow, the country's petroleum minister said, with one cargo to dock at Karachi port in May. The deal will see Pakistan buy crude oil only, not refined fuels, and imports are expected to reach 100,000 barrels per day if the first transaction goes through smoothly, Minister Musadik Malik told Reuters on Wednesday night. Click here to read... [20]

Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto Zardari To Visit India In May, First Foreign Minister Visit Since 2011 – NDTV

Pakistan announced on Thursday that its Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will visit India next month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa. "Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will be leading the Pakistan delegation to the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) being held on May 4-5, 2023, in Goa, India," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahrah Baloch announced in a weekly media briefing. Click here to read... [21]

Threat of all-out war with India one reason for delay in polls, Pakistan govt tells SC – The Indian Express

Click here to read... [22]

Apex court gives parties a week to pick date for polls - Dawn

The Supreme Court on Thursday afforded a temporary respite to the country’s main political parties, giving them a week to develop a consensus on the date for elections to the provincial and national assemblies, so they could be held simultaneously across the country. Headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, a three-judge bench consisting of Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar sought a progress report on April 27 abo­ut the upcoming meeting of political leaders slated for April 26. Click here to read... [23]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka parliament to debate government’s agreement with IMF on three days next week – Colombo Page

Sri Lanka parliament will debate the government’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund for the USD 2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility on three consecutive days next week. The Committee on Parliamentary Business has decided that the Resolution for the implementation of the arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Sri Lanka will be debated on the three consecutive days on the 26th 27th and 28th of April. Click here to read... [24]

Anti-Terrorism Act to ensure people’s safety – Daily News

Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC told US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung that the Government’s objective in bringing the new Anti-Terrorism Act to replace the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act is to ensure the safety of the people of the country. He explained that the opportunities for violation of human rights have been reduced by the new Anti-Terrorism Bill. The US Ambassador told the Minister that her country appreciates the measures taken by the Government for the safety of the people and upliftment of the economic situation after the economic crisis. Click here to read... [25]

Why China wants 1 lakh monkeys from Sri Lanka – Economic Times

The Sri Lankan government has received a proposal from a private Chinese company for import of 1,00,000 endangered monkeys from the cash-strapped island nation, sparking protests from environmental groups. The island nation has appointed a committee to evaluate the proposal to export 100,000 toque macaques, found only in Sri Lanka, to be displayed in zoos in China, Cabinet Spokesperson and Transport Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. Click here to read... [26]