Neighborhood News Digest – 08 June 2023

Afghanistan

Russian Foreign Minister reiterates country’s support for inclusive government in Afghanistan – The Print

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reiterated Russia’s support for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, TOLO News reported. Lavrov on Monday arrived in Tajikistan for a two-day visit. He will meet with the foreign minister and the president of the country, Interfax reported. Click here to read... [2]

Has China trapped Afghanistan in its sinister debt trap diplomacy? – The News Mill

After leaving a number of smaller countries ‘high and dry’, China, the current villain in global politics, has now set its sights on Afghanistan, a war-torn South Asian country that has been facing increasing global marginalisation owing to its appalling human rights track record. Click here to read... [3]

Major aid group’s women staff partially resume work in Afghanistan – Arab News

A leading international NGO’s Afghan women staff have resumed their work in some provinces, months after the Taliban government banned them from working. Several aid groups suspended operations in protest at the order that was announced at the end of December, and later extended to include Afghan women working for the United Nations. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh To See Weaker Growth Through FY2023/24 - Fitch Solutions

We now forecast Bangladesh’s real GDP to expand by just 4.5% in FY2022/23 (July-June) and 6.0% in FY2023/24, down from our previous forecast of 6.5% and 7.9%, respectively. Due to high import dependency and the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh is facing economic challenges ranging from elevated inflation and balance of payments stresses, which are showing little signs of abating. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh shuts schools, cuts power in longest heatwave in decades - Samaa English

Temperatures in the South Asian nation’s capital of Dhaka have surged to around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), with the poor bearing the brunt of the blazing sun. “We have never seen such a prolonged heatwave since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971,” said Bazlur Rashid, a senior official at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Click here to read... [6]

Bhutan

Tallwin Ponzi scheme captures rural villages - Kuensel

Despite repeated announcements from the agencies concerned, many Bhutanese, mostly in the rural parts of the country continue to join the Tallwin Ponzi scheme in droves. The propagators of the fraudulent scheme that promises quick and high financial returns boast about 300,000 members across the country. Click here to read... [7]

Infrastructure improvement plan in five throms making progress - Kuensel

Infrastructure and Transport Minister, Dorji Tshering, announced that the government’s accelerated infrastructure improvement plan in five throms is advancing well, instilling confidence in achieving the initial targets within the next few months. This comes more than three months after Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering’s announcement during the celebration of His Majesty’s birth anniversary earlier this year. " target="_blank">Click here to read... [8]

Maldives

BML introduces Kill Switch to enhance online security - Raajje

As part of the ongoing efforts to enhance security and protect its customers from scams, Bank of Maldives has introduced a self-service ‘Kill Switch’ to disable access to Internet Banking and cards in emergencies. BML states that the ‘Kill Switch’ is an action which allows customers to immediately log out of all active Internet and Mobile Banking sessions as well as freeze their cards in case of scams, preventing any further transactions from taking place. Click here to read... [9]

Myanmar

Thailand cuts power to Chinese-backed den of illegal gambling, online scams in Myanmar - Wio News

Thailand has cut electricity supplies to a Myanmar border township home to a billion-dollar Chinese-backed development that analysts say is a front for illegal gambling and online scam operations. Thai authorities halted the power to Shwe Kokko in Myanmar's Karen state from midnight Monday-Tuesday, police chief of Maesod district Monsak Kaew-on told AFP. The electricity was cut after a contract for the Thai side to supply the town ended without the Myanmar junta renewing it, he added. Click here to read... [10]

People alarmed as civilian judge gives first death penalties since coup - Big News Network

A regime court sentenced to death five people detained for their alleged involvement in a deadly August 2021 shooting on a train in Yangon on Thursday. On September 3, 2021, the Myanmar military apprehended four men and one woman in Yangon. Six police officers were killed on a train traveling Yangon's circle line during the attack, which occurred amid a nationwide wave of armed resistance against the coup that occurred nearly seven months earlier. Click here to read... [11]

How the Myanmar Crisis Threatens to Destabilize India’s Manipur State - The Diplomat

June 1 was the final day of Shah’s four-day visit aimed at brokering peace between the Meitei Hindus, who make up more than half of Manipur’s estimated 3.64 million population, and the tribal people of the Kuki-Chin ethnic group, who make up roughly one-fifth of the population. Shah held meetings with 25 Kuki civil society organizations and 22 Meitei civil society organizations during these four days. Click here to read... [12]

Nepal

Mahat denies involvement of any unauthorised person in the budget making process – The Kathmandu Post

Disputes between the ruling and opposition parties over whether an unauthorised person was allowed in the budget-making process disrupted the parliamentary proceedings on Tuesday. The House of Representatives was supposed to start theoretical discussions on the national budget at 11 am. Click here to read... [13]

Nepal PM defends India's 'Akhand Bharat Map' in new Parliament building – The Economic Times

Amid ongoing criticism by the Opposition in Nepal, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday came to India's defence over the 'Akhand Bharat Map' placed in the new Parliament building. Nepal's opposition parties, including the CPNUML, have opposed the map which shows Nepal as part of the ancient Indian landmass and asked the government in Kathmandu to take up the matter with India. Click here to read... [14]

Pakistan

Pakistani Generals have a history of censoring media. Imran Khan is just the latest victim – The Print

The trial ended in a few minutes: Four lashes would fall on the body of Khawar Naeem Hashmi, accused of defacing the mausoleum of Mohammad Ali Jinnah on Pakistan’s Independence Day in 1977. He was, arguably, lucky — the other journalists who had joined him in a public protest against military dictatorship were sentenced to five lashes each. Lines were drawn on their backs to ensure the whip would fall with precision; army officers, Hashmi later recalled, would amuse their families by bringing them along to watch. Click here to read... [15]

USAID to grant Pakistan $445.6 million over 5 years – Business Today

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has granted Pakistan $445.6 million over a five-year period through a development objectives assistance agreement. The development comes at a time when Pakistan is struggling to shore up its forex reserves to pay its external debts. The cash-strapped country is hoping to get $1.1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a bailout package signed in 2019. Click here to read... [16]

Pakistan to shut markets by 8 pm to save electricity – The Economic Times

Pakistan's federal and provincial governments have unanimously decided to shut markets by 8 p.m. across the country as part of the efforts to conserve energy, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said. He said this while addressing the media following the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting held in Islamabad with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in chair, Geo News reported. Click here to read... [17]

Pakistan’s economy to grow by 2% in the next fiscal year, says World Bank – The Hindu

The World Bank has projected Pakistan’s economy to grow by 2% in the next fiscal year, much lower than the 3.5% target set by the National Economic Council (NEC), the country's top economic body, saying the lasting effects of the August 2022 floods, along with policy uncertainty and limited foreign exchange resources have depressed activity in the country. Click here to read... [18]

Sri Lanka

First India-Sri Lanka defence exhibition in Colombo for boosting bilateral relations - The Hindu

The High Commission of India organised the first India-Sri Lanka Defence Seminar and Exhibition in Colombo on June 7 to promote and identify newer areas of cooperation and collaboration between the two countries in the defence sector. The event will witness participation from the Indian Defence Industry, Sri Lankan entrepreneurs, Sri Lanka Armed Forces, Police and Special Task Force, the High Commission said on Wednesday. Click here to read... [19]

ADB Provides Sri Lanka Access To Concessional Financing To Facilitate Sustained And Inclusive Recovery - Orissa Diary

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the eligibility of Sri Lanka to access concessional financing. The availability of concessional assistance, offered at low interest rates, broadens Sri Lanka’s options to bridge its urgent development financing needs to restore economic stability and deliver essential services, particularly to the poor and vulnerable. Click here to read... [20]