Neighborhood News Digest – 19 June 2023

Afghanistan

Water wars: Afghanistan and Iran’s deadly border flare-up spotlights scarcity crisis – CNBC

Iran and Afghanistan are going head-to-head over control of the supply of a crucial resource that’s shrinking by the day: water. Violence along the border between the two tumultuous countries flared up in recent weeks, stoked by a dispute over the water flowing from Afghanistan’s Helmand river into Iran. Tehran says Afghanistan’s Taliban government is deliberately depriving Iran of sufficient water supplies in order to bolster its own; but the Taliban says there isn’t enough water anymore to begin with, thanks to plummeting rainfall and river levels. Click here to read… [2]

Afghanistan: One person killed in mine explosion in Wardak – The Print

One person was killed in a mine explosion in Wardak province on Sunday, Afghanistan-based Khaama Press reported citing a provincial police officer. According to the official, an explosive device concealed amid rubbish exploded on Saturday afternoon when an Afghan street worker was collecting trash on the streets of Maidan Shar, killing the man, as per the news report. Click here to read… [3]

Afghanistan declares Aug 31 as national holiday to commemorate US troop withdrawal – Firstpost

Afghanistan has announced that the country will observe August 31, the day US soldier departed from the country as a National Holiday. As stated on the Taliban government’s website, the withdrawal of foreign troops will be celebrated annually on August 31. The inaugural festivities were organized last year, with the authorities and supporters of the Taliban marking the first anniversary of the withdrawal. Taliban fighters held a rally on Massoud Square in Kabul, located outside the former US embassy. Click here to read… [4]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh to join BRICS: Move to diversify foreign relations and currency - Financial Express

As the BRICS looks to expand and Bangladesh hopes to join it in August, it seems that its aim is to create a new global order to counter the dominance of US and its currency dollars. If Bangladesh were to join BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), it could potentially have an impact on the bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh. BRICS is an influential bloc of emerging economies that focuses on economic cooperation and development. Click here to read… [5]

US-China power play in Bangladesh - Business Standard

The US-China rivalry is now playing out in India's backyard – in Bangladesh. China has openly supported the Sheikh Hasina government in the wake of targeted sanctions by the US some months earlier against the country's notorious Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), allegedly responsible for the extrajudicial killing of the regime's critics. The support also comes in the wake of the US threatening to deny visas to anyone interfering in the conduct of free and fair polls in Bangladesh. Click here to read… [6]

BSF, Border Guard Bangladesh discuss trans-border crime - Economic Times

The Inspector General Border Security Force (BSF) - Region Commander Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) level meeting was held on Sunday at Indo-Bangladesh International Border in Dhubri district in Assam. BSF delegation was led by Dinesh Kumar Yadav, IPS, Inspector General BSF Guwahati Frontier and BGB delegation led by Brig Gen Md Morshed Alam, Region Commander, North West Region, Border Guard Bangladesh. Click here to read… [7]

Bhutan

Development of Bhutan-Siliguri-Bangladesh corridor will boost trade among neighbouring countries – Daily Excelsior

Businessmen from the region want to promote the development of a Bhutan-Siliguri-Bangladesh corridor to boost trade among the neighbouring nations.

At the recently concluded Bimstec business conclave here, businessmen present told PTI that improving road connectivity in North Bengal that links the three countries – Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal – will not only improve trade volume, but will also help generate employment. Click here to read… [8]

Assam on Alert after Bhutan Releases Dam Water – Pratidin Time

The flood situation in Lower Assam is likely to be worsened as excessive waters has been released from the Kurichhu Hydropower Plant reservoir in Kuricchu River in Bhutan, reports emerged on Sunday. Due to the release of excess waters, the water levels in Kaladiya River and Pahumara River in Barpeta district are flowing above the danger mark which has raised concerns among the residents as the state is already reeling under a flood-like situation with thousands of people affected. Click here to read… [9]

Government explores life insurance claim and youth entrepreneurship challenges – Kuensel

At the National Assembly yesterday, Finance Minister Namgay Tshering addressed two critical issues concerning life insurance claims and youth entrepreneurship in Bhutan. The government is currently engaged in discussions with the Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan (RICB) regarding the potential enhancement of rural life insurance claims. Click here to read… [10]

Maldives

Maldives becomes a signatory to UNWTO's International Code for the Protection of Tourists - Avas

The Maldives has become a signatory to UNWTO's International Code for the Protection of Tourists. The International Code for the Protection of Tourists is the first ever legal instrument designed to create internationally recognized standards for the protection of tourists at the international level. The Code was created by UNWTO and was formally adopted at the 24th UNWTO General Assembly in December 2021. Click here to read… [11]

Over 1.5 mln tourists enroll in Maldives Border Miles prog - Avas

Introduced as a key initiative to revive the economy and bolster tourism in the Maldives, the Maldives Border Miles program has gained tremendous traction since its launch in September 2020. Collaboratively developed by Maldives Immigration, the Tourism Ministry, and the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), this program extends exclusive benefits to cross-border visitors. Click here to read… [12]

Myanmar

Is Myanmar the Front Line of a New Cold War - Foreign Affairs

Ever since the Burmese military seized power in a coup in early 2021, the country has been caught in a deadly tailspin. What began as peaceful mass protest against the junta flared into armed resistance, with much of the country descending into renewed civil war. The conflict has since turned into a protracted insurgency, with newer pro-democracy forces fighting alongside ethnic armed groups that have battled central authorities for decades. Amid growing signs of a strategic stalemate, both the junta and the resistance appear determined to fight on. Neighboring states have tried to mediate, but a negotiated peace is not in sight. Click here to read… [13]

Earthquake recorded off Myanmar's coast, shakes buildings in Thailand - ABC News

An earthquake was recorded off the southern coast of Myanmar on Monday with tremors also felt in Thailand, but there were no immediate reports of major damage. The 5.1 magnitude quake was recorded about 152 kilometers (95 miles) south of Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, at 10 kilometers (6 miles) below the surface at 8:10 a.m., according to Myanmar’s meteorology department. Click here to read… [14]

Thais host Myanmar junta official for talks; key ASEAN members stay away - Investing.com

Thailand on Monday hosts talks aimed at re-engaging Myanmar's shunned military leaders though important Southeast Asian neighbours are staying away from a gathering critics view as undermining regional unity on the strife-torn country's crisis. Myanmar's generals have been barred from high-level meetings of the 10-member Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) since they seized power in a 2021 coup and unleashed violence on those who challenged their takeover. Click here to read… [15]

Nepal

Nepal’s former deputy PM among 16 sent on remand in Bhutan refugee scam – East Mojo

As many as 16 people including the former deputy prime minister of Nepal were on Friday remanded to custody for further investigation into the Bhutanese refugee scam. The persons in custody allegedly collected large amounts of money from Nepali nationals, promising to help them relocate overseas as Bhutanese refugees. Click here to read… [16]

One person dead, 25 missing as floods, landslides wreak havoc in Eastern Nepal – The Telegraph

One person was killed and at least 25 others were missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain that battered east Nepal, officials said on Sunday, the first known fatality since the annual rain began last week. Heavy rain washed away a hydroelectric project under construction on the Hewa river in Sankhuwasabha district in eastern Nepal where 16 workers have gone missing, said Bimal Paudel, a government official. Click here to read… [17]

Why Nepal’s PM Prachanda wants to make up with India – Scroll.in

During Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s four-day visit to India in June, it was hard to tell that he was the same staunch communist leader of whom New Delhi has historically been wary. On his first official foreign visit during this prime ministerial term, “Prachanda”, as Dahal is popularly known, avoided bringing up matters sensitive to India, clearly signifying his changed foreign policy calculus vis-à-vis Delhi. Click here to read… [18]

Pakistan

Pakistan loses $7.15 billion due to shrinking exports, remittances – Business Standard

Pakistan has lost USD 7.15 billion on account of shrinking exports and remittances during the first 11 months of the Financial Year (FY)-23, Dawn reported. The Pakistan government despite missing out on targets for the outgoing fiscal year, fixed higher exports and remittances projections for FY24. Exports plunged by USD 3.491 billion, or 12 per cent, to USD 25.380 billion during July-May of FY23 compared to USD 28.871 billion in the same period of the last year, official data showed. Click here to read… [19]

Pakistan Arrests 10 Human Traffickers After Greek Boat Tragedy – NDTV

Pakistan authorities arrested 10 alleged human traffickers on Sunday, days after hundreds of migrants were feared drowned off the Greek coast. Every year, thousands of young Pakistanis embark on perilous journeys attempting to enter Europe illegally in search of a better life. Local media said as many as 300 Pakistanis had died after a rusty trawler sank near Greece's Peloponnese peninsula on Wednesday. Click here to read… [20]

Pakistan to try blasphemy suspects under terrorism charges after pact with radical Islamist group – India Today

The Pakistan government on Saturday signed a 12-point agreement with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), agreeing to book those accused of committing blasphemy under the Anti-Terrorism Act. A Counter Blasphemy Wing will also be established under the Federal Investigation Agency. Click here to read… [21]

Pakistan receives $1 billion from China – The Hindu

Cash-strapped Pakistan has received $1 billion from its close ally China to support its critically low foreign reserves amidst the uncertainty to revive a stalled International Monetary Fund loan. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday night confirmed having received the amount from China without sharing any other details about it. Click here to read… [22]

Pakistan Senate passes Bill to limit disqualification period; Opposition calls it attempt to ensure Nawaz Sharif's participation in polls – The Hindu

Pakistan's Senate has passed a Bill to ensure no parliamentarian is disqualified for a lifetime, a move termed by the Opposition as an attempt to clear the way for former premier Nawaz Sharif’s return to the country and his participation in the upcoming elections. Nawaz Sharif was disqualified in 2017 by a five-member bench of the Supreme Court. In 2018, he became ineligible to hold public office for life after a Supreme Court verdict. Click here to read… [23]

Sri Lanka

Is Russia expanding its South Asia footprint with nuclear offer to Sri Lanka - India Narrative

Sri Lankan ambassador to Russia, Janitha Abeywickrema Liyanage said that the island nation has reached a deal with Russian nuclear giant Rosatom to build a nuclear power plant that may run two reactors and generate 300 megawatts of energy. Russian media organisation Sputnik quoted her as saying: “There is a proposal and there is approval to follow the procedures from the Sri Lankan cabinet, and the International Atomic Energy Agency is also now looking at it, and they have set up certain working groups. Rosatom has set up four working groups in four different areas”. Click here to read… [24]

Military Digest: Mechanised forces in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka: an appraisal - Indian Express

The employment of mechanised forces in the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka and the question of their effectiveness have not been much discussed in open forums. The induction of armour and mechanised infantry was initially for peacekeeping operations but it soon devolved into full-blown counter-insurgency operations. Click here to read… [25]