Neighborhood News Digest – 28 August 2023

Afghanistan

Women Banned From Visiting Band-e-Amir National Park – Tolo News

Mohammad Khaled Hanafi, the acting Minister of Virtue and Vice, asked all religious clerics and security agencies to forbid women from visiting Band-e-Amir National Park at a meeting in Bamiyan. Hanafi said that the decision was taken because of women's non-observance of hijab and added that women should be prevented from entering this park until a procedure is prepared. Click here to read... [2]

British Official Claims TTP Operating in Afghan Territory – Tolo News

British High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott claimed that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist organizations continue to operate in Afghan territory. In an interview with Pakistani Geo News, Marriott said that if the activities of these groups in Afghanistan are not stopped, they may become a threat to Pakistan and the world. Click here to read... [3]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Participate in G20 Summit in Delhi - VOMNews

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, is set to attend the upcoming G20 Summit in Delhi on September 9 and 10. The Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh, Andalib Elias, confirmed her participation and expressed hopes for a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the event. Click here to read... [4]

Bangladesh: UNICEF provides medical support for children as dengue cases rise - Telangana Today

Following the continuous surge in dengue cases in Bangladesh, UNICEF is extending medical support worth USD 2.25 million to the country to contain the dengue outbreak, reported Dhaka Tribune. UNICEF will provide urgently needed testing kits and training of professionals, along with other critical supplies and services in the health, water, sanitation, and hygiene sectors. Click here to read... [5]

Saudi Haj minister’s 5-day visit to Pakistan, Bangladesh concludes - The Siasat

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Haj and Umrah, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah concluded his five days official visit to Pakistan and Bangladesh, during which he met the presidents and top government officials of the countries, on Saturday, August 26. Click here to read... [6]

Bhutan

PHPA-ll likely to commission two units by October next year – Kuensel

With 95.42 percent of the project completed as of July 31, the 1,020MW Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA) is expected to commission by October next year. There are six units 170MW each. Click here to read... [7]

SDF for dollar-paying tourists halved – Kuensel

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment announced changes to the sustainable development fees for dollar-paying tourists to boost the tourism sector, yesterday night. It announced a 50 percent discount on the prevailing SDF of USD 200 for US dollar-paying tourists visiting the country. The effective SDF with the discount will be USD 100 per person per day. Click here to read... [8]

Maldives

VP inaugurates 'Favara': Maldives Instant Payment System - Avas

Vice President Faisal Naseem has inaugurated 'Favara,' the Maldives Instant Payment System developed by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), on Saturday. The system offers innovative, convenient, and affordable access to digital financial services, enabling users to make and receive payments instantly. Click here to read... [9]

Vistara Announces Delhi-Maldives Direct Flight Connectivity - SMESTREET

Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of Tata group and Singapore Airlines, today announced the addition of a new route to its growing international network. The airline will be further expanding its presence in Malé with direct, daily flights to and from Delhi starting 01 October 2023. Vistara will operate its A320neo aircraft featuring a three-class configuration on the route as it enhances connectivity between India and the Republic of Maldives. Bookings for the flights are being progressively opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and through travel agents. Click here to read... [10]

Myanmar

Northeast to have first international cross-border railway connectivity from India to Bhutan and Myanmar - India Today

Observing that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government is committed to increasing connectivity in border areas, Sabyasachi De, CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway said that North-East will have its first international cross-border railway connectivity very soon. Click here to read... [11]

Myanmar expels East Timor diplomat over support of opposition - SCMP

Myanmar’s military-installed government has ordered East Timor’s senior diplomat to leave the country in retaliation for the East Timorese government holding meetings with Myanmar’s main opposition organisation, the Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. Click here to read... [12]

Manipur: Police intensify biometric data capture of illegal Myanmar immigrants - NENow

Efforts are being made by the Manipur police, assisted by central security forces, in the campaign to biometrically capture all alleged illegal Myanmar immigrants in the border areas of the state. For the second day on Sunday, the state police carried out the biometric data capture of Myanmar nationals who had illegally entered the state. A biometric is a measurable biological (anatomical and physiological) and behavioural characteristic that can be used for automated recognition. Click here to read... [13]

Nepal

What does the MCC Nepal compact’s imminent entry into force entail? – The Kathmandu Post

A meeting of the board of directors of Millennium Challenge Account-Nepal on August 16 fixed August 30 as the date for the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact’s entry into force. Nepal’s Parliament ratified the much-debated MCC compact in February last year, following an agreement in 2017 between the government and the Millenium Challenge Corporation. The MCC Compact signing had opened the way for the United States to invest $500 million in Nepal’s power and transport infrastructure. Click here to read... [14]

Nepal’s tomato exports to India helped both countries but supply-demand paradoxes remain – Hindustan Times

Nepal's agriculture ministry spokesperson assured India of a long-term supply of vegetables. New Delhi should study the proposal closely and take a call. On June 18, a group of farmers unloaded truckloads of tomatoes on the road in front of the Kalimati fruit and vegetable market, the largest wholesale vegetable market in Kathmandu. Click here to read... [15]

Pakistan

Grey market, IMF blamed as rupee goes into free fall – Dawn

As the rupee’s alarming descent against the US dollar continues unabated, experts and stakeholders point fingers at the powerful grip of the grey market and the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) “significant interference” in the country’s banking and currency sectors. Some said it was unprecedented that the IMF had allegedly got deeply involved in the country’s financial framework, interacting at granular levels with local exchange companies and banks. Click here to read... [16]

PM Kakar holds emergency meeting amid public outrage over inflated power bills – Dawn

Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar presided over an emergency meeting regarding electricity rates and consumer bills on Sunday amid countrywide protests by citizens over inflated power bills. Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said the meeting, which was held at the PM’s Office in Islamabad, went on for more than two hours. Click here to read... [17]

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan grilled in Attock Jail in missing cypher case – Deccan Herald

Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan was interrogated by counter-terrorism officials from the Federal Investigation Agency on Saturday at the Attock Jail in the cypher case under the Official Secrets Act, according to media reports. Click here to read... [18]

Kolkata STF arrests Bihar man for ‘passing confidential information to Pakistan agent’ – The Indian Express

The Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday arrested a man from Bihar on charges of passing confidential information related to India’s defence sector and vital installations to a suspected Pakistani intelligence operative. The arrested man was identified as Bhakt Banshi Jha (36), a native of Darbhanga in Bihar who worked as a delivery boy with a courier company in New Delhi, officials said. Click here to read... [19]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Dead turtles found on shoreline after suspected underwater explosion - The Print

Over the course of just three days, some 20 turtle carcasses have washed up on the beach between Negombo and Kalutara, Daily Mirror reported. Senior Department of Wildlife Conservation officials claim that the carcasses have been discovered in the Kapungoda, Pamunugama, Muthurajawela Marsh, and Induruwa sea areas. Click here to read... [20]

Sri Lanka's looming IMF review spotlights anti-corruption drive - Nikkei Asia

COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka is under pressure to show it is serious about eradicating corruption, as the bankrupt South Asian nation prepares for the first review of its International Monetary Fund bailout package in September. About a month ago, Sri Lanka's Parliament took a critical step in approving new anti-corruption legislation. But experts and the political opposition note that the country had such laws on the books for years but was still plagued by graft. The huge protests that brought down the government of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last year focused, in part, on allegations that endemic corruption contributed to the economic crisis that caused a sovereign debt default and severe shortages of essentials. Click here to read... [21]