Neighborhood News Digest – 11 September 2023

Afghanistan

Islamic Emirate Officials Discuss With Pakistan Reopening Torkham Gate – Tolo News

Local officials in the eastern province of Nangarhar discussed the reopening of Torkham crossing with Pakistani officials. Arafat Mahajar, manager of the department of information in the Directorate of Information and Culture of Nangarhar, said that the two sides held talks about opening the crossing. “On Sunday, the Afghan and Pakistan officials held negotiations about the reopening of the Torkham crossing so that the gate will be reopened soon,” he said.Click here to read… [2]

UN report highlights surge in Afghanistan’s Methamphetamine trade – The Khaama Press

According to a United Nations report released on Sunday, methamphetamine trafficking in and around Afghanistan has significantly increased in recent years despite the Taliban’s claims to curb heroin trafficking. “The surge in methamphetamine trafficking in Afghanistan and the region suggests a significant shift in the illicit drug market and demands our immediate attention,” Ghada Waly, the executive director of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said.Click here to read… [3]

Bangladesh

‘India honoured us’: Bangladesh foreign minister on being invited as guest country at G20 – Hindustan Times

Momen said that throughout the summit, PM Modi encouraged his counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, to meet other leaders. Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momen on Saturday expressed gratitude for the invitation extended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, designating as a guest member at the G20 summit, saying that India's gesture was a significant honour for their country.Click here to read… [4]

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Bangladesh to further intensify bilateral ties – Deccan Herald

Bangladesh rolled out the red carpet for Emmanuel Macron as he arrived here on Sunday for a historic visit, the first by a French president in 33 years, aimed at boosting bilateral relations. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received Macron at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. A combined contingent of Military, Navy and the Air Force accorded him a guard of honour before being escorted to the presentation line.Click here to read… [5]

Bhutan

Historic Bhutan-India railway link could begin soon – Kuensel

The Government of India has allocated INR 1,200 billion for the expansion and development of railway infrastructure in the northeastern region of India; a timely boost for the much-anticipated first Bhutan – India railway link. The 57.5-kilometer railway line between Kokrajhar in Assam, India, and Gelephu in Sarpang, Bhutan is to be constructed at an estimated cost of INR 10 billion which will be funded by the Indian government. The project is expected to be completed by 2026.Click here to read… [6]

Bhutan taps in the power of local festivals to drive tourism, economic growth – Hindustan Times

Bhutan Royal Highland Festival draws locals and tourists, offers Laya and other highland areas a vibrant platform to share their diverse cultures and customs. Bhutan's regional mushroom festivals have reignited community spirits as in addition to being exciting events are also powerful drivers for tourism and the development of the economies of the communities they represent and have grown popular over the years, Bhutan Live reported.Click here to read… [7]

Maldives

Maldives presidential runoff is set for September 30 with pro-China opposition in a surprise lead – The Hindu

Maldivians will return to the polls on Sept. 30 to vote in a runoff election between the top two candidates in the country's presidential race after neither secured more than 50% in the first round, the elections commission said Sunday.Click here to read… [8]

Record low voter turnout in Saturday's polls, at 219,843 – Raajje

Maldives observed a record low voter turnout in Saturday’s presidential polls. As such, only 219,843 voters turned out to cast their votes in the first round of this year’s presidential election. A total of 282,395 were eligible to vote this time round, however, only 80 percent of the eligible voters exercised their right to vote.Click here to read… [9]

Myanmar

U.N. chief says ‘systematic repression’ crushing Myanmar democracy hopes – The Hindu

Hopes of a return to democracy in junta-ruled Myanmar are being crushed by “systematic repression”, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on September 7 at a summit in Indonesia with the United States, China and regional leaders. Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since a 2021 military coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, unleashing a bloody crackdown on dissent.Click here to read… [10]

Myanmar receives first shipment of Russia's Su-30 fighter jets, RIA reports – Reuters

Myanmar has received the first shipment of two Russian Su-30 fighter jets, Charlie Than, Myanmar's trade minister, told the Russian RIA state news agency in remarks published on Sunday. "Two aircraft have already been delivered," Than told RIA on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum, Russia's annual forum aimed at developing economic cooperation in the region and encouraging foreign investment, which starts on Sunday in the port of Vladivostok.Click here to read… [11]

Nepal

Nepal-India digital payment system to launch in Nov – The Kathmandu Post

The much-awaited Nepal-India digital payment system is expected to begin by November as the technical work has been completed, say payment service providers. “All technical preparations have been done. We are set to launch the Nepal-India cross-border person-to-person fund transfer system by November,” said Munni Rajbhandari, chief operating officer of Nepal Clearing House, a payment system operator.Click here to read… [12]

Nepal Prime Minister consults experts, political leaders ahead of China visit – India Today

Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' on Sunday held extensive consultations ahead of his official visit to China later this month, a trip aimed at maintaining a balance in ties with both the neighbours - China and India. This will be his second foreign trip after assuming the office in December last year. The 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Centre (CPN-MC) leader visited India in June as his first foreign trip after assuming office for the third time.Click here to read… [13]

Pakistan

Caretaker govt plays down escalation in acts of terror – Dawn

As Pakistan faces a surge in terrorist attacks, caretaker Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Sunday downplayed the increase in militancy, saying there was no need for alarm as “a little surge [in terrorism] is not so big as to make us panic”. The statement by the interim minister came amid reports of almost daily skirmishes between the security forces and terrorists — the most recent being the infiltration attempt in Chitral in which over a dozen attackers were killed while several troops embraced martyrdom.Click here to read… [14]

Fresh duties on the cards to curb luxury imports – Dawn

With a gap of less than six months, the caretaker government is again working on imposing prohibitive regulatory duties on a longer list of luxury and non-essential import items as part of a broader strategy aimed at curbing the rapid depletion of the country’s scarce foreign exchange reserves. Simultaneously, the administration is also actively working to revive regionally competitive gas and electricity rates for five export-oriented sectors, with possible modifications that could be acceptable to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), along with other facilitations to support foreign exchange inflows through exports.Click here to read… [15]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's president will appoint a committee to probe allegations of complicity in 2019 bombings – The Hindu

Sri Lanka’s president says he will appoint a committee chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge to investigate allegations made in a British television report that the South Asian country’s intelligence was complicit in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people.Click here to read… [16]