Neighborhood News Digest – 10 October 2023

Afghanistan

2 Pakistan soldiers, 5 insurgents killed in shootout on border with Afghanistan – The Tribune

A group of Pakistani Taliban ambushed troops during an operation against insurgents on the border with Afghanistan on Monday, triggering a shootout that killed an army major, a junior officer and five militants, the military and a militant spokesman said. The shootout happened in the district Zhob in Baluchistan province, the military said in a statement. Click here to read... [2]

Türkiye sends aid to Afghanistan following deadly disaster – Daily Sabah

The Ministry of Defense has initiated relief efforts in response to the devastating earthquake that struck Afghanistan, causing significant loss of life and widespread destruction. An aid plane, organized by the ministry, departed from Ankara on Monday, carrying essential survival materials and equipment needed to support the affected region. Click here to read... [3]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia at 'high risk of death': doctors - The Hindu

Bangladeshi doctors said on October 9 opposition leader Khaleda Zia was at "high risk" of dying without urgent medical intervention abroad after authorities rejected a plea to let her leave the country. Ms. Zia, 78, is a two-time former Prime Minister who heads the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and has been living under effective house arrest since her release from a 17-year prison sentence in 2020. Click here to read... [4]

2 Bangladesh nationals sentenced to 5 years in jail for harbouring Al Qaeda-linked group terrorists in Mumbai - Deccan Herald

A special NIA court in Mumbai on Monday sentenced two citizens of Bangladesh to five years' imprisonment for harbouring terrorists of Al-Qaeda linked Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), an official said. Ripen Hussain alias 'Rubel' and Mohmmad Hasan Ali were convicted by the special court under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Foreigners Act, while the trial against the remaining three accused is ongoing, a spokesperson of the federal agency said. Click here to read... [5]

Bhutan

SSB seizes timber-laden tractors near Indo-Bhutan border in Chirang district – The Sentinel

The 6th Bn SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal) on Saturday morning seized two tractors loaded with wood at Mandarguri near the Indo-Bhutan border in the Chirang district. SSB sources said a team from Sashipur camp of the SSB, based on inputs, was waiting for the timber smugglers. The team stopped two tractors and a bike loaded with 27 pieces of timber. The team managed to stop the tractors bu the smugglers ran away as soon as they were stopped. Sources said the seized items were worth over Rs 18,50,000. The seized timber was later handed over to the Forest Range Office at Kwila Mwila. Click here to read... [6]

JSW Law: A testament to India-Bhutan friendship – Devdiscourse

In a momentous celebration resonating with unity and shared values, the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSW Law) consecrated its new campus in Pangbisa, Paro, on the auspicious 21st day of the Eighth month. The ceremony, known as Tashi rabney, was attended by The King, the Fourth Gyalpo, The Gyalsey, esteemed members of the Royal Family, donors, partners, and proud alumni, The Bhutan Live reported. Click here to read... [7]

Maldives

With Israel-Hamas conflict, Maldives President-elect Miuzzu cannot be too ‘pro-China’- Indian Express.

In a fast-changing global situation and amid escalating rivalry in the Indo-Pacific region, it will not be reasonable for Muizzu to draw his foreign policy lessons from Yameen’s tenure. Escalating tensions between the QUAD members and China in the Indo-Pacific region have increased the geostrategic significance of the Maldives. In such a situation, Maldives must navigate cautiously, considering its larger and long-term interests. Click here to read... [8]

Indonesia-based JAD added to terror watchlist- Sun Online

Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) a terrorist organisation founded in Indonesia in 2015, has been included, through an amendment, in Maldivian Terror Watchlist. The group has been linked to 2016 Jakarta attacks, 2016 Samarinda church bombing, 2017 Jakarta bombings, 2018 Mako Brimob standoff, and 2018 Surabaya bombings. Click here to read... [9]

Myanmar

100-km smart fencing along Myanmar border in the pipeline to boost surveillance: Home Ministry - The Hindu

An advanced smart fencing system of 100 km along the Myanmar border is in the pipeline to strengthen the existing surveillance system, the 2022-23 annual report of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) published last week said. Unfenced border and unregulated migration from Myanmar have been attributed as some of the factors responsible for the ethnic violence in Manipur that has claimed the lives of at least 175 people since May 3. Click here to read... [10]

Digital Currency: Beacon of Hope in Fight Against Myanmar Junta - VOA News

"Digital currencies have played a pivotal role in backing Myanmar's Spring Revolution," following a military takeover of the government in February 2021, said NUG Deputy Minister of Planning, Finance and Investment Min Zayar Oo, in a statement to VOA. Click here to read... [11]

Several children among IDPs killed in junta aerial attack in Kachin State - Myanmar Now

Nearly 30 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were killed in a suspected junta drone strike on a village near the headquarters of the ethnic armed organisation the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Laiza, northern Myanmar, at around midnight on Monday. The Myanmar army launched the attack at 11:25pm on the village of Mon Lai Hket, located around two miles from Laiza, which is on Kachin State’s border with China. Around 500 IDPs had been sheltering in a camp in the village. Click here to read... [12]

Nepal

Rupee slide raises debt repayment costs - Kathmandu Post

As the Nepali rupee continues to lose its value against the US dollar, Nepal has been forced to pay more in the domestic currency to foreign creditors in recent years. In the last fiscal year 2022-2023 that ended in mid-July, the country suffered a foreign exchange loss of nearly Rs60 billion as the local currency plunged against the US dollar, Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) said in its Annual Report 2022-2023. Click here to read... [13]

Nepal Airlines selling off planes at ‘junkyard price’ - Asia News Network

Nepal Airlines is planning to sell off its Chinese planes that have been like an albatross around its neck for what an insider said is junkyard price. Acquired between 2014 and 2018, the six aircraft were worth Rs6.66 billion in grants and loans. One of the planes has since crashed. The national flag carrier is asking Rs220 million for the remaining five aircraft in an apparent effort to get rid of them as fast as possible. Click here to read... [14]

Pakistan

Imran, Qureshi to be indicted in cipher case on Oct 17 – Dawn

Former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi are to be indicted in the cipher case on October 17, the special court decided on Monday. The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document which reportedly went missing from Imran’s possession. The PTI alleges that it contained a threat from the United States to oust the party chairman from office. Click here to read... [15]

Pakistan condemns Indian minister’s ‘irresponsible, provocative’ remarks on ‘taking back Sindhu’ – Dawn

Pakistan on Monday condemned the “highly irresponsible remarks” made by the chief minister of India’s Uttar Pradesh on “taking back Sindhu (Sindh)” and said that such statements “manifest a revisionist and expansionist mindset”. Click here to read... [16]

Top Pakistan court issues notice to former Army Chief, ex-ISI head for distorting facts during interviews – The Hindu

A top Pakistani court on October 9 issued notices to former Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for violating the laws for retired servicemen by allegedly distorting facts during their media interviews. The notices were issued after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) received a petition by a citizen seeking action against the two senior former army officers. Click here to read... [17]

Sri Lanka

President directs his foreign ministry to ensure the safety of Lankans in war-torn Israel and Palestine- Colombo Page

In a briefing to the Cabinet, President Ranil Wickremesinghe expressed deep concern over the recent attacks in Israel and its implications on Sri Lankans and Israelis residing in both countries. He noted that the ongoing conflict would likely lead to a prolonged period of high fuel prices, adversely affecting developing economies, including Sri Lanka. Click here to read... [18]

Sri Lanka and Maldives to bolster bilateral relations- Daily Mirror

President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, accompanied by the Vice-President-elect Hussain Mohamed Latheef, met the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the Maldives, Adam Maznavee Jaufer Sadiq. The ambassador pledged that Sri Lanka would continue to support and collaborate with the Maldives. Click here to read... [19]

Sri Lankan delegates meets IMF & WB reps for support at AM 2023- Newsfirst

The Sri Lankan government seeks an opportunity to negotiate a bailout package with the IMF, in 2023 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group. The leading delegation of Sri Lanka, comprised of the State Minister Shenan Semasinghe, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and Secretary to the Treasury Mahinsa Siriwardhana, met the Executive Director of the IMF K. Subramanian and discussed the progress of the IMF programme and the current economic conditions of Sri Lanka. Click here to read... [20]