Neighborhood News Digest- 13 February 2024

Afghanistan

Two Guantanamo Prisoners Return to Kabul after 22 Years-Tolo News

Two Afghan prisoners held in the US's Guantanamo detention center have returned to Kabul on Monday after 15 years of imprisonment in the US center, followed by seven years of home detention in the Gulf. Click here to read... [2]

Portugal provides €200,000 for the first time to Afghanistan humanitarian fund-The Khama Press

The United Nations Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that for the first time, Portugal has contributed €200,000 to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund. Click here to read... [3]

Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister signals participation in Doha Conference-The Khama Press

As the Doha conference nears, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the deputy of the caretaker government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has told the media that the Taliban government is thinking about joining the conference and will let everyone know its decision soon. Click here to read... [4]

Nabil, Afghan politician, apologizes to people, breaking political silence-The Khama Press

Rahmatullah Nabil, former head of Afghanistan’s National Security, speaking on Monday, February 12th, in an interview with Afghanistan International, stated, “We couldn’t hand over a better country to the next generation,” and therefore “we must apologize to the people.” Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

Coast Guard, BGB on alert – The Daily Star

Amid fear of a fresh influx of Myanmar nationals, Bangladesh border and coast guards have stepped up vigilance along the Myanmar border, including the Naf river. Click here to read... [6]

AL candidate wins in Naogaon-2 – The Daily Star

The Awami League's candidate unofficially won the election to Naogaon-2 constituency (Patnitola and Dhamoirhat) yesterday, bringing the total number of AL seats in the current parliament to 224 out of 300. Click here to read... [7]

BNP leader Moyeen Khan meets US envoy Peter Haas – Dhaka Tribune

BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Monday met US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas. A post on the Facebook page of the US Embassy in Dhaka confirmed the meeting between Peter Haas and the BNP leader. Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan

Bhutan’s new mega-city could mean the end of the planet’s most peaceful place-The Telegraph

Bhutan is attempting to balance the demands of economic development with the needs of spiritual wellbeing – but is it humanly possible? Click here to read... [9]

Maldives

Maldives parliament votes to postpone general election – Hindu

The Maldives’s parliamentary election, which was scheduled for March 17 this year, is set to be postponed after the legislature voted to defer the polls, citing the Ramadan month. The People’s Majlis or parliament on February 14, voted for the amendment to the country’s General Elections Act to commence the parliamentary election ten days after the month of religious significance in the Sunni Muslim nation. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and its breakaway The Democrats together backed the amendment, citing concerns over a possible drop in voter turnout during the month of fasting and prayer from March 10, 2024, to April 9, 2024. Click here to read... [10]

President meets with leaders of IMF and Abu Dhabi Fund – The Edition

As per the President's Office, the President and the Director General of ADFD held discussions on the continuing strong bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as the many ways in which the fund is supporting the development of the Maldives. The President expressed gratitude for the continued support from the ADFD, and the Director General pledged continued assistance to the Maldives. They further deliberated on cooperation in the fields of tourism, agriculture, health, economic, as well as development sectors. Click here to read... [11]

Pakistan

PPP CEC to meet again today amid reluctance to join govt-Dawn

The Central Executive Committee of the PPP which met in Islamabad to deliberate on the post-poll scenario and proposals regarding the coalition government has decided to reach out to all political parties, including the PTI-backed independents, for a possible power-sharing deal. Click here to read... [12]

Tareen, Khattak quit politics, Siraj steps down as JI chief- The Express Tribune

Days after the country went to polls, uncertainty continued to loom large on Monday after three well-known political leaders, Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) chief Jahangir Khan Tareen, Central Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P) Pervez Khattak, and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Sirajul Haq, made shocking announcements of stepping down from party positions. Click here to read... [13]

PTI to field candidates for speaker, PM slots- Dawn

Even as PTI described alleged ongoing attempts to change the election results to convert the victory of its candidates into defeat as a malicious plot to plunge the country deep into a quagmire of political chaos and economic instability, the party on Monday decided to run for the offices of speaker, prime minister and other positions. Click here to read... [14]

Sri Lanka

SJB ready for scrapping executive presidency - Daily Mirror Online

Indicating that Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) would extend conditional support for the scrapping of the executive presidency, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa said his party would support such an amendment but said it has to be implemented after holding an election. Click here to read... [15]

Unified Payment Interface launched in Sri Lanka – Daily Mirror Online

The Unified Payment Interface (UPI) service was launched in Sri Lanka today. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe witnessed the launch via video conference. Click here to read... [16]

Central Bank continues to collect foreign exchange from domestic market – Daily Mirror Online

Continuing its months-long streak, the Central Bank purchased another US $ 245.3 million in foreign exchange from the domestic banking system and sold nothing in January, ending as a net purchaser of foreign currency to begin the year. Click here to read... [17]