Neighborhood News Digest- 13 March 2024

Afghanistan

Muttaqi: Foreign Ministry Has 38 Offices Abroad-Tolo News

The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, at a gathering, said that currently, around 38 embassies and political agencies of the Islamic Emirate are active in various countries. Emphasizing the importance of good relations with the world, Amir Khan Muttaqi asked countries to interact with the Islamic Emirate. Click here to read... [2]

142 Projects Costing 40 Billion Afs Approved: Officials – Tolo News

The National Procurement Commission said that 142 projects costing 40 Billion Afs have been granted approval. According to the statement of the National Procurement Commission, domestic products will be prioritized in the implementation of the projects, and thousands of people will be provided with jobs. Click here to read... [3]

Pakistani Ambassador meets Governor of Kandahar-The Khama Press

After the formation of a coalition government in Pakistan led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Chargé d’Affaires of this country’s embassy in Afghanistan met with the Governor of Kandahar and assured him that he would discuss the expectations of the Taliban government during his visit to Islamabad with officials of the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Click here to read... [4]

Herat Officials Report 80 Development Projects in Earthquake-Affected Areas- Tolo News

Local officials in Herat said that over 80 World Bank-supported projects worth 300 million Afs are either underway or have been completed in the Kahsan and Zinda Jan districts of Herat, which were areas affected by recent earthquakes. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

No contact yet with pirates on hijacked Bangladeshi ship – The Daily Star

Officials of KSRM and its subsidiary SR Shipping, the firm that owns the hijacked Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, are yet make any contact with the pirates, believed to be Somalians. Click here to read... [6]

ADB approves $71m loan to improve flood control in Gopalganj, Madaripur – The Daily Star

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $71 million loan to improve flood control, irrigation, and water resources management in rural communities in Gopalganj and Madaripur districts to strengthen their preparedness and resilience to the effects of climate change. Click here to read... [7]

Bangladesh determined to create labour-friendly environment, Anisul tells ILO– Dhaka Tribune

Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq has said the government is determined to create a labour-friendly environment in the country as he addressed the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) 350th session in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Click here to read... [8]

Bhutan

World Bank recommends Bhutan way forward to engage women and unskilled workers in job market – Bhutanese Expression

The World Bank’s Labour Market Assessment Report which was launched today revealed that women, low-skilled, and rural workers are mostly employed in low-productivity agricultural jobs as self-employed or family workers, with limited options for upward mobility. During the launch, the World Bank made four recommendations as a way forward for Bhutan to address these gaps. Click here to read... [9]

Maldives

Ooredoo PEACE cable service to begin mid-2024 – Adhadhu

The Communications Authority of Maldives (CAM) has stated that, the international "PEACE cable" laid with an investment by Ooredoo Maldives to connect the Maldives to Singapore, Europe and Africa will begin services to the public in the middle of the year. The PEACE cable is a 15,000 kms submarine cable that connects Asia, Africa and Europe. The massive project was undertaken jointly by Huawei Marine, Tropic Science Company Ltd, China-ASEAN Information Harbor Ltd, China Construction Bank and Huawei Marine Networks. The companies signed the agreement for the project in 2017. The submarine cable will connect the Maldives to Singapore and 15 European countries in addition to Eastern Africa. Click here to read... [10]

Parliament votes to ignore top court ruling on quorum count – Atoll Times

The move comes after the Supreme Court ruled that Parliament’s decision to count its total membership without vacant seats was unconstitutional. Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Saud Hussain from the opposition proposed not to include the seven vacant seats when counting the total membership. MP Eva Abdulla from the Democrats supported the proposal. It was passed with the votes of 25 MPs while two MPs voted against it. The Speaker of the Parliament, Mohamed Aslam, announced that the total number of members of the Parliament would be counted at 80. Click here to read... [11]

Myanmar

Thailand’s ‘Humanitarian Corridor’ for Myanmar Faces Pushback - IPS News

Since the 2021 coup, the UN estimates some 2.4 million more people have been displaced by conflict across Myanmar, while 78,000 civilian properties, including homes, hospitals, schools, and places of worship, have been burnt or destroyed by the military. Against this background and wanting to preempt an influx, Thailand’s new coalition government announced its intention last month to open up a ‘humanitarian corridor’ into Myanmar to funnel aid to IDPs and keep them well away from the border. Click here to read... [12]

Resistance Groups in Myanmar Are Likely Now Armed with MANPADs - The Atlas News

A recent video out of Myanmar filmed by a member of a resistance group shows a junta pilot deploying flares in response to what appears to be a type of missile reportedly fired from a HN-5 Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (MANPAD). The HN-5 is a Chinese-made MANPAD produced in the 1970s and based on the Soviet Strela-2 (NATO name SA-7). The supersonic projectile has a flight speed of 500 m/s (1,118 mph). Although outdated, it can still serve as an effective tool for destroying low-altitude aircraft, posing a moderate threat to the junta’s air capabilities. Click here to read... [13]

Myanmar junta refuses dozens of nationals facing deportation by India - RFA

Myanmar’s junta has refused to accept dozens of nationals facing deportation by the Indian government for illegally entering the country, their relatives said Tuesday. Indian media reported that authorities in eastern India’s Manipur state have been making arrangements to send 77 women who served sentences for illegal immigration in the state’s Imphal Jail back across the border from Moreh township to Tamu township in Myanmar’s Sagaing region since March 8. Click here to read... [14]

Nepal

Public outcry drove Nepal king off throne 16 yrs ago. Now, protests seek his return - Times of India

Sixteen years ago, mass protests in Nepal forced then-King Gyanendra Shah to give up the throne and clear the way for a republic. Now, a new wave of protest is trying to bring him back. The capital of the Himalayan country is again teeming with demonstrators, this time demanding Shah be reinstated as king and Hinduism brought back as a state religion. Click here to read... [15]

Nepal PM Prachanda to seek vote of confidence today, third time within 15 months - The Print

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is set to take his third vote of confidence within 15 months after forging a new alliance earlier this month. As per the possible schedule of events published by the Parliament Secretariat, Dahal will be taking a vote of confidence during the meeting of the House of Representatives called for 11 am (local time) today. Click here to read... [16]

Pakistan

Pakistan aims for large IMF loan-The Express Tribune

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday said that Pakistan was keen to sign a large International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and underscored the need for tackling the problems of low economic growth and high inflation through stabilisation policies. Click here to read... [17]

New Sindh cabinet sworn in, portfolios announced-The Express Tribune

In a significant development for the province of Sindh, ten members of the newly appointed cabinet took their oaths on Tuesday at the Governor House in Karachi. The swearing-in ceremony was administered by Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, witnessed by distinguished officials and attendees. Click here to read... [18]

PPP, JUI-F join hands for Senate polls-The Express Tribune

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) have forged an alliance for the upcoming Senate elections. Addressing a press conference alongside Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani and JUI-F leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Bukhari revealed that PPP will throw its weight behind the JUI-F candidate for the Senate polls in Balochistan, reciprocated by JUI-F's support for Yousaf Raza Gillani in Islamabad. Click here to read... [19]

Sri Lanka

IMF should call on Sri Lanka to abandon proposed NGO law, says HRW – Daily Mirror

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) should urge Sri Lanka’s government to abandon the proposed Non-Governmental Organizations (Registration and Supervision) Act, impose a moratorium on the use of the Online Safety Act, and amend the Anti-Terrorism Bill to ensure that it respects human rights standards, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said. Click here to read... [20]

Tourists doing business: Sri Lanka to get tough – Daily Mirror

The government will soon strengthen its laws to prevent foreign nationals from operating businesses in the country while they are under tourist visas and have already begun conducting raids in the south, the Daily Mirror learns. Click here to read... [21]

Chief Secretaries appointed to Northern and Wayamba Provinces – Daily Mirror

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has appointed Chief Secretaries to the Northern Province and Wayamba Province, the President's Media Division (PMD) said. Click here to read... [22]