Neighborhood News Digest- 14 March 2024

Afghanistan

Mujahid: Lack of Intl Recognition a Cause of Delay in Formalizing Cabinet-Tolo News

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, told TOLO news that the lack of recognition of the Islamic Emirate and the absence of a constitution have prevented the announcement of an official cabinet. Click here to read… [2]

Scores of poppy fields destroyed in Northern Afghanistan-The Khama Press

Local officials in northern Afghanistan, Balkh province have announced that approximately one hundred acres of poppy fields have been destroyed in the past month in this province. Click here to read… [3]

Uzbekistan to invest in coal extraction, electricity production and cement in Afghanistan-The Khama Press

The Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan stated in a meeting with the Acting Prime Minister that his country intends to invest in establishing a cement factory, coal extraction, and producing 200 megawatts of electricity from coal in Afghanistan. Click here to read… [4]

Kandahar Governor, Pakistani Diplomat Discuss Durand Line-Tolo News

Obaid Rahman Nizamani, the head of the Pakistan diplomatic mission in Kabul, on his visit to Kandahar engaged in discussions on the Durand Line with Mullah Shirin Akhund, the governor of Kandahar province, who also serves as the head of the committee tasked with resolving Durand Line issues. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

Hijacked ship sailing fast to Somali shores – The Daily Star

Neither the government nor the firm that owns the Bangladesh-flagged ship hijacked with 23 crew members has been able to contact the hostages or pirates as of last night. The ship, MV Abdullah, was around 170 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia at 6:40pm (Bangladesh time) yesterday, according to Shakawat Hossain, general secretary of Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers' Association. Click here to read… [6]

UN, partners seek $852.4m to support Rohingya refugees, Bangladeshi hosts – Dhaka Tribune

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with other humanitarian partners, on Wednesday called on the international community to redouble efforts to protect and assist Rohingya refugees and their host communities. Click here to read… [7]

Quader: Awami League govt committed to sustaining country’s progress – Dhaka Tribune

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday reiterated that the incumbent government is committed to sustaining the country’s advancement. Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the Awami League is always committed to flourishing democracy in the country and it remains open the path of freedom of expression for anyone aiming to make the journey of democracy smooth and establish the ideology of democracy. Click here to read… [8]

Bhutan

Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay to begin his 5-day visit to India – Business Standard

Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay will pay a five-day visit to India beginning Thursday in his first foreign trip after assuming the top office in January. Tobgay will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and call on President Droupadi Murmu, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, announcing the Bhutanese leader's visit from March 14 to 18. Click here to read… [9]

Maldives

Former government held negotiations to acquire free drones, too costly at present: MDP – The Edition

Ahmed Easa, Spokesperson for Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary campaign, at the press conference held on March 13, stated that significant efforts were made during the MDP administration to import military drones. He revealed that a pilot project was launched at the time and affirmed that negotiations with a friendly nation were held to provide free military drones to the Maldives. MDP has asserted that the military drones purchased from Turkey to supervise the country’s maritime area are very costly. Three military drones have been purchased from Turkey and the establishment of a drone base is currently underway at Noonu atoll Maafaru. However, the State has yet to disclose further information on this development. Click here to read… [10]

China offers 1,000 short-term training opportunities in five years – Adhadhu

China has decided to provide 1,000 slots for Maldivians to participate in short-term training programs in various fields over the next five years, the Higher Education Ministry has said. The training opportunities were arranged for the Maldives under an MoU signed between the China International Development Cooperation Agency and the Maldives Higher Education, Labor and Skills Development Ministry during President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's state visit to China in January. Click here to read… [11]

Myanmar

US well-placed to guide Myanmar’s new governance - Asia Times

In Myanmar, hardly a day passes without a report of another village, town or township being “liberated” by one or more of the ethnic resistance organizations (EROs) or People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) fighting to overthrow the nation’s military junta, the State Administrative Council (SAC). Click here to read… [12]

Thailand, Laos try to ‘make junta presentable’ amid ASEAN Myanmar inertia - Aljazeera

Thailand’s controversial humanitarian initiative with crisis-torn Myanmar is facing growing criticism even after its fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) appeared to collectively endorse the scheme. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat wrapped up recently in Luang Prabang, the old capital of landlocked Laos, with an emphasis on the stalled five-point consensus agreed between the bloc and the Myanmar military shortly after it seized power in a 2021 coup. Click here to read… [13]

Myanmar Junta Defends Bases on Thai Border With Shelling - The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s junta bases near the Thai border in Karen State have been firing numerous shells since the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and its allies launched attacks on Thursday morning. The Thingannyinaung bases between the border town of Myawaddy and Kawkareik are on the important Asia Highway to Thailand. Almost 7,000 villagers have left Myawaddy Township with many crossing the Moei River into Thailand. Click here to read… [14]

Nepal

‘Worry’ as Nepal’s forex reserves soar to record Rs1.84 trillion – Kathmandu Post

Nepal’s foreign exchange reserves are on a record-breaking streak. The reserves reached Rs1.84 trillion in mid-February, according to the country’s central bank, and are inching towards the Rs2 trillion mark as investment stalls and import contracts. The accumulation of reserves, mostly pumped by Nepali migrant workers, may have cheered the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government, but for economists, it’s a worrying sign. Click here to read… [15]

Dahal wins the confidence of House, third time in 14 months – Kathmandu Post

In a House session high on drama, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Wednesday won his third consecutive vote of confidence in just 14 months. There were also clear indications of diminishing trust in him, compared to the results of the two earlier confidence votes. Click here to read… [16]

Minilateral momentum in South Asia – Kathmandu Post

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue on February 23, Nepal’s former Foreign Minister, NP Saud, hoped to revive the South Asian Association for Regional Organisation (SAARC). The development closely follows his meeting with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry in December 2023, where both countries discussed the importance of reviving and strengthening regional organisations like SAARC and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). Click here to read… [17]

Pakistan

ECP sets April 21 for by-elections- The Express Tribune

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued the schedule for the by-elections for the vacant seats of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures according to which they would be held on April 21. Click here to read… [18]

Gandapur asks Shehbaz to engage with Imran-The Express Tribune

In an ice-breaking development, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held a meeting with Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday in which he asked the prime minister to politically engage with his party’s founder Imran Khan. Click here to read… [19]

Without 'Bat', PTI shut out of Senate elections-The Express Tribune

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) finds itself on the side-lines of the Senate elections in a similar territory, once again grappling with the loss of its electoral symbol in the parliamentary realm. Click here to read… [20]

Sri Lanka

IMF technical assistance reports will be submitted to Parliament: President– Daily Mirror

President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said that he will submit the IMF technical assistance reports to Parliament soon. The President in his latest X message said he will submit the reports to Parliament following a request by TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran during talks on Tuesday. The President met TNA MPs on Tuesday to dicuss the IMF assistance programme. Click here to read… [21]

China pursuing a military base in Sri Lanka: US claims – Daily Mirror

China is reportedly exploring the possibility of establishing military facilities in various countries, including Sri Lanka, in a bid to bolster their power projection capabilities and safeguard national interests, a latest report by US Intelligence Community revealed. Click here to read… [22]

Indian High Commissioner meets Basil – Daily Mirror

High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka met former Finance Minister and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) founder Basil Rajapaksa yesterday. During the discussion, they exchanged views on bilateral relations, political developments and other subjects of mutual interest. Click here to read… [23]