Neighborhood News Digest - 02 April 2024

Afghanistan

CNN: ‘Taliban’s Pashto chauvinism helps ISIS-K’ recruitment from other ethnic groups-The Khama Press

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior adviser to the New York-based Counter Extremism Project, told CNN that ISIS-K “has the desire and a growing ability to project beyond Afghanistan and carry out regional attacks” in Pakistan, Iran and Central Asia, bolstered by a robust media output in Tajik, Uzbek and Russian. Fitton-Brown said that in Afghanistan, the Taliban’s “Pashto chauvinism has helped ISIS-K recruit from other Afghan ethnic groups.” Click here to read… [2]

Pakistan: Afghan citizen responsible for attack on Chinese engineers-The Khama Press

The National Counterterrorism Authority of Pakistan announced about a week after the attack on Chinese citizens in the country that 10 individuals were detained in connection to the attack, identifying an Afghan citizen as the mastermind of the suicide bombing. Click here to read… [3]

Hanafi Calls for Safeguarding Nation's Historical Treasures-Tolo News

The deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, emphasized the need to prevent the smuggling of the country's ancient artefacts, at the opening ceremony of the Quran manuscript exhibition on Monday. Abdul Salam Hanafi said that the protection of the country's ancient artefacts and the prevention of smuggling is the responsibility of all citizens, and the Islamic Emirate is also committed to protecting these ancient artefacts. Click here to read… [4]

‘American Drones’ seen over Kandahar and other provinces in Afghanistan-The Khama Press

Media outlets reported that drones were seen in Badakhshan, Panjshir, Kunar, Laghman, and Kandahar, after residents from these provinces reported of seeing them in the skies. The Taliban spokesperson, in response to the flight of these drones, accused America of “violating” Afghanistan’s airspace. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

Govt’s interest expenses jump 26% in 6 months as funds get costlier- The Daily Star

The government's expenses on interest payments rose about 26 percent year-on-year in the first six months of the current fiscal year due to a spike in the cost of borrowing from both local and external sources, official figures showed. Click here to read… [6]

AL says it spent Tk 2.76cr – The Daily Star

The ruling Awami League spent Tk 2.76 crore in the 12th national election, as stated in their expenditure report submitted to the Election Commission. Click here to read… [7]

‘India-out’ -- a futile strategy? – Dhaka Tribune

Within the realm of Bangladeshi politics, the utilization of the anti-India tactic has become widely recognized and frequently employed by the BNP and its allies. Click here to read… [8]

Remittance drops before Eid, causing concerns – Dhaka Tribune

In March, Bangladesh saw a worrying 1.23% drop in remittance inflows, totalling $1.99 billion right before Eid. This decrease was unexpected, especially during Eid celebrations, according to Bangladesh Bank data. Click here to read… [9]

Bhutan

Government to roll out Nu 2B social protection scheme – Kuensel

Under a special service initiative, the government has allocated Nu two billion for a social protection scheme aimed at benefiting all Bhutanese, according to Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay. Click here to read… [10]

Economic loss from drug-related arrests estimated at Nu 538 million last year: PM – Kuensel

The experts estimated an economic loss from drug-related arrests last year at Nu 538 million, said Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay during the 2nd meet-the-press held on March 29. Click here to read… [11]

Maldives

Will inform China company that Uthuru Thila Falhu agriculture project agreement will be cancelled: Fayyaz – Adhadhu

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail stated that, the MoU signed with the Chinese company will stand cancelled in a MDP led-government in Maldives. The Maldives Industrial Development Free Zone (MIDF) on March 28 signed an MoU with China's Harbor Engineering Company to carry out a large-scale agriculture project with land reclamation in Uthuru Thila Falhu. Fayyaz questioned why the government chose Uthuru Thila Falhu for the project, as the city was to be designated for the allocation of land to the natives and long-term residents of Male. Click here to read… [12]

Parliament passes Anti-Defection bill – Maldives Voice

Parliament passed Anti-Defection bill aimed at preventing MPs from switching parties after being elected on a party ticket. The bill, proposed by Baarah MP Ahmed Abdulla on behalf of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), received 33 votes in favor and six against during April 1st session. The bill, containing 10 provisions, underwent three amendments by a committee. Interestingly, all seven members of the reviewing committee were MDP MPs, as other parties declined to participate. Click here to read… [13]

Myanmar

Yingluck Shinawatra to Be UN Special Envoy on Myanmar - The Irrawaddy

The Myanmar military junta said it welcomed the appointment of Yingluck Shinawatra as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar. Myanmar has not had a UN special envoy since 2023 and the people of the country are seriously looking forward to receiving a new UN envoy to fix their ills. Yingluck is no stranger to Myanmar; she flew to Myanmar in December 2011 when the country was slowly opening up. Click here to read… [14]

Kachin Independence Army Captures Town Close to Chinese-Myanmar Border - The Atlas News

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA), a resistance group engaged in hostilities against the junta running Myanmar’s government, captured a town named Lwegel, near the border with China in the southwestern part of Kachin State. The KIA and Arakan Army (AA) were reportedly welcomed as “liberators” by the local population of the village since the junta government remains unpopular with the public. Click here to read… [15]

As Myanmar’s civil war halts key India-funded transport project, will China take advantage - SCMP

Battlefield advances made by rebel groups in Myanmar against the military junta have effectively halted a critical US$484 million transport project financed by India, at a time when China is expanding its regional footprint through investments. Earlier this year, the Arakan Army, one of the rebel groups from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, captured the strategically important Paletwa town on the Kaladan River, near the Indian border. Consequently, the military junta lost control over the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport (KMMT) project. Click here to read… [16]

Nepal

Nepal achieves record-high influx of tourists in March, the highest in last four years - MyRepublica

Nepal’s tourism industry seems to have bounced back with a notable number of foreigners arriving via air routes last month. According to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), the number of foreign visitors in March surged by 28.90 percent compared to the same period of last year. Click here to read… [17]

Fortifying Nepal's Cybersecurity: Analyzing Legislative Initiatives - My Republica

Keeping aside the cyber literacy issue, the Ministry of Communication, and Information Technology (Ministry) prepared a Draft Information Technology and Cyber Security Bill 2024 (Draft Bill) which was also issued for public feedback, to overcome the cybersecurity challenges and regulate the cybersecurity aspect in Nepal. The said bill is a merger of two separate bills i.e. Information Technology Bill (which has been in discussion since 2017) and the Cybersecurity Bill 2022. Click here to read… [18]

Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha visits Tibet; calls for opening 14 traditional border points with China - The Hindu

Nepal has urged China to reopen the 14 traditional border points with the Tibetan Autonomous Region not just for bilateral trade and commerce but for the movement of people too. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha also underscored the importance of exporting products from Nepal during a meeting with Wang Junzheng, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of China. Click here to read… [19]

Pakistan

Electoral stage set for Senate race-The Express Tribune

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has pulled out all the stops in readiness for the nationwide Senate elections slated for April 2 (today), setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown. Anticipation is rife as parties within the ruling coalition, notably the PML-N and PPP, eye a potential bolstering of their ranks towards a formidable two-thirds majority in the upper echelons of parliament. On the flip side, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is expected to maintain its dominance as the foremost party in the new legislative body. Click here to read… [20]

Inflation falls to two-year low of 20.7% in March-The Express Tribune

Inflation fell to nearly two years low of 20.7% in March despite seasonal spurt in perishable food items, beating the government’s expectations by a wide margin and putting a question mark on the central bank’s policy to maintain record high interest rates. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Monday that the pace of increase in the prices of goods and services remained at 20.7% in March over the corresponding month of the last year. It was the lowest rate in the past 22 months. Click here to read… [21]

Omar Ayub poised to lead opposition in NA-The Express Tribune

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stalwart Omar Ayub is set to take the helm as the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, sources revealed on Monday. Last month, in a formal move, the PTI-Sunni Ittehad Council alliance put forward Omar Ayub Khan's candidacy for the opposition leader position, submitting the necessary documents to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq's office. Click here to read… [22]

Chaos in NA as opposition stopped from debating letter-Dawn

The National Assembly on Monday witnessed a noisy protest by the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members demanding a general debate on the issue of the letter written by six judges of Islamabad High Court (IHC) regarding their alleged surveillance by the country’s intelligence agencies and interference in the judicial matters as the treasury benches and speaker termed it a sub judice matter. Click here to read… [23]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka unaware of ship carrying toxic wastes from the US – Daily Mirror

Sri Lanka is not yet aware of the nature of hazardous materials in the Singapore cargo ship Dali chartered by Maersk, which crashed into the Baltimore, US bridge on March 26, carrying 764 tons of hazardous materials as reported by the US media, an official said. Click here to read… [24]

Katchatheevu Island a done deal, India has no intention to reverse agreement - Daily Mirror

India has no intention to reverse the agreement that ceded the Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka despite the political debate in India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted the DMK over the Katchatheevu island issue, alleging the ruling party of Tamil Nadu did nothing to safeguard the state's interests. Click here to read… [25]

Visa-free entry extended to visitors from seven countries including India, Russia – Daily Mirror

The pilot project that allows visa-free entry to visitors from seven countries, which includes India, China and Russia has been extended till April 30, 2024, Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando said. Click here to read… [26]