Neighborhood News Digest - 03 April 2024

Afghanistan

Russia Considers Removing 'Taliban' From Terrorist List-Tolo News

TASS news agency reported on Monday that the Russian foreign ministry is considering removing the "Taliban" from the list of terrorist groups. According to the report, the issue is being considered by the foreign ministry, the ministry of justice, and other Russian institutions. The Islamic Emirate welcomed this decision from Moscow, calling it important for trust-building between the two countries. Click here to read… [2]

Kabul Rejects Afghan Involvement in Attack on Chinese Nationals in Pakistan-Tolo News

The Islamic Emirate rejected the claim made by Pakistan's Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) alleging Afghanistan's involvement in the recent attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Denying this claim, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, reiterated that Afghan soil will not be used against any country. Click here to read… [3]

Gholghola and Zuhak historical sites in Bamyan to be reconstructed-The Khama Press

Media outlets have reported that the head of UNESCO’s cultural department has expressed readiness to reconstruct the historical sites of Ghulgulah and Zuhak in Bamyan province, Central Afghanistan, in the coming year. National radio and television under the control of the Taliban regime, in a report published on Sunday, March 31, have announced the meeting between Brandon Cassar, the responsible for the cultural department of UNESCO in Afghanistan, and Safiullah Ra’id, the head of information and culture of the Bamiyan. Click here to read… [4]

UNAMA: Over 40,000 Afghan victims of explosive mines in three decades-The Khama Press

The United Nations Deputy Assistance Mission in Afghanistan stated that over the past 35 years, including children and women, 44,000 civilians in Afghanistan have been victims of mine explosions and explosive materials. According to the report of this organization, in 2022, approximately 700 children were killed or injured, as documented by UNICEF, indicating that at least two children are victimized per day. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

Economy to post subdued growth for at least three years - The Daily Star

Bangladesh's economy is projected to grow at less than 6 percent for three consecutive years, including the current fiscal year, said the World Bank yesterday, a pace that is slower than the average expansion recorded in the pre-pandemic decade. Click here to read… [6]

180 Myanmar troops to return home, 170 Bangladeshis to be brought back: Hasan – The Daily Star

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said yesterday that measures were being taken to bring home 170 Bangladeshis trapped in Myanmar and send back 180 members of Border Guard Police (BGP) and army personnel of Myanmar who took refuge in Bangladesh. Click here to read… [7]

PM Hasina wants Russian Rosatom to build another nuclear power plant in Rooppur – Dhaka Tribune

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday requested Russia's state-run atomic agency Rosatom to consider building a second nuclear power plant in Rooppur. Click here to read… [8]

Bangladesh’s exports cross $5bn in March – Dhaka Tribune

The country's export earnings experienced a year-on-year (YoY) positive growth of 9.88% to $5.10 billion in March of FY24, higher from $4.64 billion in the same month of FY23. Click here to read… [9]

Bhutan

MoAL prioritises high-tech farming to boost GDP growth – Kuensel

To enhance the agriculture sector’s role in contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MoAL) plans to prioritise high-tech farming in the 13th Plan. Click here to read… [10]

Modi’s Visit to Bhutan Amid Elections in India Raises Questions – Diplomat

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bhutan on March 22 and 23, India announced the doubling of its assistance to Bhutan from 50 billion Indian rupees ($0.6 billion) for its 12th Five Year Plan (2018-2023) to 100 billion rupees ($1.2 billion) for its 13th Five-Year Plan (2024-2029). Click here to read… [11]

Maldives

Travelers opt cheap guesthouses, WB revises Maldives economic growth projection – Sun Online

World Bank revised and reduced the economic growth projection of the Maldives. In its South Asian Development Update, World Bank highlighted tourists visiting the Maldives have begun opting for lower-cost guesthouses instead of high-end resorts. While World Bank earlier projected an output growth of 5.2% for the Maldives, this has been rectified and reduced to 4.7% in the most recent update. Click here to read… [12]

Chinese company coming to Uthuru Thila Falhu for military purpose, alleges Fayyaz – Adhadhu

A Chinese company awarded a large-scale agriculture project in Uthuru Thila Falhu by the government would instead carry out Chinese military work at the reclaimed island, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail has alleged. Fayyaz made the allegations at an MDP campaign rally on April 2, for the upcoming parliamentary elections. He raised questions about the effort to farm on reclaimed land when the Maldives has other land for agriculture. Click here to read… [13]

Myanmar

Yingluck Being Named UN Special Envoy For Myanmar Could Be April Fools’ Day Prank - ASEAN Now

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER-cum-Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara said Tuesday (Apr. 2) unconfirmed hearsay of deposed Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra being named a special envoy for Myanmar attached to the United Nations Secretary-General’s Office might only be an April Fools’ Day prank. Parnpree was responding to a news report published yesterday – April Fools’ Day – by Irrawaddy news website that Yingluck has been named a UN special envoy for Myanmar though the deposed Thai woman prime minister herself has not been aware of it. He said the questionable news report is yet to be officially confirmed by the UN Secretary General’s Office and doubted it would be found to be truthful. Click here to read… [14]

Human Rights Situation weekly update (March 22 to 31, 2024) - Relief Web

Military Junta Troop launched airstrikes and dropped bombs in the Sagaing Region, Tanintharyi Region, Rakhine State, Kayin State, Mon State, Chin State, and Shan State from March 22nd to 31st. The head of the Prison who works under the Military threatened and tortured the political prisoners at Monywa Police station in Sagaing Region and Pyapon Prison from Ayeyarwady Region, one died and over 18 were injured in this incident. Military Junta Troop relocated the prisoners from Ann Prison, Rakhine State to Insein Prison and also from Buthidaung Prison to Sittwe Prison. Click here to read… [15]

Myanmar And Irregular Warfare In A Multipolar World - Eurasia Review

The civil war in Myanmar provides a vignette of what insurgency may look like in this new era. Myanmar is already a key region of concern for Indian policymakers. Besides concerns emanating from a shared border, mutual people-to-people ties, and the security repercussions for India’s Northeast at a time when the region is developing into a fulcrum for New Delhi’s Act East policy, New Delhi’s policies are also shaped by the displacement of Pakistan by China within its strategic calculus—the latter being a more active participant within Myanmar’s security landscape, supporting a variety of belligerents including the Junta itself. Click here to read… [16]

Nepal

Annapurna region receives 30k tourist in a month - The Himalayan Times

A total of 30,199 foreign tourists visited the Annapurna region in the month of March. This includes 14,668 tourists from South Asian countries and 15,531 tourists from other countries, according to According to the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). The arrival of tourists has increased with the end of the cold season and the number is expected to grow further in April, said Chief of ACAP Dr Rabin Kadaria. Click here to read… [17]

Nepal and Switzerland discuss bilateral cooperation in trade and tourism - my Republica

The Nepal-Switzerland Bilateral Consultations Mechanism (BCM) meeting in Switzerland reviewed the entire spectrum of Nepal-Switzerland relations including economic ties, development partnership, multilateral cooperation, and contemporary global issues such as climate change and human rights. Click here to read… [18]

Cannot accept Bimstec to replace Saarc, says Minister Shrestha - Kathmandu Post

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha has said Nepal will not accept the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to replace the other regional organisation, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Click here to read… [19]

Pakistan

Ruling coalition dominates Senate polls as PPP wins 11, PML-N six seats-The Express Tribune

The ruling coalition on Tuesday secured the majority of 19 Senate seats, with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) winning 11 and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) emerging victorious on six seats while independent candidate Faisal Vawda also succeeded from Sindh. Click here to read… [20]

12 detained over bombing of Chinese workers-The Express Tribune

Police detained more than 12 people, including Afghan nationals, in connection with a suicide bombing that killed five Chinese engineers and their driver last week, a senior law enforcement source said on Tuesday. Islamabad has blamed a recent uptick in attacks in Pakistan on Afghanistan, accusing the Taliban government there of failing to rein in militants sympathetic to their cause. The Taliban government in Kabul has repeatedly denied giving safe haven to militants. Click here to read… [21]

PTI forms ‘joint grand alliance’ with like-minded parties to challenge govt-The Express Tribune

In a significant political development, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday forged a joint grand alliance with several like-minded political parties aimed at presenting a formidable challenge to the incumbent government. This alliance, headed by Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Achakzai, is poised to reshape the political landscape of Pakistan. Click here to read… [22]

Two more pleas filed as SC set to take up ‘meddling’ issue today-Dawn

As a seven-member Supreme Court bench takes up allegations of ‘meddling in judicial affairs’ on Wednesday, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) have filed separate, but similar petitions, to join proceedings. On March 26 six out of the eight judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) wrote a startling letter to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), detailing attempts to pressurise judges through the abduction and torture of their relatives, as well as secret surveillance inside their homes. Click here to read… [23]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s economy shows signs of stabilization, but poverty remains elevated – Daily Mirror

Sri Lanka’s economy is projected to see moderate growth of 2.2% in 2024, showing signs of stabilization, following the severe economic downturn of 2022 while the country still faces elevated poverty levels, income inequality, and labor market concerns, said the World Bank's latest bi-annual update. Click here to read… [24]

WB cautions possible slowdown in reform efforts due to elections - Daily Mirror

Sri Lanka has recovered faster than expected from the economic crisis it faced two years ago, however, the World Bank yesterday cautioned that this momentum might be lost due to a possible slowdown in the reform efforts as the island nation gears up for election this year. Click here to read… [25]

Distortion of facts: How Sri Lankan media is reporting Katchatheevu island row – Mint

The controversy over the handing over of Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka has irked the Sri Lankan media, which has slammed the Indian government for arousing communal feelings with an eye on making electoral gains in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Click here to read… [26]