Neighborhood News Digest- 05 April 2024

Afghanistan

Amnesty International Asks Pakistan to Reverse Refugees Expulsion Plan-Tolo News

Amnesty International has called for the immediate cancellation of the plan to expel Afghan migrants from Pakistan through a statement. The organization quoted one of its refugees and migrants campaigners as saying, this plan violates international human rights laws and refugee laws, and is against all international norms. The first phase of expelling undocumented Afghan migrants from Pakistan began in November 2023, and the second phase, under the name of the repatriation plan which also includes those holding citizenship cards, is set to start on April 10th of the current year. Click here to read… [2]

Mine awareness day: 45,000 killed and injured in recent wars in Afghanistan-The Khama Press

Every year on April 4th, the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed worldwide to raise awareness about the dangers of landmines. The United Nations Deputy Office in Afghanistan states that 45,000 people have been killed or injured by landmines as a result of decades of conflict in Afghanistan. Click here to read… [3]

World Bank allocates $16 million to support women-led business in Afghanistan-The Khama Press

The World Bank has announced that it has allocated $16 million to support small businesses in Afghanistan, with a focus on women-owned enterprises and businesses led by women. The World Bank stated on Wednesday, April 3rd, through a press release, that this assistance will be directly disbursed to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) via the Aga Khan Foundation in the USA. Click here to read… [4]

Afghan Journalist Ahamd Hanayesh survives assassination attempt in Pakistan-The Khama Press

The Afghan Journalists Association in Exile has reported another instance highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of Afghan journalists, this time in Pakistan. An Afghan journalist was targeted, sustaining injuries to both his foot and head as a result of the attack. The organization known as “Afghan Journalists in Exile, in Europe and North America,” cited that details of the targeting Ahamd Hanayesh is unclear and that he was attacked by unidentified individuals yesterday in Islamabad. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

New budget to set 10 priorities to steady economy - The Daily Star

The government plans to design a Tk 7,96,900 crore outlay in the new budget with a focus on tight spending policy as economic headwinds are expected to persist in the next fiscal year. Click here to read… [6]

PM likely to visit 3 nations from April 24 – The Daily Star

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to visit three countries from April 24, sources said. According to the sources, the premier will fly to Bangkok on April 24 evening to attend the 18th session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Click here to read… [7]

New Delhi: India-Bangladesh relations are very strong – Dhaka Tribune

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal has said that India-Bangladesh relations are “very strong" and will continue to be so. He was replying to a question on the opposition leaders’ “India out campaign” in Bangladesh at the daily briefing on Thursday in New Delhi. Click here to read… [8]

Jamaat leaders gearing up for upazila election- The Daily Star

Many leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami are going to take part in the upcoming upazila polls as independents. The leaders have already started campaigning in advance in different districts where the polls will be held on May 8, the first phase. Click here to read… [9]

Bhutan

Signs of growth? – Kuensel

As we stride forward in our journey of economic development, we are encountering a need for innovative strategies to diversify our economy, to create jobs, and spur growth. Amidst this our national pursuit, industrial parks emerge as promising avenues for driving industrialisation, entrepreneurship growth, and harnessing the country’s potential. Click here to read… [10]

Bhutan to Upgrade Bitcoin Mining in Himalayas as ‘Halving’ Looms – Bloomberg

Bhutan’s investment arm and Bitdeer Technologies Group are planning to ramp up their Bitcoin mining operation to help offset the revenue impact of an upcoming event known as the halving. Click here to read… [11]

Maldives

They're not coming to plant trees': Maldives opposition alleges China indulging in military activities under guise of agri project – First Post

Maldives’ main opposition party the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has alleged that a Chinese company tasked with an agricultural project on Uthuru Thila Falhu island has not come here just to plant trees but may be engaged in military activities. Highlighting the proximity of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) harbour to the project site, MDP’s Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail suggested that the company may be involved in military activities associated with a larger foreign country. Click here to read… [12]

Maldives still considers India as a friend: Minister Mohamed Saeed – Business Standard

During an interview April 3, Maldives' Economic Minister Mohamed Saeed was asked whether Male can be friends with both China and India, to which he responded that Maldives is a friend of all countries, not just the two. Saeed also stressed that Maldives still considers India a friend as he said: Of course, we are friends (with both). What our president, our government and the people reject is the presence of foreign soldiers here. Click here to read… [13]

Myanmar

Myanmar opposition carries out drone attack on capital - The Guardian

Opponents of Myanmar’s military said they had carried out drone attacks against junta sites in the capital, Naypyidaw, in what appears to be a rare incursion against the embattled junta’s centre of power. The National Unity Government (NUG), which was formed to oppose the 2021 coup, said it had launched drone attacks on two military targets in the capital. Click here to read… [14]

Junta artillery destroys 400 homes, kills 5 in southern Myanmar- RFA

Junta artillery shelling in the southern part of Myanmar killed five people and burned down an estimated 400 homes, the first major attack in relatively peaceful Mon state since the February 2021 military coup d'état, residents said. Naval vessels fired heavy weapons at Dhamma Tha village in Kyaikmaraw township from the Gyaing River on March 27-28, killing a 12-year-old child, two women and two others, according to the Mon State Federal Council, or MSFC, a political organization representing the people of the state. Click here to read… [15]

Nepal

Nepal’s BoP surplus continues to grow with impressive earnings from remittance - My Republica

Nepal's balance of payments (BoP) surplus reached Rs 327.55 billion as of mid-March, driven primarily by a consistent increase in overall financial inflows compared to outflows from the country. This surge was predominantly attributed to the continuous rise in remittance earnings. The Current Macroeconomic and Financial Situation Report of Nepal unveiled by Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) on Thursday shows that the country’s BoP surplus increased more than double from the surplus of Rs 142 billion in the same period last year. Click here to read… [16]

Is Nepal already in a geopolitical trap - The Annapurna Express

Over the past few years, Nepal has found itself in the midst of a tug-of-war among three major global powers: India, China, and the US. Each of these countries are vying for influence in Nepal’s economic, military, ideological and technological spheres. Let’s begin with the US. The Biden administration in the US has made advancing democracy one of its key global priorities. In South Asia, Nepal appears to be in the high priority of the US democracy projects. The US has been inviting Nepal’s prime minister to its annual democracy summit. Both communist and non-communist prime ministers have attended the summit. Click here to read… [17]

Pakistan

Govt to probe 'powder-laced' letters to judges-The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that an investigation will be conducted into the 'powder-laced' letters sent to judges of the superior judiciary. Chairing the meeting of the federal cabinet, he said the matter would be taken up with a sense of responsibility and emphasized there should be no politics on the matter. Click here to read… [18]

Pakistan again rules out talks with outlawed TTP-The Express Tribune

The Foreign Office (FO) ruled out any negotiations with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Thursday, a day after the Afghan deputy interior minister advised both to resolve their issues through dialogue as the violence in Pakistan "is spreading to Afghanistan". The FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan expected the Afghan authorities to take urgent action against the terrorist outfits and their leadership for the crimes they are committing and terrorist incidents they are responsible for in Pakistan. Click here to read… [19]

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman elected as Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami-The Express Tribune

In a significant development within the political landscape of Pakistan, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has been elected as the Amir (chief) of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), one of the country's prominent religious and political parties. The announcement of his election as the new party chief was made following a decision by the majority of the members of Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday. Click here to read… [20]

Pakistan, Iran agree on prisoners’ release-The Express Tribune

Pakistan and Iran have mutually agreed to release prisoners held in each other’s jails on humanitarian grounds. An Iranian delegation called on Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar in the federal capital and informed that 160 Pakistanis were held captive in Iranian jails whereas 60 Iranian inmates were in Pakistan’s custody. Click here to read… [21]

Sri Lanka

“Most eligible recipient’’: Sri Lankan monk on presenting sacred Buddha relics to Dalai Lama – Daily Mirror

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has accomplished more for Buddhism than anyone in history and thus makes him the most eligible person to receive Lord Buddha's sacred Kapilavastu relics according to Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Waskaduwe Mahindawansa Mahanayake Thero. Click here to read… [22]

‘No ground’ for Indian request for return of Kachchatheevu: Lanka Minister – The Print

The statements coming out of India on “reclaiming” Kachchatheevu Island from Sri Lanka have “no ground”, the Sri Lankan Minister of Fisheries Douglas Devananda has said. Click here to read… [23]

Strong economy fuels confidence for progress in country – President – Daily News

President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasised that the government’s prudent decisions over the past two years have bolstered the nation’s economy, providing a favourable environment for political activities on the streets. Click here to read… [24]