Neighborhood News Digest- 11 April 2024

Afghanistan

Ministry: Afghanistan Side Ready for Resumption of Turkish Airlines Flights-Tolo News

The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) said that Turkish Airlines may soon resume its flights to Afghanistan. Imamuddin Ahmadi, spokesperson for the ministry, pledged that all facilities have been provided for international companies to operate flights from the country's airports. Click here to read… [2]

Amnesty International welcomes Sediqullah Afghan’s release-The Khaama Press

Amnesty International Welcomes Release of Sediqullah Afghan, Education Rights Activist, as Positive Development. The organization, on Tuesday, April 9th, hailed the release of Sediqullah Afghan, an education activist, as a “positive sign.” According to the organization’s report, Sediqullah Afghan have been accused of assisting the robotics team of girls to leave Afghanistan, supporting protesting women, and organizing demonstrations. Click here to read… [3]

Bangladesh

President calls for unity in Eid greetings - The Daily Star

President Mohammed Shahabuddin urged the more affluent members of society to support and stand by the poor so that all people -- rich and poor -- can equally experience the joy and happiness of Eid. Click here to read… [4]

BJP invites AL to witness Lok Sabha polls – The Daily Star

Bangladesh's ruling Awami League is among the political parties of at least 25 countries which have been invited by Bharatiya Janata Party to get a first-hand experience of India's coming Lok Sabha polls. Click here to read… [5]

Indian PM Modi sends Eid greetings to Bangladeshis – Dhaka Tribune

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent greetings to the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Fitr. On Wednesday, in a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Modi extended warm greetings on behalf of the people and the government of India. Click here to read… [6]

Bhutan

National debt to rise by 10.5 percent this FY-Kuensel

Bhutan’s national debt is expected to surge by 10.5 percent because of financing the fiscal gap and hydropower loans in this fiscal year, the finance ministry projects. The estimated debt for this fiscal year, 2023-24, is at Nu 306.12 billion, compared with previous fiscal year’s debt of Nu 276.98 billion. In terms of the debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio, it is expected to slightly decline to 114.7 percent of GDP from 115 percent in the same period. Click here to read… [7]

Maldives

PM Modi greets Maldives President Muizzu on Eid; highlights civilizational linkages – Adhadhu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday warmly greeted Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu, the government and the people of the archipelago nation on the occasion of Eid and also highlighted the cultural and civilisational linkages between the two countries. Click here to read… [8]

Chinese arrivals exceed 71k, Maldives welcomes over 650k tourists – Sun Online

Maldives has welcomed over 650,000 tourists by April 08th, 2024, reports the Ministry of Tourism. According to the ministry in its latest report, tourist arrivals by the review date reached a total of 650,404, registering a 13.6% increase compared to the corresponding period last year, during which arrivals stood at 572,748. As for arrivals exclusively in April, from April 01st to 08th, Maldives has welcomed 46,400 travelers, which is a 5% decline compared to the same period last year, during which arrivals stood at 48,820. Click here to read… [9]

Myanmar

Myanmar troops retreat to Thai border bridge after days of fighting - AlJazeera

Some 200 Myanmar soldiers have withdrawn to the so-called Friendship Bridge connecting the border town of Myawaddy to Thailand amid a relentless assault by anticoup forces. The retreat is another indication of the rising pressure facing the generals who seized power in a coup in February 2021, leading to an uprising against their rule. Click here to read… [10]

Poverty and the Household Economy of Myanmar: a Disappearing Middle Class - Relief Web

The contraction of household incomes since the onset of the pandemic and the political crisis shows no sign of recovery. Respondents of the People’s Pulse Survey 2023 (PPS), conducted between June and October 2023 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), were asked how their household income had changed since January 2023; 57 percent reported that their income had remained the same, while 30 percent reported a decline. Rather than signalling a potential recovery, however, the more plausible explanation is that incomes have nearly hit the bottom. Click here to read… [11]

Thai PM says Myanmar fighting cannot spill into Thai airspace - Devi Discourse

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday said fighting at his country's border with Myanmar cannot spill into Thailand's airspace. Srettha was commenting on a days-long assault at the Myanmar border town of Myawaddy by anti-junta rebels. Click here to read… [12]

Myanmar Junta Arrests Former Naypyitaw Chief of Military’s Proxy Party - The Irrawaddy

The former chief of the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP)’s Naypyitaw chapter and ex-minister for agriculture and irrigation under the Thein Sein government was arrested by the military junta on Wednesday. The reason for Myint Hlaing’s arrest is still unknown. Sources said a military convoy arrived at the former lieutenant general’s home in Naypyitaw at around 2 a.m. and raided it before making the arrest. Click here to read… [13]

Nepal

Nepal army sets out on Mount Everest cleanup campaign - Travel Tomorrow

Nepal is set to clear tons of waste from Mount Everest, ahead of the opening of the 2024 Himalayan mountaineering window. The mammoth garbage collection operation follows previous efforts as part of the Mountain Cleanup Campaign, which has brought 110 tons of trash down the 8,849-meter Himalayan peak over the four years since the scheme’s launch in 2019. Conducted by the Nepali army in partnership with Unilever, the Cleanup programme is once again set to get underway on 14 April, with a team of 12 military personnel and 18 Sherpas, plus other support staff. Click here to read… [14]

Decoding Nepal's Chances Of Becoming 'Hindu Rashtra' Once Again - MSN

Will India become a Hindu nation or not? Discussions on this topic often continue. However, Nepal, India's neighbouring country, could once again become a Hindu nation. In 2007, the world's only Hindu nation proclaimed itself a secular country by amending its constitution. But now there is a renewed demand to make Nepal a Hindu nation once again. A large demonstration has taken place in Kathmandu in response to this demand. And it is now being said that Nepal can become a Hindu nation again. In today's DNA, Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed the 'Hindu Rashtra' movement in Nepal. Click here to read… [15]

Westerly winds and local phenomena impacting Nepal’s weather - Khabar Hub

The Weather Forecasting Division has said a partial effect of westerly winds and local phenomena has impacted Nepal’s weather. According to the Division, the hilly regions are experiencing predominantly clear skies, with varying degrees of cloud cover. This afternoon, the weather is likely to remain mostly clear in the hilly areas, particularly in Koshi Province, while other regions may witness partly cloudy skies. There’s a chance of isolated light rain accompanied by thunder and lightning in some hilly areas of Koshi, Gandaki, Karnali, and Sudurpaschim provinces, and sporadically elsewhere. Click here to read… [16]

Pakistan

Amid schools’ expansion, govt to declare education emergency-Dawn

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced that the federal government would declare an education emergency in the country and would provide all possible resources to educate children of poor families. He vowed to replicate his idea of free education to children of poor and deserving families by establishing Daanish Schools in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and remote areas of Balochistan and Sindh to fulfill the aspiration of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Click here to read… [17]

Pakistan’s exports to central Asian states jump 21pc in 8 months-Dawn

Pakistan’s exports to five central Asian countries (CACs) witnessed a growth of 21.17 per cent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year over the corresponding period last year. Despite the existing prospects, the country’s exports to the region have yet to attain their full potential. Similarly, imports from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and other countries to Pakistan have not increased significantly, despite regular high-profile visits. Click here to read… [18]

Sri Lanka

India remains SL’s most reliable, dependable partner: Indian Envoy – Daily Mirror

India will remain Sri Lanka’s most reliable friend and a trusted and dependable partner, emphasized Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha. Click here to read… [19]

Xi calls for fair, transparent environment for investment in Sri Lanka – Daily Mirror

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his recent meeting with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, has reportedly stressed the need for ‘fair and transparent’ environment for Chinese companies to invest in Sri Lanka. Click here to read… [20]

SLPP MPs barred from going public on their support for presidential candidates – Daily Mirror

In the wake of SLPP (Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna) MPS airing contrasting views over the upcoming elections, the party hierarchy has barred all MPS from making comments on their support to any presidential candidate until a formal decision is taken, a party official said yesterday. Click here to read… [21]