Neighborhood News Digest- 22 April 2024

Afghanistan

Kabul Requests Invite to OIC Meeting in Gambia-Tolo News

The Islamic Emirate has requested the participation of a representative from the interim government at the upcoming Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Gambia. The deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, Abdul Salam Hanafi, stated this in a meeting with Tariq Ali Bakhit, the deputy and special envoy of OIC for Afghanistan. Click here to read… [2]

China announces aid for returning Afghan migrants from Pakistan-The Khaama Press

The Foreign Ministry of Taliban announced that China has pledged to assist Afghan migrants expelled from Pakistan with ¥100 million in various sectors. Hafiz Zia Ahmed Takal, the deputy spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Taliban, stated in an interview with media outlets on Friday, April 19th, that China has expressed readiness to aid returning migrants from Pakistan. Click here to read… [3]

Sirajuddin Haqqani: Education is Domestic Matter-Tolo News

The acting Minister of Interior, Sirajuddin Haqqani, said that girls’ education in the country is a domestic matter and that other countries should not interfere. Sirajuddin Haqqani, in a meeting with the representatives and elders of the Union of Afghans residing in Europe, said that the world must accept that Afghanistan is now an independent country. Click here to read… [4]

At least 14 Afghan nationals executed in Iranian prisons in less than four months-The Khaama Press

Human rights organizations in Iran have reported that in less than four months, from the beginning of 2024 until now, at least 14 Afghan nationals have been executed in Iranian prisons. Hengaw, a human rights organization based in Iranian Kurdistan, reported on Saturday, April 20th, that the implementation of the death sentence for five Afghan prisoners in central prisons of Mashhad and Tabriz has brought the total number of Afghan nationals executed in Iranian prisons since the beginning of 2024 to 14 cases. Click here to read… [5]

Bangladesh

US sets 11 conditions for more investment in Bangladesh - The Daily Star

The Biden administration yesterday informed of 11 conditions under a "Bangladesh Labour Action Plan" which Bangladesh has to comply with in order to secure more US investment. Click here to read… [6]

5 factors that kept BNP off upazila polls – The Daily Star

The BNP boycotted the upazila elections for five reasons, chief among which is its belief that the ruling party will control the polls, said party insiders. Click here to read… [7]

India Extends Invitation to Bangladesh PM: Bilateral Talks Ahead – Financial Express

In the midst of ongoing General Elections in India, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to visit New Delhi as early as next month. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and other top officials are set to head to Dhaka soon to finalize the travel details. Click here to read… [8]

2,500 People Cross India-Bangladesh Border Fencing To Cast Votes In Tripura – NDTV

Around 2,500 voters crossed fencing on the India-Bangladesh border to cast their votes in Tripura on April 19. A substantial number of voters in Tripura for historical reasons, had to stay beyond the barbed wire fencing. Click here to read… [9]

Bhutan

High-income status achievable with 13 percent annual growth, expert says – Kuensel

For Bhutan to achieve a high-income economy by 2034, the country’s economy has to grow by 13 percent annually, the Economics Officer of the Asian Development Bank, Bhutan Resident Mission, Sonam Lhendup, said. Bhutan had set the goal with the aim of doubling the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) from USD 2.5 billion to USD 5 billion by the year 2029, aligned to the 13th Plan. By 2034, Bhutan aims to achieve a high-income status with an economy valued at USD 10 billion. Click here to read… [10]

Maldives

PNC secures a supermajority in Parliament – Sun International

The main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has secured a supermajority in the Parliament, winning 68 seats. Over 200,000 Maldivians voted in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, in which 326 candidates contested for 93 seats in the next parliamentary assembly, including six news seats. The preliminary results show PNC won over 60 seats, which is roughly two-thirds of total seats. In the 2019 elections, the then-ruling MDP won a supermajority, with 64 seats. Meanwhile, the then-opposition PPM-PNC coalition won just eight. Click here to read… [11]

Record low voter turnout for a parliamentary election – Adhadhu

With just 75 percent of the eligible voters casting their ballots, Sunday's election for the 20th People's Majlis saw a record-low voter turnout. According to provisional results, only 75 percent of the voting population took part in the polling to elect 93 MPs to the People's Majlis. A total of 284,663 people were eligible to vote, but only 215,860 exercised their right. For the 2019 parliamentary elections, voter turnout was 81.32 percent. That is 215,053 out of 264,446 eligible voters. Click here to read… [12]

Myanmar

Blinken to press China over its support for Russian defense base during visit; handling of Myanmar issues also to be highlighted - The Star

The US. is prepared to act against Chinese companies supporting Russia's war in Ukraine, a senior US official told reporters, highlighting it as an issue Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise on his trip to China next week. US officials have warned in increasingly stark terms about what they say is China's assistance in retooling and resupplying Russia's defense industrial base after early setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine, saying that continued support is a top risk to stable relations between Washington and Beijing. Click here to read… [13]

2 Bangladeshi fishermen allegedly shot by Myanmar Navy - Dhaka Tribune

Two Bangladeshi fishermen were shot allegedly by the Myanmar Navy in Teknaf upazila in Cox's Bazar while they were returning from fishing in the Bay of Bengal. The members of the Myanmar Navy chased and opened fire at the fishermen when they were crossing the Naf River in Teknaf at around 11am on Sunday. The injured were identified as Mohammad Faruk, 20, and Mohammad Ismail, 20. Shapuree Dwip UP member Abdul Mannan said the fishermen went to the sea four days ago. They were severely injured in the firing by the Myanmar Navy and one of them have been sent to a hospital in Cox’s Bazar. Click here to read… [14]

Fighting flares at Myanmar-Thai border as rebels target stranded junta troops - Reuters

Fighting raged at Myanmar's eastern frontier with Thailand on Saturday, both governments said, forcing 3,000 civilians to flee as rebels fought to flush out Myanmar junta troops holed up for days at a bridge border crossing. Resistance fighters and ethnic minority rebels seized the key trading town of Myawaddy on the Myanmar side of the frontier on April 11, a blow to a well-equipped military struggling to govern and facing a test of battlefield credibility. Click here to read… [15]

Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Target Myawaddy After Clashes Resume - The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s junta conducted airstrikes near the Second Friendship Bridge to Mae Sot in Thailand throughout Saturday to support its remaining forces as fresh fighting resumed in Myawaddy. The Karen National Liberation Army and its allies attacked around 150 junta soldiers who sheltered near the bridge on Myanmar’s side by dropping bombs with drones on Friday night and launched attacks on Saturday morning to take full control of the town. Click here to read… [16]

Nepal

Madhav Nepal visits UML office first time after party split - English Khabar

Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairman of the Unified Socialist Party, formerly of CPN-UML, made his first visit to the CPN-UML office today after he left the party in 2021. He reached the Nepal Tulasi Lal Smriti Bhawan, the UML party office, as part of an event commemorating Nar Bahadur Karmacharya, a founding member of the Communist Party of Nepal. Click here to read… [17]

Qatar, Nepal, Bangladesh: Emir’s Visits Should Prioritize Migrant Worker Protections - HRW

The upcoming visits of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to Bangladesh and Nepal should prioritize labor protections for migrant workers, Human Rights Watch said today. Both are key countries for Qatar’s migrant workforce, which makes up 88 percent of the country’s population. Al-Thani is expected to arrive in Bangladesh on April 22, 2024, and in Nepal on April 24. Click here to read… [18]

Avalanche triggers overflow in Nepal’s Birendra lake - Tribune India

A massive avalanche descended from the slopes of Mt Manaslu on Sunday morning, cascading into Birendra Lake situated below the peak in northern Nepal, triggering its overflow. There is no report of any damage or casuality as the site is situated away from human settlement, officials said. However, the resultant surge has led to a significant rise in the water levels of the river, Home Ministry spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai said. The Home Ministry has issued a precautionary notice to residents living near downstream areas of the river. Click here to read… [19]

Pakistan

By-polls held on 21 national, provincial assembly seats-The Express Tribune

By-polls for 21 national and provincial assembly seats were held on Sunday amid strict security arrangements made by the federal government to ensure a smooth voting process. The government approved the deployment of the civil armed forces and Pakistan Army troops during the polling process. The civil armed forces and army troops provided second and third-tier security respectively. Click here to read… [20]

Its official: Iran president arrives in Pakistan on Monday-The Express Tribune

Iranian President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi is arriving Pakistan on Monday on a visit that the outside world will closely watch against the backdrop of Tehran's ongoing tensions with Israel. Despite tensions in the region, the president of Iran has decided to travel to Pakistan, suggesting the importance Tehran attaches to its ties with Islamabad. Click here to read… [21]

Saudi delegation visits Karachi airport for ‘Road to Makkah’ plan-Dawn

A two-member team of Saudi Arabia visited Jinnah International Airport in Karachi to inspect the airport’s facilities and to discuss arrangements for intending Haj and Umra pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, a spokesman for the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority said on Sunday. The Saudi team’s visit was part of the ‘Road to Makkah Project’, a Saudi initiative meant to streamline the immigration process for intending Haj and Umrah pilgrims to the holy land. Click here to read… [22]

Aurangzeb expects PIA privatisation by end of June-Dawn

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has stated that the process of privatising PIA will be finalised by the end of June or early July, with Islamabad airport potentially following suit shortly after. “The government has no business being in business,” the minister declared at a Saturday afternoon news briefing, explaining the government’s plan to divest from state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Click here to read… [23]

Sri Lanka

President vows inclusive economic growth – Daily Mirror

President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured that the government will not pass or leave anyone behind in the programme to strengthen the economy of the country as well as the people. Click here to read… [24]

Sri Lanka to miss budget revenue target for 33rd year running in 2024: Verité Research – Daily Mirror

Sri Lanka is projected to fall short of its budget target on revenue to GDP (gross domestic product) for the 33rd consecutive year in 2024, according to the recently released ‘State of the Budget Report 2024’ compiled by Verité Research. Click here to read… [25]

People have already selected Ranil for Presidency: Prasanna – Daily Mirror

Claiming that people will not vote as a gratitude for goods distributed by politicians, Minister Prasanna Ranatunge said people have already selected Ranil Wickremesinghe for Presidency as he can rescue the country from the economic crisis. Click here to read… [26]

Indian Envoy in Sri Lanka Hosts Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust Officials, Discusses Ramayana Trail – NDTV

India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha on Sunday hosted top officials of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and discussed ways in which India can support the development of the Ramayana Trail in the island nation. Click here to read… [27]