VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: 17th September, 2018

PAKISTAN

Taliban call for closure of US bases, prisoner release: Dawn

September 17, 2018

Taliban leaders are demanding closure of US bases in Afghanistan and release of hundreds of their prisoners for continuing peace talks with the United States, the US media reported on Saturday. Zalmay Khalilzad, a former US ambassador recently named as a special adviser for Afghanistan peace talks, arrived in the United Arab Emirates this week for the next round of US-Taliban talks, NBC News reported. The release of hundreds of Taliban-linked prisoners and the status of US bases in Afghanistan were among the key issues Taliban leaders want to negotiate in US-backed talks to end the war in Afghanistan. “This meeting with the US authorities would either help pave the way for more meaningful talks or stop them forever,” said one of the four senior Taliban officials who spoke to NBC News.Click here to read.... [2]

PPP warns of strong ‘resistance’ if Kalabagh dam project is revived: Dawn

September 17, 2018

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has warned of strong “resistance” if the controversial Kalabagh dam project is revived, terming such a move an “utter disrespect” to parliament and the people of the country. PPP Senator Sassui Palijo said in a statement here on Sunday that the provincial assemblies of three provinces had rejected Kalabagh dam and “whoever will support this rejected dam will face strong resistance”. The statement was issued by the party apparently in reaction to the remarks of Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar at a ceremony in Lahore on Saturday in which he had said that only Kalabagh dam “guaranteed the survival and security of Pakistan”.Click here to read.... [3]

AFGHANISTAN

Successful Afghan-India Trade Show Wraps Up in Mumbai: Tolo News

September 17, 2018

Sameer Rasa, the Head of the Public Relations Office of the Senior Advisor to the President in Banking and Finance on Monday said at a press conference that the 2nd annual India-Afghanistan International Trade and Investment Show in Mumbai had been a great success. The expo, which ended on Sunday, proved to be of great value to investors and traders. Rasa said over 400 contracts were signed which would result in a sharp increase in trade volume between the two countries in the next two years.

“The 2nd Afghanistan-India trade show was a great opportunity for investors; 400 contracts were signed in dry fruits, miningenergy, health, IT and services sector,” Rasa said, adding that the “the current bilateral trade volume between Afghanistanand India is $900 million and this is expected to reach $2 billion by 2020.”Click here to read.... [4]

NEPAL

Nepal, Bhutan have to be inclined towards India: Gen Rawat: The Hindu

September 17, 2018

Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat Sunday said countries like Nepal and Bhutan "have to be inclined to India because of geography". He was speaking to reporters here on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the Bay of Bengal initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation- Field Training Military Exercise, also known as BIMSTEC-MILEX 18. Replying to a query on Nepal's growing alignment with China, Rawat said, "Countries like Nepal and Bhutan have to be inclined to India because of geography. Geography favours inclination towards India and as far as alliance (with China) is concerned, it is a temporary thing." Click here to read.... [5]

MYANMAR

Myanmar youth, journalists demonstrate against jailing of Reuters reporters: Reuters

September 16, 2018

At least 100 Myanmar youth activists and journalists called for the release of two jailed Reuters journalists on Sunday, warning that the seven-year prison terms handed to the pair this month threaten the public’s right to information. Demonstrators including high-school students gathered peacefully in the heart of Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, held signs and chanted slogans denouncing the guilty verdict against the two journalists. A small contingent of police looked on as the protesters released black balloons printed with the words “Free Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo”. Reporters Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were convicted on Sept. 3 under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act in a case that was seen as a test of democratic freedoms in Myanmar.Click here to read.... [6]

CHINA

Trade spat perils put spotlight on need for effective strategies: China Daily

September 17, 2018

Short-term challenges from the escalating trade spat with the United States have reassured Chinese officials and experts of the need to support market-oriented reform and opening-up, with a particular focus on reducing debt and limiting government intervention.Click here to read.... [7]

Proposals by Xi at forum will drive cooperation in Northeast Asia: experts: Xinhuanet

September 15, 2018

Proposals put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the fourth Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) will inject fresh impetus in the bilateral cooperation between China and Russia and the cooperation in the wider region, international observers have said. Xi attended the Eastern Economic Forum in the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They outlined directions for further bilateral practical cooperation and agreed that the two sides should continue to work together on the cooperation with potential synergy under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union.Click here to read.... [8]