VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: 20th September, 2018

PAKISTAN

Nawaz, Maryam and Safdar released from Adiala jail after IHC suspends Avenfield sentences: Dawn

September 20, 2018

Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Mohammad Safdar, were released from Adiala jail on Wednesday after the Islamabad High Court suspended their respective prison sentences in the Avenfield corruption reference earlier in the day. PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif along with senior party leaders reached Adiala jail in the evening to receive Nawaz after the IHC issued their release orders. A large number of PML-N supporters also gathered outside the prison to receive their supreme leader. Television footage showed a security vehicle driving the Sharifs through a massive crowd of supporters, some showering rose petals on the vehicle while others waved party flags and chanted slogans. Click here to read... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

Afghan Ambassador to India resigns: ANI

September 19, 2018

Afghanistan Ambassador to India Shaida Abdali stepped down from his post on Wednesday. Calling his decision a "tough and appealing" one, Abdali, in a series of tweets, announced his resignation saying, "Stepping Down - A tough but an appealing decision: On a high note ending a successful visit of HE the Afghan President in India, I resigned today as the Afghan Ambassador to India. Serving in India for more than six years was indeed a great honour and privilege." He further said that India gave him a home, knowledge, and experience during his two-decade-long political career. Click here to read... [3]

NEPAL

PM Oli dismisses dissent, calls for unity in speech

Expressing displeasure over protests and uprising across the nation, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday said that it is not acceptable to make the state a “guinea pig” in the name of civil liberties. But civil rights activists have called Oli’s statement “uncalled for” and “unceremonious” because the prime minister was speaking without any evidence. “Our struggle to secure democracy has successfully concluded,” Oli said from the Nepal Army pavilion at Tundikhel during a ceremony to mark the Constitution Day. “Civil rights are important, but in the name of securing civil rights, it is not acceptable to treat the state as a guinea pig and make it a playground for anti-social elements.” Click here to read... [4]

MYANMAR

Myanmar Rohingya crisis: ICC begins inquiry into atrocities: The Guardian

September 19, 2018

The chief prosecutor of the international criminal court (ICC) has announced she is launching a preliminary investigation into the deportations of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar into Bangladesh. Fatou Bensouda said in a written statement and video message on Tuesday that she had begun an inquiry – formally known as a preliminary examination – to establish whether there was enough evidence to merit a full investigation. Bensouda said she would look at reports of “a number of alleged coercive acts having resulted in the forced displacement of the Rohingya people, including deprivation of fundamental rights, killing, sexual violence, enforced disappearance, destruction and looting”. Click here to read... [5]

CHINA

Xi praises Cambodia friendship: China Daily

September 20, 2018

China will join hands with Cambodia to further the two countries’ traditional friendship and promote their comprehensive strategic and co¬operative partnership to a new height, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday. He made the remark when he and his wife, Peng Liyuan, visited Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, who are staying in Beijing for a rest. Click here to read... [6]

Xi: China pursues peaceful growth: China Daily

September 20, 2018

President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China will unswervingly pursue the path of peaceful development and will, as always, be a promoter of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remark in a congratulatory message to the opening of a commemorative event in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, marking the 2018 International Day of Peace. Click here to read... [7]

China’s running out of US goods to tax, so what other ways can it hit back in the trade war?: South China Morning Post

September 20, 2018

Fresh ideas about how to fight the trade war with the US have begun to fly in China after Beijing was unable to respond in full to the latest escalation in the dispute because it is rapidly running out of room to use tariffs as a weapon. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would impose 10 per cent tariffs on US$200 billion Chinese imports on September 24, with the tariff rate rising to 25 per cent on January 1 next year if China does not make concessions. Click here to read... [8]