VIF Neighborhood News Digest: August 21, 2019

PAKISTAN

Three reviews to determine Pakistan’s place on FATF list: Dawn
August 21, 2019

Three separate evaluations currently in progress will determine Pakistan’s possible exit from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) by the mid of October. A senior government official told Dawn that Asia-Pacific Group — the regional affiliate of the FATF — was currently conducting in Canberra (Australia) five-year mutual evaluation of Pakistan’s progress on upgrading its systems in all areas of financial and insurance services and sectors. Click here to read... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

Khalilzad to Resume Talks with Taliban: Tolo
August 21, 2019

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad resumed his trip to Qatar and Afghanistan, the US department of State said in a statement on Tuesday. In Doha, Ambassador Khalilzad will resume talks with the Taliban as part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that ends the conflict in Afghanistan, the statement said. The statement added that in Kabul, Mr. Khalilzad will consult with the leadership of the Afghan government on the peace process and encourage full preparation for intra-Afghan negotiations. Click here to read... [3]

BANGLADESH

Let’s find a mutually acceptable formula: The Daily Star
August 21, 2019

Bangladesh and India want a “mutually acceptable formula” for sharing the water of 54 common rivers, said Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar yesterday. “We are ready to start from anywhere,” he said, adding, “We look forward to making progress in finding a mutually acceptable formula to share water from 54 upper riparian rivers.” Jaishankar was speaking at a joint press briefing after a meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at the state guesthouse Jamuna. Asked about signing of the Teesta water-sharing treaty, the Indian minister said, “We’ve a position. You all are aware of it. We’ve a commitment to that position. And there’s no change in that regard.” Click here to read... [4]

Myanmar

Bangladesh seeks to repatriate 3,000 Rohingya to Myanmar: Al Jazeera
August 21, 2019

Bangladesh will work with the United Nations refugee agency to determine if more than 3,000 Rohingya refugees will accept Myanmar's offer to return home, officials said, nearly two years after a military crackdown sparked their exodus. Click here to read... [5]

Sri Lanka

All banners of Gotabhaya Rajapaksa removed island-wide: News First
August 21, 2019

Steps have been taken to remove all banners and cut-outs displaying the image of Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Kanchana Wijesekera of SLPP Youth Organization who spoke in this regard stated that they are currently in the process of removing all banners and cut-outs that were put up before the SLPP Convention starting yesterday (August 19). He further stated that this program will be done by the youth organization. Click here to read... [6]

Bhutan

India to purchase surplus electricity from Bhutan’s state-run Druk Green Power: Livemint
August 21 2019

PTC India Ltd, India’s largest electricity trader, will buy surplus power from Bhutan government-run Druk Green Power Corp. Ltd, which runs the 720 megawatts (MW) Mangdechhu hydropower project. “PTC India Ltd (PTC) signed power purchase agreement (PPA) with Druk Green Power Corp. Ltd (DGPC, A Royal Bhutan Govt. Company) for purchase of surplus power from 720MW Mangdechhu hydroelectric project in Bhutan for 35 years. Government of India has designated PTC as the nodal agency from Indian side to purchase this power from Bhutan," PTC said in a statement on Monday evening. Click here to read... [7]

Nepal

Jaishankar to Visit Nepal To Participate In Nepal-India Joint Commission: NDTV
August 21, 2019

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Nepal this week to participate in the fifth meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission to review the overall state of bilateral relations. The meeting is taking place in Kathmandu from August 21 to 22, a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nepal has said. Jaishankar will co-chair the meeting along with his Nepalese counterpart Pradeep Kumar Gyawali. Click here to read... [8]

China

Tokyo, Seoul called on to uphold multilateralism: China Daily
August 21, 2019

Beijing called on Tokyo and Seoul to jointly uphold multilateralism and free trade, and voiced its opposition to protectionism and unilateralism of all kinds. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remark on Tuesday during separate meetings with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha in Beijing. Click here to read... [9]

Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi in vendors' alliance: China Daily
August 21, 2019

China's No 2 to No 4 smartphone vendors have formed a rare partnership for data transfer among their handsets, a move seen by analysts as an alliance strategy to compete with the No 1 player Huawei Technologies Co which has just posted a record high market share in the domestic market. Click here to read... [10]