VIF Neighborhood News Digest: October 14, 2019

PAKISTAN

Earthquake of 5.8 magnitude jolts KP, northern areas: Dawn
October 14, 2019

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan early on Monday morning, according to the National Seismic Monitoring Centre (NSMC) in Islamabad. According to Radio Pakistan the quake jolted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern areas. KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spokesman Taimur Ali said the earthquake was felt in Peshawar, Malakand, Mardan, Charsadda, Attock and in the Hazara division creating fear among locals. Locals added that jolts were felt in Shangla, Kohistan, Battagram, Torghar, Swat and other northern areas of the country, Dawn News TV reported. Click here to read... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

UN: Protect the Election Process: Tolo
October 14, 2019

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a statement on Sunday has urged the government and electoral bodies to safeguard and complete the election process. This presidential election was the first completely run by Afghan authorities since 2001 and is an important milestone in Afghanistan’s transition to self-reliance, the statement said. “Afghan citizens braved security threats to cast their votes for a better future. Those voters deserve to be commended for carrying out their civic duty,” it said. Click here to read... [3]

BANGLADESH

7 ABT members arrested from Narayanganj, Pabna: Dhaka Tribune
October 14, 2019

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested 7 suspected members of banned militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from Narayanganj, and Pabna on Sunday. In Narayanganj, RAB 11 arrested two suspected activists of ABT when they were holding a secret meeting at a madrasa under Fatullah police station in the early hours. The arrested are Md Mehedi Hossain, alias Murad, 24, and Md Amanullah, 33, confirmed RAB 11 Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Md Alep Uddin. Mehedi told RAB that he completed his Bachelor of Science degree from a private textile university in Dhaka in 2016, he joined JMB in 2014. He was reaching out across the country to gather recruits up until now. Md Amanullah was a madrasa teacher in Narayanganj who joined ABT through Mehedi. Amanullah secretly held meetings of the JMB members in his madrasa. Click here to read... [4]

MYANMAR

Ethnic leader warns groups about elections: Myanmar Times
October 14, 2019

The leader of the Peace Process Steering Team, comprised of 10 ethnic armed groups that have signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), warned that the 2020 elections will impact the ongoing peace process. General Yawd Serk, who is chairman of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), urged the groups to be careful about the peace process during the election period. “In order to reach our goal, unity among us is crucial. We must make our unity stronger and more consolidated,” he told representatives of the groups at the PPST meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Thursday. During the three-day meeting, the ethnic groups will discuss issues related to the holding of the fourth session of the 21st Century Panglong Conference in early 2020. They will also discuss the impact of the elections and the agreement to build a federal union. Click here to read... [5]

SRI LANKA

People don’t want to see Mr. Wickremesinghe as PM anymore - Thilanga: Daily Mirror
October 14, 2019

In spite of SLFP’s pledge to support Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, it was unlikely that all voters who voted for the SLFP and UPFA at the local government polls in February 2018 would vote en-mass for Mr. Rajapaksa at the presidential poll, Parliamentarian Thilanga Sumathipala said. He said it was unwise to contemplate that the nearly 1.5 million or more than 13% of voters who voted for the SLFP and the UPFA at last year’s local government polls would vote for Mr. Rajapaksa at this poll and added that the additional votes would be around one million to the SLPP after the SLFP joined the SLPP on Thursday. Click here to read... [6]

NEPAL

Xi departs, signing over two dozen agreements and memorandums: The Kathmandu Post
October 14, 2019

Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his two-day state visit to Nepal on Sunday with both sides extolling the elevation of bilateral relations and signing over two dozen agreements and memorandums of understanding, primarily concerning various infrastructure projects. Beijing has offered to extend financial support for all of these projects, either as grants or loans. “The bilateral relationship between Nepal and China has entered a new phase,” reads a joint communiqué issued in Kathmandu on Sunday after Xi departed for Beijing. The two sides agreed, among others, to “respect each other’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Click here to read... [7]

BHUTAN
Issues that render LGs ineffective: Kuenselonline

Limited understanding of the roles of local governments (LGs) at the local level and lack of LG administrations’ capacity to implement decisions have affected the effective functioning of Dzongkhag Tshogdus (DTs) and Gewog Tshogdes (GTs), a study has revealed. The Assessment Study on DT and GT, published by the Department of Local Governance (DLG) recently, has found that there is a poor understanding of the rationale and basis of having DTs and GTs as instruments of decentralized governance and the main institutions of decision-making at the local level. Click here to read... [8]

CHINA

Xi, Modi chart course ahead for new era: China Daily
October 14, 2019

China and India can create an even closer partnership in the new era, as the countries' leaders have reset relations through an informal meeting over the weekend in the coastal city of Chennai in southern India, officials and experts said. Click here to read... [9]

Xi-Modi meeting further cements China-India relations: People’s Daily
October 14, 2019

At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the southern Indian city of Chennai on October 11 for the second informal meeting with Modi. Click here to read... [10]

Spotlight: Xi's South Asia trip boosts ties with India and Nepal, promotes regional cooperation: Xinhuanet
October 14, 2019

Chinese President Xi Jinping's trip to India and Nepal has injected new impetus into China's relations with the two countries, built new platform for good-neighborliness in South Asia, and opened up new prospects for regional practical cooperation, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday.

Xi returned to Beijing on Sunday evening after his second informal meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the southern Indian city of Chennai and a state visit to Nepal. Click here to read... [11]