VIF Neighborhood News Digest: January 08, 2020

PAKISTAN

Senate panel Okays changes in laws on money laundering, forex: Dawn

January 8, 2020

After unanimously striking down certain clauses, the Senate Standing Committee on Finance on Tuesday approved amendments to two crucial bills on anti-money laundering and foreign exchange regulations to meet stipulations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). This came almost two weeks ahead of Pakistan’s face-to-face meetings with the Joint Group of the FATF in Beijing later this month, to be followed by a FATF plenary next month that would decide if the country has done enough under the agreed action plan to be removed from the grey list or not.Click here to read... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

Iran 'Actively Working to Undermine Afghan Peace': Pompeo: Tolo

January 8, 2020

The US Secretary of State at a press conference in Washington on Tuesday blamed Iran for undermining the Afghan peace process and said the Iranian government has links with militant groups in Afghanistan. “In Afghanistan, there is an aspect of the conflict that deserves more attention and that is the Islamic Republic of Iran’s involvement there,” Pompeo said. “Iran has refused to join the regional and international consensus for peace and is, in fact, today actively working to undermine the peace process by continuing its long global efforts to support militant groups there.”Click here to read... [3]

BANGLADESH

97% Rohingya families use LPG: Dhaka Tribune

January 8, 2020

At least 97% of Rohingya families are now using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) instead of firewood. The demand for firewood on average has dropped to 80% per household in the Rohingya camps located around the Cox’s Bazar district, a year on from the advent of the refugee crisis in 2017. Representatives from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and researchers said this at a discussion program jointly organized by IUCN and East West University in Dhaka on Tuesday.Click here to read... [4]

MYANMAR

Top level meeting aims to revive Myanmar’s faltering peace talks: Myanmar Times

January 8, 2020

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Suu Kyi, top military officials and leaders of the 10 ethnic armed groups that signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on Wednesday met to revive the moribund peace process. The meeting, called the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM), is the highest meeting of the national peace process and is not convened unless major issues need to be resolved. "All people would be watching the JICM meeting results. All are responsible for the decisions that are acceptable to both sides," General Yawd Serk, the leader of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) said on Tuesday.Click here to read... [5]

SRI LANKA

Nothing wrong in Ranjan phoning Shani: Hurunika: Daily Mirror

January 8, 2020

Referring to the incident where MP Ranjan Ramanayake is reported to have telephoned former CID director Shani Abeysekara, UNP MP Hirunika Premachandra said today there was nothing wrong because Mr. Ramanayake had not influenced Mr Abeysekara. She told a news briefing that Mr. Ramanayake had only asked the SSP how the investigations were progressing. “He has the right to speak to officials just as the right for journalists to do so.Click here to read... [6]

NEPAL

Provincial leaders balk at ruling party’s directive to name Province 3 ‘Bagmati’: The Kathmandu Post

January 8, 2020

Province 3 Assembly members from the ruling Nepal Communist Party have warned the party leadership against any attempts to impose decisions on them in clear violation of the spirit of federalism. The assembly members, particularly from the districts Dolakha, Kavre, Sindhupalchok, Dhading, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur have taken particular issue with the party’s December 29 order to name Province 3 ‘Bagmati’ and continue with Hetauda as its capital. Hetauda was designated the temporary capital in January 2018.Click here to read... [7]

BHUTAN

NC conducts first public hearing on TVET: Kuenselonline

January 8, 2020

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) revamping works are underway and would cover most of the recommendations on TVET the National Council passed last year, labor officials said. The Special Committee of NC for TVET asked the Ministry of Labor and Human Resources on the implementation status of TVET recommendations it submitted during its first public hearing yesterday. Labor officials asked on the status of 17 recommendations made under the five areas submitted during the last National Council session in June 2019.Click here to read... [8]

CHINA

Key meeting reaffirms Party leadership role: China Daily

January 8, 2020

A key meeting presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Tuesday reaffirmed the importance of upholding Party leadership over work in all areas and aspects.Click here to read... [9]

China's foreign exchange reserves rise: China Daily

January 8, 2020

China's foreign exchange reserves rose to a six-month high of nearly $3.11 trillion as of the end of December, supported by stronger exports and stable capital inflows amid the financial opening-up, according to regulators on Tuesday.Click here to read... [10]