VIF Neighborhood News Digest: February 28, 2020

PAKISTAN

IMF, govt agree on steps for $450m release: Dawn
February 28, 2020

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday said it had reached a staff-level agreement with Pakistan authorities “on policies and reforms needed to complete the second review” of the $6bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The announcement was made by Ernesto Ramirez Rigo, Mission Chief for Pakistan, through a brief statement after a series of engagements with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Hafeez Shaikh, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan Dr Reza Baqir and Finance Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch through video conference over the last two weeks. Click here to read... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

US Congress Members Demand No 'Side Deals' With Taliban: Tolo
February 28, 2020

In an open letter to the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, 22 US Congress members have raised concerns over the potential agreement between Washington and the Taliban, saying: “The Taliban has a history of extracting concessions in exchange for false assurances.” According to the letter, the Taliban will "accept nothing less" than a full-scale US withdrawal from Afghanistan as the group seeks to establish their totalitarian “Islamic Emirate.” Click here to read... [3]

BANGLADESH

BNP expresses concern over Delhi violence: Dhaka Tribune
February 28, 2020

BNP has expressed concern over the violence going on in India's capital New Delhi over the new citizenship law. In a press statement issued on Thursday, BNP said the party had issued a statement earlier predicting that the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) passed by the Indian parliament would pose a threat for the communal harmony in the subcontinent. Click here to read... [4]

MYANMAR

Maldives appoints Amal Clooney at UN court on Rakhine case: Myanmar Times
February 28, 2020

The government of Maldives has decided to intervene in a recent case brought against Myanmar in a UN court by The Gambia. The Maldives explained that the decision to file the declaration was consistent with its position of advocating for accountability against the atrocities committed against the Muslim refugees in Northern Rakhine, the foreign ministry of the Republic of Maldives said in an online statement on Tuesday. Click here to read... [5]

NEPAL

Ruling party appears headed for another confrontation between Oli and Dahal: The Kathmandu Post
February 28, 2020

A new political storm is brewing in the ruling Nepal Communist Party, as two factions led by the two Chairs KP Sharma Oli, who is also the prime minister, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal are pitted against each other over a decision to take Vice-chair Bamdev Gautam to the National Assembly. Hours after the party Secretariat on Wednesday decided to send Gautam to the Upper House, Oli said that he would not nominate him. Click here to read... [6]

Sri Lanka

Sajith’s invitation to Ranil, UNP: Working Committee to meet to today: Daily Mirror
February 28, 2020

The UNP working committee will meet today to discuss and decide on Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa's extension to Party Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and the UNP to join the Samagi Jana Balawegaya to contest the general election. Party sources said the working committee would meet at 3 p.m today. It was reported that the Samagi Jana Balawegaya alliance would become legitimate when the working committee grants the approval for the UNP to join it. Click here to read... [7]

BHUTAN

Speaker finds ‘wow factor’ missing in report on BCCI: Kuenselonline
February 28, 2020

Issues surrounding the legality of the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) would be addressed in the Trade and Investment Bill that is being drafted. Economic affairs minister Loknath Sharma informed this yesterday while presenting a follow up report to the resolutions of the previous session on the status of the BCCI in the National Assembly. Click here to read... [8]

CHINA

China Focus: Xi says China, Mongolia help each other in face of difficulties: Xinhuanet
February 28, 2020

Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday held talks with Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Xi said the Chinese government and people are making all-out efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), during which the Mongolian government and people have offered precious support. Click here to read... [9]

COVID-19 "at decisive point" as epidemic worsens outside China: WHO chief: Xinhuanet
February 28, 2020

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Thursday that the world is at a "decisive point" to tackle the coronavirus outbreak as new cases outside China has outnumbered that inside the country. Click here to read... [10]