VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: June 16, 2020

PAKISTAN

Govt ready to face consequences in Isa case, counsel tells SC: DAWN

Federal government’s counsel Dr Farogh Nasim on Monday informed the Supreme Court hearing challenges to the presidential reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa that the government was ready to face the consequences of failure to prove misconduct but the fallout would be across the board. Click here to read.... [2]

AFGHANISTAN

US, Russia Expect Immediate Start to Initial Intra-Afghan Talks: TOLO News

Afghanistan, Russia and the US in a trilateral meeting on Monday “expect that an initial meeting between the negotiating teams must be held immediately to agree on agenda and next steps,” Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement. The trilateral meeting of Afghanistan, Russia and the US was held via video tele-conference on Monday with the participation of the Special Presidential Envoy of the Russian Federation for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, the US peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Afghanistan's acting foreign minister, Hanif Atmar. Click here to read.... [3]

BANGLADESH

PM: Won’t accept defeat against invisible force fearing death: Dhaka Tribune

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she will not accept defeat against an invisible force like coronavirus fearing death. "We will not accept defeat, death is inevitable, death can occur anytime, but for that (we will) have to accept defeat to the invisible force out of fear. This will not happen," she said on Monday. Click here to read.... [4]

MYANMAR

Govt signs PPA for first LNG plant in Myanmar: Myanmar Times

Myanmar has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy electricity from a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. The project company of CNTIC VPower Group inked a five-year PPA with the Ministry of Electricity and Energy’s Electric Power Generation Enterprise (EPGE) on June 10. Tariffs and other details have not been disclosed, but the energy ministry’s deputy permanent secretary U Soe Myint told local media on June 8 that the government would be paying around US$0.12 per unit (kilowatt-hour) of electricity. Click here to read.... [5]

NEPAL

Provinces announce budgets with strong focus on health and employment: The Kathmandu Post

All the seven provinces announced their annual budgets for the next fiscal year on Monday, focusing on specific programmes to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Largest portions of the budgets have also been allocated to infrastructure development in hopes of creating more employment for those who’ve lost jobs or returned from abroad. Click here to read.... [6]

SRI LANKA

Elections Commission looks to break up voters into groups on Aug. 5: Daily Mirror

The three member Elections Commission is presently discussing allocating specific times for people to come and cast their votes, according to their serial numbers, when voting gets underway on August 5 for the General Elections, Elections Chief Mahinda Deshapriya told Daily Mirror yesterday. Click here to read.... [7]