VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: September 06, 2021

Afghanistan

US Gen. Milley: 'Civil War' May Develop in Afghanistan: Tolo News

Amid fighting over Panjshir, the joint chiefs chairman said if the Taliban cannot consolidate power, Al Qaeda and Daesh will grow.
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Taliban Claims 'All Districts' in Panjshir, Fighting in Center: Tolo News

As the fighting continues in Panjshir, the Taliban on Sunday said they have captured all districts of Panjshir province but the fighting is ongoing at the provincial center. The Resistance Front, however, rejects the Taliban’s claim, saying they have retaken Paryan district from Taliban forces.
Click here to read... [3]

Domestic flights resumed from Kabul after three weeks of sabotage: The Khaama Press

Domestic flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport HKIA based in Kabul resumed over twenty days after the Taliban takeover which halted both the domestic and international flights.
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Banks opened in Kabul, lengthy queues have made withdrawal nearly impossible: The Khaama Press

Most of the private banks opened and operated as normal after Afghanistan’s central banks-De Afghanistan bank- directed to, but it is still rather challenging to withdraw money.
Click here to read... [5]

Inclusive government to take shape soon: Mullah Baradar: The Khaama Press

Co-founder and the de facto leader of the Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said they have stepped up efforts for establishing an all-inclusive government and will be announced soon.
Click here to read... [6]

Bangladesh

Bangladesh mulls producing LNG locally- Dhaka Tribune

The government is looking to produce liquefied natural gas or LNG locally in order to cut down imports as well as costs, and meet the growing domestic demand for fuel.
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Bangladesh is a major earner for Standard Chartered Bank- Dhaka Tribune

The Bangladesh subsidiary of the British bank logged in profit-after-tax of Tk 1,367.5 crore (about $161 million) for the year -- the highest yet in its 116 years of operations in the country
Click here to read... [8]

Pull down defamatory materials from online: HC asks BTRC, blasts it for failure- Daily Star

The High Court yesterday blasted the Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for its failure to stop the spread of defamatory media reports, videos and pictures from online platforms.
Click here to read... [9]

Delayed Dhaka Elevated Expressway: Now set to open in 2022 partially- Daily Star

After extending the deadline several times, the authorities are now saying that they will open a portion of Dhaka Elevated Expressway to public in December next year.
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No plan yet to vaccinate children- Asian Age

The Directorate of General Health Services (DGHS) on Sunday said that there was no plan to vaccinate children under 18 against coronavirus.
Click here to read... [11]

Indictment hearing in two cases against Khaleda on Sept 30

A Dhaka court on Sunday set September 30 for holding hearing on charge framing in two cases lodged against BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia for celebrating fake birthday on National Mourning Day.
Click here to read... [12]

Three Bangladeshi universities in global ranking- The Independent

Three Bangladeshi universities have managed to secure their position in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022, with only Dhaka University among the top 1000 universities of the world.
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Schools, colleges to reopen on Sept 12- New Age

The government on Sunday decided to reopen all types of educational institutions from primary to higher secondary levels on September 12.
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Bhutan

Talking about mental health again- Kuensel

In a country where happiness of the people is at the front and centre of our welfare-driven development initiatives but that doesn’t mean Bhutan has success held for its people, particularly the young, from exposure to risky, often dangerous environments.
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Code Monkey yet to reach schools in rural pockets- Kuensel

The Ministry of Education has released about 100,000 CodeMonkey user accounts for students across dzongkhags. The dzongkhag administrations are supposed to invite school administrations and release codes to each school.
Click here to read... [16]

Bhutanese travelling to Middle East again- Kuensel

Almost a year after the government spent millions to rescue women from Middle East countries, some have left for Bahrain and Qatar after obtaining clearance from the National Covid-19 task force (NC19TF).
Click here to read... [17]

Is Bhutan prepared for an earthquake?- Kuensel

Priority is ensuring we have reliable research and data that helps us prepare for an emergency, as well as supporting the RGoB with strategic plans and operational capacity to respond to disasters.
Click here to read... [18]

Maldives

Nasheed: President won't interfere my return - The Edition

The delay in returning to Maldives is not because of the President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, former President and Majilis Speaker Mohamed Nasheed said on Sunday.
Click here to read... [19]

Health ministers to discuss pandemic, reinvigorate essential health services - The Himalayan Times

The health ministers of the member countries of World Health Organisation South- East Asia Region will deliberate next week to expedite the key issues regarding the ongoing pandemic and measures in a bid to reinvigorate essential health services and achieve universal health coverage.
Click here to read... [20]

Maldives, Turkey sign air service agreement - Raajje

The government of Maldives has entered an agreement with Turkey, in order to develop the tourism sector of both countries. In her ongoing trip to Turkey, Transport Minister Aishath Nahula signed the air service agreement on behalf of the Maldivian government. On behalf of Turkey, the agreement was signed by Transport Minister, Adil Karaismailoglu.
Click here to read... [21]

Over 50,000 arrivals from record-breaking month of August were from India - Raajje

Over 50,000 arrivals from the over 140,000 tourist arrivals recorded during August were from India. Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL)’s General Manager of Terminal Operations, Ibrahim Hussain revealed that the previous month of August, was one that saw a high number of arrivals in recent history.
Click here to read... [22]

Myanmar

Thousands of Myanmar Soldiers and Police Have Joined Anti-Junta Forces Since Coup - RFA

Nearly 2,500 soldiers and police in Myanmar have broken with the military junta to join the resistance movement since the Feb. 1 coup that ousted the country’s democratically elected government, defector groups said on Thursday.
Click here to read... [23]

No Rohingya infiltration in North Bengal, says BSF - the Statesman

At a time when the BJP leadership, including Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla, has been claiming that several Rohingya people have settled down in north Bengal, Inspector General of the Border Security Force (BSF), North Bengal Frontier, Ravi Gandhi, today said there was no report on any infiltration of Rohingya people in areas under their jurisdiction.
Click here to read... [24]

Myanmar’s Opposition Is Forming Fragile Alliances with Armed Ethnic Groups - Foreign Policy

Myanmar has a long history of precarious allegiances between Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs), formed out of necessity in times of conflict. Most recently, the Federal Union Army, a coalition of 11 EAOs that made up the United Nationalities Federal Council, was created to counter the military in 2011.
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Villagers detained during Rakhine conflict left in limbo as trials suspended - Myanmar Now

The Rakhine State military council has said that 21 cases related to the Counter Terrorism Act have been dropped since the AA was removed from the terrorist list.
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‘The military is a terrorist group, so the ceasefire is null and void’ - former KNU vice chair-Myanmar Now

The KNU Concerned Group, a political organisation largely made up of former senior leaders from the Karen National Union, said on Thursday that the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) became null and void after the military seized power in February.
Click here to read... [27]

Myanmar rebels kill over 20 govt soldiers near Chinese border - Daily Sabah

Myanmar ethnic rebels have killed at least 23 government soldiers in days of fighting near the Chinese border, a spokesperson for the group said Friday, in the latest clashes likely to worry powerful neighbor Beijing.
Click here to read... [28]

Nepal

Nepal logs Covid-19 cases in three digits after months, 976 infections surface Sunday- Himalaya

Nepal's coronavirus caseload reached 769,271 on Sunday with 976 more people testing positive for the infection in the past 24 hours.
Click here to read... [29]

Religious tourism key to Nepal's economy, says Sadhguru- Himalaya

Spiritual leader Sadhguru, who has been on his yearly pilgrimage tour in Nepal for over two weeks, today said the Nepali economy can make tremendous progress through the tourism sector alone.
Click here to read... [30]

Government comes up with homeschooling concept as academic year nears half way- Kathmandu Post

Amid reports that virtual learning hasn’t been effective at the school level, the government has come up with a home-schooling concept, assigning a senior member in a family to facilitate the learning process.
Click here to read... [31]

Nepal plastic bag ban failure: With the public unaware of costs, govt and businesses don’t have good intentions- Online Khabar

The federal government has announced a complete ban on the production, import, sale, distribution, and use of plastic bags thinner than 40 microns to reduce environmental pollution from plastic products.
Click here to read... [32]

MCC grant dispute: Nepal officially asks the US to ‘clarify confusion’-Online Khabar

Around four years after signing the controversial Millennium Challenge Corporation agreement with the United States government, the government of Nepal wrote to the MCC programme in Washington, DC, asking it to clarify some confusion.
Click here to read... [33]

Pakistan

In calls with Saudi, UAE, Qatari leaders, PM Imran emphasises ‘inclusive political settlement’ in Afghanistan: Dawn

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday held telephonic conversations with the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi and the emir of Qatar to discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on the latest situation in Afghanistan.
Click here to read... [34]

ISI chief’s visit to Kabul: Fawad sees ‘unconventional contacts’ imperative: Dawn

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry defends the Kabul visit by the director general of the country’s prime intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence.
Click here to read... [35]

Trade deficit widens 120% in July-August: The Express Tribune

Pakistan’s two-month trade deficit widened 120% to $7.5 billion after imports saw a new historic peak but exports plunged for the third successive month despite heavy subsidies being given to exporters and significant currency devaluation.
Click here to read... [36]

Indian, Pakistani veterans see slim chance of full-scale war: The Express Tribune

Military veterans from India and Pakistan foresee a slim chance of a full-fledged war between the two nuclear neighbours, dubbing it an “inconceivable” idea on the 56th anniversary of the 1965 war.
Click here to read... [37]

Quetta suicide blast: Four martyred, 19 injured: The News

Four security personnel were martyred and 19 people were injured on Sunday morning when a suicide bomb blast took place at a Frontier Constabulary (FC) check-post located on the Mastung Road.
Click here to read... [38]

Sri Lanka

Lockdown till 18th, open gradually: Sri Lanka Medical Association - The Morning

The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) yesterday (5) recommended that the ongoing travel restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 be extended till at least 18 September.
Click here to read... [39]

COVID-19 death toll exceeds 10,000 with 189 fatalities on Saturday - Daily FT

Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 death toll crossed the 10,000 mark with the confirmation of 189 COVID-19 fatalities on Saturday.
Click here to read... [40]

Delegation of Sri Lankan Armed Forces to visit New Delhi - The Hindu

The Indian government on Sunday said it has initiated a visit by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to New Delhi aimed at strengthening defence cooperation with a specific focus on industrial expertise.
Click here to read... [41]

Foreigners step up selling Lankan equities; YTD net outflow tops Rs. 41 b mark - Daily FT

Foreign funds have stepped up selling off their equity holdings on the Colombo Stock Exchange as the year to date net outflow crossed the Rs. 41 billion mark on Friday.
Click here to read... [42]