VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: September 20, 2021

Afghanistan

Nangarhar: Taliban Vehicle Targeted by Blast, Child Killed: Tolo News

A child was killed and two people, including a Taliban forces member, were injured in an explosion on Sunday evening in Nangarhar province.
Click here to read... [2]

Guterres Calls for UN Engagement with Taliban: Tolo News

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in an interview with the Associated Press says the international community wants to see an inclusive government in Afghanistan and to achieve that the United Nations must engage with the Taliban.
Click here to read... [3]

Taliban have not met their commitments: former Afghan president: The Khaama Press

The former Afghan president Hamid Karzai in his recent interview said that the Taliban have pledged education of girls, women’s rights, the national flag, and other national values but no implementation of the promises has been seen yet.
Click here to read... [4]

Women protest in Kabul against Taliban’s policies for them: The Khaama Press

A number of women gathered at the gate of the ministry of women affairs-now replaced- and protested against the policies of the Taliban vis-à-vis them asked for the rights of education and work on Sunday, September 19.
Click here to read... [5]

Fuel Prices in Kabul Rise in Past Week: Tolo News

According to residents, gas prices rose by 15 Afs per kilo and oil prices increased 4 Afs per liter during the last week. Currently the price of each kilo of gas is 75 Afs in the Kabul market.
Click here to read... [6]

Bangladesh

Exports to Bhutan go up as trade agreement kicks in- Daily Star

Bangladesh's exports to Bhutan could rise on the back of the bilateral trade pact signed last year.
Click here to read... [7]

Khaleda’s Jail Term: Suspended for another 6 months- Daily Star

The government has extended for six months the suspension of the jail term of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
Click here to read... [8]

Govt mulls new citizens’ database- Daily Star

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics is going to develop what officials said would be an extensive and comprehensive identity database.
Click here to read... [9]

’Non-Muslims, transgender people their new target’- Daily Star

Militant outfit Ansar al Islam, said to be the Bangladesh chapter of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, is now targeting non-Muslims and transgender people to recruit them into militancy.
Click here to read... [10]

Government mulls vaccinating 20m people a month- The Asian Age

DG of Directorate General of Health Services- DGHS has said, the government is mulling vaccinating 20 million doses of Covid vaccines a month.
Click here to read... [11]

UN ready to provide electoral assistance to BD- The Asian Age

The United Nations is ready to offer assistance to Bangladesh in its next national elections only if the government asks for it.
Click here to read... [12]

Inter-district bus terminals to be moved outside Dhaka- Dhaka Tribune

The government plans to build five new inter-district bus terminals outside Dhaka city, aiming to reduce traffic congestion in the capital.
Click here to read... [13]

PM arrives in New York to attend UNGA- The Observer

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in New York on Sunday afternoon to attend the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Click here to read... [14]

Bhutan

Are the wetlands safe? – Kuensel

A few years ago, villagers in Sangtana in Gangtey gewog complained about ABC Lodge discharging grey water directly into the wetland, threatening the black-necked cranes and their habitat.
Click here to read... [15]

More buses with modern amenities in Thimphu Thromde from November– Kuensel

The thromde added 27 new buses to its fleet on August 29.
Click here to read... [16]

The Buxa Durbar– Kuensel

The story of how Bhutan received its subsidy in 1909 from the British.
Click here to read... [17]

Guru Rinpoche, the legendary saint who spread Buddhism in Bhutan- Daily Bhutan

He was born from a lotus, fully enlightened. He went on to become the patron saint of Bhutan and established the Nyingma sect of Buddhism.
Click here to read... [18]

Maldives

Ambassador of Nepal to Bangladesh and High Commissioner of Maldives to Bangladesh visit UAP on Invitation from OIA - The Daily Star

On September 14, 2021, two teams from of the Embassy of Nepal and the High Commission of Maldives to Bangladesh visited University of Asia Pacific (UAP) on invitation from the Office of International Affairs (OIA), UAP.
Click here to read... [19]

Maldives removed from UK’s red list - Raajje

After weeks of remaining hopeful of being moved up to the United Kingdom’s Travel Amber List, Maldives has been removed from the country’s Travel Red list.
Click here to read... [20]

Pres Solih departs to New York to attend UNGA - Avas

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih Saturday departed to New York City, United States, to attend the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
Click here to read... [21]

Myanmar

Burmese Army Attacks a Baptist Church in Chin State - Persecution

Following intense fighting between the Burmese Army (Tatmadaw) and the local defense groups in Myanmar’s Christian-majority Chin state, on September 14, the Tatmadaw shelled a Baptist church in Thantlang township.
Click here to read... [22]

Myanmar’s All-Out War in the Making - The Diplomat

After the announcement of the all-out war (dubbed D-Day) by the National Unity Government (NUG) on September 7, some Myanmar people resorted to panic buying.
Click here to read... [23]

Myanmar Is a Failing State—and Could Be a Danger to Its Neighbors - Council on Foreign Relations

When the new coronavirus emerged, Myanmar remained relatively unaffected: Until August 2020, it had recorded only six COVID-19 deaths, and development specialists praised the civilian government, led by the National League for Democracy (NLD), for implementing measures to limit the virus’s spread.
Click here to read... [24]

Myanmar Military Launches Artillery Strike Near Kachin Armed Group’s HQ - The Irrawaddy

Myanmar’s military fired artillery on Wednesday night near Laiza, the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Kachin State, for no reason, said KIA information officer Colonel Naw Bu.
Click here to read... [25]

Court jails Rakhine anti-war protesters for two and a half years - Myanmar Now

Four student activists who were arrested for staging an anti-war protest last year were each sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Thursday, almost a year after they were first detained.
Click here to read... [26]

Attacks on Myanmar telecom towers show evolving tactics in conflict - Reuters

Around 700,000 people in Myanmar are estimated to have lost internet access after attacks on telecommunication equipment run by Mytel, the partly army-controlled company said amid reports that dozens of its towers were damaged.
Click here to read... [27]

Nepal

SSB arrests two persons including Chinese national from India-Nepal border- ANI

SSB arrests two persons including Chinese national from India-Nepal border.
Click here to read... [28]

1413 recover as 656 new Covid-19 cases surface; 12 deaths reported- Himalaya

Nepal's coronavirus caseload reached 784,566 on Sunday with 656 more people testing positive for the infection in the past 24 hours.
Click here to read... [29]

Need to realize the aspirations of the people: President Bhandari- Himalaya

President Bidya Devi Bhandari has said that it is our eternal duty to realize the people's aspirations guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal.
Click here to read... [30]

No regard for rule of law as Nepali state runs on ad hocism- Kathmandu Post

Ordinances are allowed by constitution but governments are issuing them as per their wish, not paying attention to their timely approval, leading to legal vacuum.
Click here to read... [31]

Nepal observes Constitution Day- Kathmandu Post

On Sunday, President Bidya Bhandari, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, ministers and other dignitaries attended a special programme organised at Tundikhel to observe the Constitution Day.
Click here to read... [32]

Foreign firms showed interest to invest in two dozen hotels in first two months of current FY- Republica

Foreign investors are found increasingly attracted to run hotels in Nepal with such companies proposing to invest in around two dozen hotels in the first two months of the current fiscal year.
Click here to read... [33]

Many cooperatives in Nepal into fraud thanks to nominal monitoring- OnlineKhabar

The Cooperative Federation’s Kandel says problems are arising because it has only been a few years since the task of monitoring was handed to the local governments and hence calls for patience.
Click here to read... [34]

Nepali theatre is making a comeback, slowly but steadily- OnlineKhabar

The Nepali theatre sector that was trying to get up after the first wave of Covid-19 was again brought to a standstill in the second wave.
Click here to read... [35]

Teachers Of Private Schools Lose Jobs To COVID-19- Rising Nepal

Teachers of private schools might be the worst affected professionals from COVID-19 in Nepal.
Click here to read... [36]

PM Stresses Constitution's Full Implementation for Attaining Prosperity- Rising Nepal

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the objective of the government is to ensure the prosperity of the nation through successful implementation of the Constitution.
Click here to read... [37]

Pakistan

'No other way': Fawad says 2023 general elections will be based on reforms-Dawn

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday said that the 2023 general election would be based on and possible only after electoral reforms, adding that "there is no other way [possible] except this."
Click here to read... [38]

NZ tour abandoned after alert from 'Five Eyes' alliance about a 'serious' threat: PCB CEO- Dawn

The Black Caps devastated Pakistan's cricket fraternity on Friday after opting out of their tour of Pakistan minutes before the first ODI was to be played. They had cited a "security threat" as the reason without divulging any further.
Click here to read... [39]

Taxes on imports fuel inflation: The Express Tribune

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) data showed that the Rs149 billion revenues during July-August 2021 period were also 132% more than the collection during the same period of the last fiscal year.
Click here to read... [40]

Pakistan begins dispatching humanitarian aid to Afghanistan via Torkham: The Express Tribune

Pakistan on Sunday started dispatching humanitarian aid to Afghanistan through land route and sent 13 truckloads of fresh consignment of humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country through Torkham border crossing.

40 buses for Green Line BRTS project arrive at Karachi Port: The News

The first consignment of 40 modern buses to be plied on the Green Line section of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) reached the Karachi Port on Sunday.
Click here to read... [41]

Corona kills 71 more: Unvaccinated people in Sindh to be arrested: The News

The Sindh government has decided to arrest unvaccinated people after the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued fresh directives for expediting COVID vaccination in the country.
Click here to read... [42]

Sri Lanka

SL receives 20 state-of-the-art Indian train coaches - Ceylon Today

Sri Lanka received 20 state-of-the-art custom-made modern train coaches from India as part of the USD 82.6 million contract.
Click here to read... [43]

Govt.’s secret deal with US company affects Lanka’s sovereignty, says FSP - The Island

Sri Lanka was now dependent on the United States to supply LNG to Sri Lankan power stations thanks to an agreement it had entered into with a US-based energy company.
Click here to read... [44]

President arrives in New York to attend 76th UNGA Session - PMDnews

The delegation headed by the President arrived at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on September 18.
Click here to read... [45]

Foreign Minister Peiris Reaffirms Sri Lanka’s Active Commitment to Dialogue And Engagement With The Commonwealth - MFA

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s active commitment to dialogue and engagement with the Commonwealth at a virtual meeting with the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in New York.
Click here to read... [46]

Sri Lanka, Ukraine discuss potential for enhancing tourism and economic ties - Daily FT

State Minister of Regional Co-operation TharakaBalasuriya undertook an official visit to Ukraine from 8-10 September to participate in a Sri Lanka tourism promotion campaign.
Click here to read... [47]