VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: December 09, 2021

Afghanistan

World has no clear policy on Afghanistan; Qatar FM- Afghanistan Times

Qatari Foreign Minister has said that the international community has no clear policy on how to deal with the current situation in Afghanistan. Click here to read... [2]

Opening a European mission in Afghanistan doesn’t mean Taliban recognition- Afghanistan Times

Following French President Emanuel Macron’s remarks regarding the deployment of EU ambassadors to Kabul, the bloc says that deploying these ambassadors does not mean recognizing the Taliban. Click here to read... [3]

Stalled construction projects worth $5b behind joblessness- Afghanistan Times

Construction projects worth over $5 billion in Afghanistan have been stalled since Taliban takeover driving up unemployment, according to the union of private construction companies. Click here to read... [4]

India says Afghanistan situation has wider repercussions for Central Asia- Afghanistan Times

India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that that the situation in Afghanistan has wider repercussions for the Central Asian region and added that both India and Russia have a common interest in ASEAN centrality. Click here to read... [5]

Anas Haggani: World's Terms for Govt Recognition 'Unjust'- Tolo News

The international community's lack of recognition for the current Afghan government is unjust, an official of the Islamic Emirate said on Wednesday. Click here to read... [6]

Fears, Needs of Fleeing Afghans Must Be Addressed: Akhundzada- Tolo News

The Islamic Emirate’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued a statement regarding the migration of Afghans out of the country following the fall of Kabul to the Islamic Emirate. Click here to read... [7]

Bangladesh

Month of Victory: US, China and Soviet Union in South Asian war theater- Dhaka Tribune

Nixon wanted the US and China to jointly move against India and apprised his Chinese counterpart about the US naval task force move through a map showing the deployment of the US and Soviet forces. Click here to read... [8]

Forbes lists Sheikh Hasina as 6th most powerful woman in Asia- Dhaka Tribune

Forbes has listed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the sixth most powerful woman in Asia. She ranked 43 overall on Forbes' 18th annual list of the world's 100 most powerful women. Click here to read... [9]

Big push for solar, waste-based power- Daily Star

Cabinet approves 223.5MW power projects. Click here to read... [10]

'Have shown great generosity to Khaleda': Hasina- Daily Observer

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said they have shown great generosity to Khaleda Zia by allowing her to stay at home and receive treatment in a hospital freely. Click here to read... [11]

'Pandora Papers' names should not be discussed'- Asian Age

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said on Wednesday that it will not be wise for him to discuss Bangladeshi businessmen named by the Pandora Papers. Click here to read... [12]

Bhutan

Poll day for affected gewogs rescheduled- Kuensel

Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) rescheduled poll day to January 6 for eight gewogs whose gup candidates were reissued audit clearances recently. Click here to read... [13]

Government’s expenditure challenges- Kuensel

The challenges of meeting both capital and current expenditures have become more challenging for the government with no signs of improvement in the domestic revenue. Click here to read... [14]

Bhutan Struggles to Defend Territory in India-China Border Spat- Bloomberg

With tensions still high along the India-China border, landlocked Bhutan is struggling to both maintain its territory and keep both Asian powerhouses happy. Click here to read... [15]

Bhutan Prime Minister condoles demise of CDS General Bipin Rawat, 11 others in TN chopper crash- ANI

Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on Wednesday expressed condolences over the demise of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat. Click here to read... [16]

Small-scale CSOs can legally operate upon obtaining written permission- BBS

A small-scale Civil Society Organization will be allowed to legally operate upon obtaining written permission from the CSO Authority as per its rules and regulations. They do not need to formally register.

Maldives

A Vision of a Digital Maldives: Supporting Diversification, Decentralization, and Decarbonization - Marketscreener

It's clear that Maldives can enable its already-existing pockets of innovation, improve its digital infrastructure, and invest in digital skills to position itself to go beyond its small size and remote location to become an active player in the global digital economyClick here to read... [17]

Pandora Papers Unveil Ex-Putin Aide, Indian Businessmen Behind Maldives Island 'Scandal': Report - The Wire

A former deputy chief of staff for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as well as a wealthy Russian businessman with reputed organized crime ties, were secretly involved in the illegal leasing of a lagoon for tourist developments in the Maldives, newly leaked documents show. Click here to read... [18]

Myanmar

Decoding the Myanmar crisis: domestic factors or external players? - Hindustan Times

For Myanmar, which has been under authoritarian military rule for several decades, the restoration of partial democracy in 2011, in a power-sharing agreement with an elected civilian government, notwithstanding the military’s dominance, was a ray of hope. In spite of being under the shadow of a military-dominated constitution, Myanmar achieved considerable progress under such a "semi democratic” setup. Click here to read... [19]

Meta to ban all Myanmar-army controlled businesses from platforms - Reuters

Meta Platforms Inc (FB.O), formerly known as Facebook, said on Wednesday it would ban all Myanmar-military controlled businesses from having a presence on its platforms in an expansion of its earlier curbs on the country's security forces. Click here to read... [20]

A New Politics is Taking Shape in Myanmar - The Irrawaddy

As the anti-coup resistance gathers increasing momentum, the most frequently asked question in the Myanmar political community is does the incarcerated Daw Aung San Suu Kyi endorse the current revolutionary movement? Given her trademark political philosophy and longstanding belief in non-violence, this is a question well worth asking. Click here to read... [21]

EU Stops Renting Residence From Former Myanmar Dictator’s Family - The Irrawaddy

The European Union (EU) has stopped renting its official ambassador’s residence from the family of late Myanmar dictator General Ne Win after eight years, according to sources from diplomatic missions to Myanmar. Click here to read... [22]

Nepal

Archaeological research obstructed in Mustang- Himalaya

Villagers from Thingkar, a small settlement to the north of Lo Manthang, Mustang, have barred a team of American scientists from carrying out historical research on Buddhist-era archaeology of the region. Click here to read... [23]

Paudel faction fails to choose candidate for NC president- Himalaya

The establishment and rival factions of the Nepali Congress held marathon meetings of their respective faction leaders today to decide on common names of party candidates, but failed to do so due to lack of unanimity on the names. Click here to read... [24]

NC 14th General Convention: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee invited to attend inaugural event- Himalaya

The Nepali Congress has extended an invite to Chief Minister of Indian state of West Bengal -- Mamata Banerjee -- to attend the inaugural session of its 14th general convention. Click here to read... [25]

MCC likely to be main agenda of the winter session of the House starting next week- TKP

Prime Minister Deuba has over the past few months assured several US officials that the compact would be passed through Parliament. Click here to read... [26]

EU continues with blacklisting Nepali airlines- Republica

The European Union (EU) has declined to remove Nepali airlines from its prohibition order lists, preventing them from operating in European airspace stating that they still fail to meet the international safety standards. Click here to read... [27]

Pakistan

Pakistan reports first case of Omicron variant in woman from Karachi- Dawn

Pakistan reported its first case of the new coronavirus variant Omicron on Wednesday, the Sindh health department said. Click here to read... [28]

Animal rights activist fears for life- Dawn

An animal rights activist, who had recently highlighted the plight of four elephants kept at Karachi Zoological Gardens and Safari Park, feared for her life for raising the issue and approached the police for protection. Click here to read... [29]

Pakistan, China renew Joint Economic Committee after 11 years- The News

Pakistan and China on Wednesday resumed the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) meeting after an 11 year pause to strengthen bilateral ties under the broader framework. Click here to read... [30]

Pakistan declines US democracy summit invitation- The Tribune

Pakistan has decided to skip the summit on democracy being convened by US President Joe Biden on December 9 and 10. Click here to read... [31]

Sri Lanka

Omicron: Steps taken worldwide to be reviewed to enable decision-making in SL- Daily Mirror

Necessary decisions will be made after evaluating the recommendations of WHO and steps taken by other countries to face the new COVID variant, Omicron, the Health Ministry said. Click here to read... [32]

Chinese firm sues Sri Lanka in dispute over $49.7m fertilizer deal- Daily Mirror

A ship loaded with 20,000 tons of fertilizer from Shandong-based producer Seawin Biotech meant for export to Sri Lanka is on its way back after failing to reach any constructive agreement with Sri Lanka. Click here to read... [33]

Collective Cabinet responsibility won’t be at country’s expense- The Island

Udaya says we are ready to face consequences of revolting against backdoor Yugadanavi deal. Click here to read... [34]