VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: February 01, 2022

Afghanistan

Joint Ministerial Committee Formed to Address Durand Line Issues: Tolo News

The Islamic Emirate is forming a joint committee comprised of several ministries to address the problems along the Durand Line, officials said on MondayClick here to read... [2]

It is too early for India, Russia to recognize Taliban: Russian Deputy FM: The Khaama Press

Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Varshinin said that it is too early for both Russia and India to recognize the interim government of Afghanistan but added that they will continue providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. Click here to read... [3]

Bhutan

‘Felt like a bullet’: Bhutan PM mourns kingdom’s rare COVID death - Aljazeera

Bhutan’s success in avoiding coronavirus is almost unrivalled but a rare patient death – just the kingdom’s fourth – shows more work was needed to fight the pandemic there, its leader says. Click here to read... [4]

As West Bengal starts to become West Bangladesh, time to remember how Bangladesh was formed to realize the goals of Lahore Resolution - OpIndia

Fifty years of the formation of Bangladesh is being celebrated quite enthusiastically in West Bengal. The spiritual bond of the Bengali language and culture between two Bengals is being rediscovered and championed. Bengali language movement of 1952 by the students of Dhaka University is also almost universally being accepted as the basis of the Bangladesh independence movement. Click here to read... [5]

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi diplomat recalled from India on charges of "sex chat scandal” - Economic Times

The matter was immediately communicated to the Bangladesh foreign ministry. “The Bangladesh Foreign Ministry informed the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka. Click here to read... [6]

Maldives

MoU signed with Turkey to enhance Foreign Service Institute of Maldives - Raajje

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Maldives and Turkey, to boost the services of the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives. Under the agreement, programmes to train more individuals in the foreign sector will be amped up and the Maldivian government will pave the way to introduce more employees to provide professional services with the aid of the Turkish government. Click here to read... [7]

Anti-India protests in mind, Maldives plans new law to curb unrest - Indian Express

Members of the main ruling party in the Maldives are considering legislation to criminalise protests “that affect the country’s relations with other nations”. A draft Bill circulated within the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) comes against the backdrop of protests in the Indian Ocean country over the perceived proximity of the Ibrahim Solih government to India. Click here to read... [8]

Myanmar

FEATURE: Japan-based expats back anti-coup protests in crisis-hit Myanmar - Kyodo News

Of the total, 132,200 are in Chin and two neighboring regions, reflecting hostilities between the military and the Chinland Defense Force, an armed group of anti-coup protestors, which, together with other resistance forces, the junta labels as "terrorists" for undermining peace and stability in the country. Click here to read... [9]

Myanmar’s Arakan rebels cement control over Rakhine state while the junta’s distracted - SCMP

At the one-year mark of the Myanmar coup, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s Tatmadaw – as the military is known – is enduring a prolonged battle of attrition with anti-junta forces, with some reports suggesting soldiers on the front lines are overstretched and jaded. Click here to read... [10]

Myanmar’s PDFs in ‘phase one’ of revolutionary war - Myanmar Now

Decades of armed resistance to the Myanmar military entered a new phase in April of last year, when civilians formed local defence forces to attack the troops and infrastructure of the junta that seized power in the country’s February coup. Click here to read... [11]

Nepal

Nepal's second international airport to be operational from May 26 - Money Control

All international flights can take off and land at the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) from May 26, the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, Nepal's Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Ale informed while inspecting the airport under construction in Bhairahawa, situated in Western Nepal. Click here to read... [12]

Nepal's Vultures Get a Boost at Their Own Restaurants - News Click

Jeewan Magar raises a blood-speckled arm to point out a white-rumped vulture soaring overhead. "I often hear people associate vultures with decay and death," he says. "But after spending almost a decade with the vultures, I think they are valuable and clever creatures." Click here to read... [13]

Pakistan

US delaying approval of Masood Khan’s appointment as Pakistan envoy: Dawn

Mr Khan, who served as Azad Kashmir’s president till last August, was nominated as ambassador to the US in November. He had previously served as Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva and New York and as ambassador to China. Click here to read... [14]

PM Imran rejects proposed hike in petroleum prices: The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday rejected the proposed hike in the prices of petroleum products to save people from the extra burden, said an official statement released by the PM's office. Click here to read... [15]

Sri Lanka

The Rajapaksa family’s tightening grip on Sri Lanka: East Asia Forum

In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic provided additional cover for a regressive turn in Sri Lankan politics. The consequences of economic and political crisis became starkly evident shortly before the year ended as the hold of the Rajapaksa family on the Sri Lankan state tightened. Click here to read... [16]