VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: March 15, 2022

Afghanistan

Islamic Emirate Must Take Steps for Recognition: Cavusoglu: Tolo News

Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, at the closing of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum said the Islamic Emirate needs to take practical steps, mainly toward an inclusive government, in order to be recognized. Click here to read... [2]

Afghanistan’s embassy in Washington may shut down next week: The Khaama Press

AFP has cited its sources in the US Department of State as saying, Afghanistan’s embassy in consulates in the United States are suffering from dire financial problems that will lead to their closure as soon as next week. Click here to read... [3]

Bangladesh

‘My son has finally returned, but lifeless’- The Daily Star

Family members, relatives and neighbours were mourning as the body of Hadisur Rahman, third engineer of the Bangladeshi ship "Banglar Samriddhi", who was killed in a rocket attack at a Ukraine port on March 3, reached home this noon. Click here to read... [4]

Evidence Act Amendment: Cabinet okays it in principle- The Daily Star

The Cabinet Division has approved the proposed Evidence (Amendment) Act 2022 in principle, keeping the provision that makes digital evidence admissible in court. Click here to read... [5]

‘Restore rivers of Sundarbans’- The Daily Star

"Rivers and canals in the Sundarbans region are plagued by unplanned industrialisation, anti-environmental development activities, encroachment and pollution... Environmental and people-friendly development plans have to be adopted while safeguarding their flow”. Click here to read... [6]

KSA keen on pumping $10b in 15 projects here- The Daily Star

Saudi Arabia has shown interest in investing more than $10 billion in 15 large- and small-scale projects in Bangladesh. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud is expected to discuss the projects on his two-day visit to Dhaka starting today. Click here to read... [7]

Govt must rein in prices of essentials: HC- The Daily Star

The High Court yesterday observed that government machinery must be active throughout the year to control prices of daily essentials and appropriate legal action has to be taken against unscrupulous traders responsible for hoarding goods. Click here to read... [8]

Prepare for German human rights law for supply chains- The Daily Star

German Ambassador to Bangladesh Achim Troster has advised Bangladeshi companies to prepare for challenges that may arise from 2023 when a German law comes into effect for enhanced human rights protection in supply chains. Click here to read... [9]

No possibility of Chinese missile maintenance facility in Bangladesh: Shahriar- The Daily Star

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam today rejected the recent Nikkei Asia report that claimed China is preparing to set up a maintenance facility in Bangladesh for surface-to-air missile systems it had supplied in 2011. Click here to read... [10]

Bangladesh seeks investment opportunities in Uzbekistan- The Daily Star

Bangladesh has sought investment opportunities for Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan, a central Asian country rich in natural gas. Such a proposal was made to the Uzbek authorities during the first-ever Foreign Office Consultation between Bangladesh and Uzbekistan held in Tashkent today. Click here to read... [11]

Bhutan

Bhutan to lose around Nu 17.5 bn in annual revenue with 1-year pandemic delay of P II- The Bhutanese

The Punatsangchu II project was supposed to commission its first unit by July 2022 and have all its six units commissioned by early 2023. Click here to read... [12]

Gradual relaxations to prevent a surge in cases leading to severe cases and deaths: PM- The Bhutanese

The Prime Minister Dasho Dr Lotay Tshering said the relaxations are being done gradually to avoid a large surge in cases over a short period which will lead to a rush of cases to hospitals, the system being overrun and deaths. Click here to read... [13]

Govt. announces lockdown relaxations- Kuensel

With the completion of exams on Saturday and preparation for phase two, the government announced a four-week transition period until fully lifting the movement restriction. Click here to read... [14]

IFC appoints Martin Holtmann as Country Manager- Bhutan Times

To focus on developing new opportunities and stragegies for private sector investments as the region recovers from the impacts of Covid-19, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has appointed Martin Holtmann as the new Country Manager for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. Click here to read... [15]

Vaccinated tourists to undergo 5-day quarantine in Bhutan from April 25- Daily Bhutan
Bhutan is opening up to international tourists. However, one is required to undergo a 5-day quarantine (for fully vaccinated with RT-PCR negative certificate) or a 10-day quarantine (unvaccinated). Click here to read... [16]

Maldives

MMPRC exhibits Maldives as partner country of OTM Mumbai: Te Sun

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) is exhibiting Maldives at the biggest travel trade event held in India, OTM Mumbai, as the partner country, - a move aimed at further strengthening Maldives’ brand visibility in the Indian market. Click here to read... [17]

The Maldives lifts health emergency and mandatory mask rule: The Hindu

The Maldives on Sunday lifted its health emergency, declared at the beginning of the pandemic two years ago, and relaxed the mandatory mask policy, amid wide vaccine coverage and a low positivity rate. Click here to read... [18]

Myanmar

NIA nabs 6 for illegally settling Rohingyas in India - SentinelAssam

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested six persons and busted a human trafficking racket that was helping Rohingya Muslims enter India and settle down on the basis of forged documents. The gang was active and operating in border areas of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya and other parts of the country. Click here to read... [19]

World needs to impose more sanctions on Myanmar military - Mizzima

Myanmar’s military government has been attacking civilians since the February 1 coup last year with weapons provided by China, Russia, and Serbia. This was stated in a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in February on the human rights situation in Myanmar. Click here to read... [20]

China uses Pakistan to clandestinely supply defence hardware in Myanmar - The Print

Pakistan’s military partnership with Myanmar is changing post-military coup in the Southeast Asian nation that poses a serious regional security threat. According to sources, the Myanmar military is planning to purchase 60- and 81-mm mortars, M-79 grenade launchers and heavy machine guns from Pakistan. Click here to read... [21]

China expects Rohingya return to begin in 2022 - New Age BD

Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Sunday expressed hope that the repatriation of Rohingya people from Bangladesh to Myanmar would begin this year. ‘China is making relentless effort to speed up early repatriation of Rohingya people…this year we’ll achieve the goal,’ he said in a press conference styled as spring dialogue with China in Dhaka.

A Year On, No Justice for Myanmar Massacre - Human Rights Watch

On March 14, 2021, “Zarni” joined protests in Hlaing Tharyar, near Yangon, against the Myanmar military’s February 1 coup. The large protests were planned by factory workers, a large portion of the industrial area’s residents.

Myanmar junta struggles with fuel supplies - Mizzima
The Myanmar police force looks set to escort a convoy of fuel delivered from Thailand entering through the Myawaddy border crossing, reports DVB. Myanmar is facing a growing fuel crisis and is looking to its neighbours for help. Click here to read... [22]

Former MP candidate in southern Rakhine charged under anti-terror law for ‘supporting’ armed resistance - Myanmar Now

A former parliamentary candidate is among two men in southern Rakhine State who were charged with terrorism offences on Wednesday for allegedly supporting the anti-junta People’s Defence Force (PDF), their lawyer has said. Click here to read... [23]

Nepal

Deuba thanks Modi for evacuating Nepali nationals from Ukraine- Hindustan Times

Nepal prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Saturday thanked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for evacuating Nepali nationals who were stranded in the war-torn Ukraine. Click here to read... [24]

Fringe parties threaten to boycott polls- Himalaya

Fringe parties have threatened to boycott upcoming local polls if the Election Commission fails to address their concerns about election symbols. Click here to read... [25]

BRI to be in focus when Wang Yi visits Nepal this month- Kathmandu Post
Signing on at least two projects likely during the Chinese foreign minister’s trip, on the heels of ratification of American grant that Beijing has taken exception to. Click here to read... [26]

Independent candidates hope to spark new hopes among the youth next local elections- OnlineKhabar
In recent decades, such ideas, especially among the youth, have been growing stronger in Nepal. Click here to read... [27]

Visiting Saudi Foreign Minister to hold bilateral talks today- Republica
Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Fahran Al Saud, who arrived in Nepal on Monday evening on a two-day official visit to Nepal, is scheduled to hold delegation level talks with his Nepali counterpart Dr Narayan Khadka. Click here to read... [28]

Nationwide vaccination against typhoid starting on April 8- Kathmandu Post

Doctors say without improving water and sanitation conditions, waterborne diseases including typhoid cannot be defeated. Click here to read... [29]

Pakistan

US, China call for direct Pakistan-India talks: Dawn

The United States and China urged India and Pakistan on Monday to hold direct talks for reducing tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations. Click here to read... [30]

Pakistan weighs options if India refuses joint probe into missile fiasco: The Express Tribune

Pakistan is contemplating different options in case India refuses to agree on a joint probe into a missile fiasco that could have triggered an accidental war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Click here to read... [31]

PM Imran says 'not worried' about no-confidence motion: The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said he was not worried about the no-confidence motion against him as the situation leading up to the no-trust vote is “satisfactory”. Click here to read... [32]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan finance minister to visit India today: ANI

Amid the worsening economic situation in his country, Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa will begin his India visit on Tuesday, hoping to seal a USD 1 billion line of credit (LoC). Click here to read... [33]

Sri Lanka’s forex crisis hits tourism industry, Canada, UK warns travellers: Hindustan Times

“There may be long queues at grocery stores, gas stations, and pharmacies. Local authorities may impose the rationing of electricity, resulting in power outages,” the advisory saidClick here to read... [34]

Sri Lanka tightens trade rules to boost currency reserves: The Economic Times

Sri Lanka is tackling its worst financial crisis in over a decade, struggling to pay for critical imports including fuel, food and medicines and with just $2.31 billion of reserves. Click here to read... [35]

Sri Lankan FM to seek firming up of $1 billion credit line: Economic Times

The visit was finalised during a telephone conversation between minister Rajapaksa and external affairs minister S Jaishankar last week. Click here to read... [36]