VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: September 23, 2021

Afghanistan
Afghanistan, Climate, Covid-19 Dominate UNGA: Tolo News

In the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) which is ongoing in New York City, the political situation in Afghanistan, COVID-19 and issues around climate change dominated the summit. Click here to read

Five Killed in Five Attacks in Jalalabad: Tolo News

Jalalabad city in the eastern province of Nangarhar witnessed five security incidents on Wednesday morning. Four explosions in different parts of the city took the lives of two people and injured three others, eyewitnesses told TOLOnews. Click here to read

Bakhtarian Treasure is safe and preserved in Kabul: Taliban: The Khaama Press

Officials of the ministry of information and culture said that the Bakhtarian Treasure is kept in Kabul and assured of its full safety and security. Click here to read

Taliban asks UN to accept their permanent representative: The Khaama Press

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in a letter to the United Nations said that the spokesperson of their political office in Doha, Sohail Shaheen to be accepted as the new permanent representative of Afghanistan to the UN. Click here to read

Intl-Community should engage with Taliban, prevent its isolation: Qatar: The Khaama Press

Qatari Emir Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani called on the international community to get engaged with the Taliban and provide the country with humanitarian aid so that they prevent the country’s isolation. Click here to read

Kabul Restaurants Owned, Staffed by Women Now Closed: Tolo News

Women-owned businesses, especially restaurants and cafes, have remained closed for the past month since the Taliban entered Kabul city. Click here to read

Bangladesh
E-commerce transactions hit five-month low- The Daily Star

Appetite for purchases through online platforms declined in July from a month ago, as people became cautious in placing orders when a series of scams centring e-commerce companies started coming to the light. Click here to read

Local Body Polls: Uncontested wins, rebels bug AL- The Daily Star

The ruling Awami League finds itself in a strange predicament over local body polls. Click here to read

Bangladesh to export 2,080 tonnes of hilsha to India- The Daily Star

The commerce ministry today gave go-ahead to 52 companies to export 2,080 tonnes of hilsa fish to India by October 10 this year. Click here to read

Another satellite on the cards- Dhaka Tribune

Government encouraged by domestic success of Bangabandhu-1, efforts to find foreign buyers underway. Click here to read

ADB revises Bangladesh’s GDP outlook down to 6.8%- Dhaka Tribune

Bangladesh remains one of the few countries to achieve commendable economic growth amid the pandemic, says ADB. Click here to read

US declares $180m assistance for Rohingyas; total reaches $1.5b- Dhaka Tribune

Funding also provides support to members of the local host community in Bangladesh.Click here to read

Global inaction over Rohingya repatriation shocks Bangladesh: PM- Asian Age

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has demanded intensified global actions with “real urgency” to repatriate Rohingyas. Click here to read

Declare Covid vaccines ‘global public good’: PM- Asian Age

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called to declare the Covid-19 vaccines as ‘global public good’. Click here to read

5G to be launched at end of 2021: Joy- Observer

Prime Minister’s Information and Communication Technology Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has revealed that the launching of 5G service in Bangladesh will take place at the end of this yearClick here to read

Bangladesh reports 1,376 fresh cases, 36 deaths from COVID-19- The Independent

Bangladesh today reported 1,376 COVID-19 cases while the coronavirus claimed overnight 36 lives. Click here to read

Bangladesh Bank relaxes forex rules in export, import- Financial Express

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has brought relaxation in foreign-exchange regulations in export, import, remittance and other trade services to overcome economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Click here to read

SAARC calls off FM-level talks over Afghan representation row- New Age

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on Wednesday called off a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers due to a lack of support from some member countries. Click here to read

Bhutan
Hydropower generation decreases by over 12 percent- Kuensel

Hydropower, which has remained the bedrock of the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic, recorded a 12.7 percent decrease in generation in the first eight months of 2021, compared to a corresponding time period last year. Click here to read

Graduates perform poorly in civil service preliminary exams- Kuensel

Close to 70 percent of graduates who appeared in the Bhutan Civil Service Examination’s (BCSE) preliminary examination (PE) did not qualify for the main examination. Click here to read

GoI finalises commitment to allocate Nu 45B for the 12th Five Year Plan- Kuensel

Foreign Secretary Kinga Singye and Ambassador of India to Bhutan, Ruchira Kamboj, signed the minutes of the third Bhutan-India Development Cooperation Talks yesterday. Click here to read

PM hosts reception to mark 50th anniversary of Bhutan’s membership to UN- BBS

The Prime Minister hosted a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of Bhutan’s membership to the United Nations yesterday. Bhutan formally became the 128th member of the UN in 1971. Click here to read

Finance minister to assume roles of Chair and Vice-Chair for the World Bank’s Small States Forum- BBS

The finance minister Namgay Tshering will step in as the Chair of Small States Forum and the Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors of the World Bank Group. He is the country’s first finance minister to assume the roles. Click here to read

Maldives
Addu Police Academy is not an Indian asset, it will be operated by the Police: Ambassador- The Edition

The Indian Ambassador to Maldives Sunjay Sudhir said that the Police Academy being developed in Addu with grant aid from India is not an Indian asset but rather belongs to the Maldivian police. Click here to read

Ali Waheed: Not guilty, is being set up- The Edition

Former Tourism Minister Ali Waheed, accused of rape and sexually assaulting employees while he was in office, stated on Monday that he did not commit any of the crimes he has been accused of. Click here to read

Cardiac center services resume at Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital- MVAVAS

Kulhudhuffushi Regional Hospital (KRC)’s Cardiac Centre services have been resumed. Click here to read

Aasandha to discontinue COVID-19 easements from October-MVAVAS

Aasandha has brought changes to the new regulations it introduced to ease COVID-19 difficulties. Click here to read

BML Islamic upgrades home improvement facility to include cash payments-MVAVAS

Bank of Maldives (BML)’s Islamic Branch has upgraded its ‘Home Improvement Financing’ facility for social housing flat recipients to include cash payments. Click here to read

UNGA statement testament to Maldives’ prowess in the global community-MVAVAS

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that being able to address the presidency of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in Maldives’ mother tongue, Dhivehi, is a testament to Maldives’ successes as a small, sovereign, island state. Click here to read

Maldives will continue to call for full recognition of Palestine: Pres-MVAVAS

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said the Government and the people of Maldives stand firmly and resolutely with the Palestinian people. Click here to read

Myanmar
Thousands of civilians flee Myanmar town after military clash with rebels: The Guardian

Thousands have fled a town in western Myanmar after days of fighting between anti-junta dissidents and the military, during which soldiers bombed civilian homes, according to residents and mediaClick here to read

Myanmar Junta’s Internet Blackout Violates Residents’ Rights: The Irrawaddy

The Myanmar junta’s continuous blocking of the internet in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township and townships in Sagaing Region is increasing security concerns and violating the socio-economic rights of residents, say locals.https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-juntas-internet-blackout-violates-residents-rights.html” target=”_blank”>Click here to read

Suu Kyi pleads ‘not guilty’ as junta court indicts her on incitement charges : Myanmar Now

A military council court in Naypyitaw indicted detained State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday for incitement under Section 505b of the Penal Code, according to her legal defence team. Click here to read

Nepal
Narayan Khadka is the new foreign affairs minister of Nepal- Online Khabar

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has appointed his Nepali Congress party’s member Narayan Khadka as the foreign affairs minister of his cabinet on Wednesday. Click here to read

Nepal-China border ‘dispute’: Govt team busy visiting border pillars in Humla- Online Khabar

The border monitoring team of the Ministry of Home Affairs deployed to study the alleged Nepal-China border dispute has reached Hilsa in Humla after visiting a border pillar at Limi Lapcha area in the district. Click here to read

New rule may prevent conflicts of interest in user groups- Kathmandu Post

Elected officials, office-bearers of political parties and government staff, among others, may be denied seats on user committees for public projects. Click here to read

Deuba faces censure from own party over Cabinet expansion- Kathmandu Post

The ruling coalition, despite a series of meetings, has failed to provide names for ministerial posts, earning bad repute for the government. Click here to read

1251 new Covid-19 cases surface on Wednesday, active caseload stands at 21139- Himalaya Post

Nepal’s coronavirus caseload reached 787,828 on Wednesday with 1,251 more people testing positive for the infection in the past 24 hours. Click here to read

Human trafficking cases increasing amid coronavirus pandemic in Sudurpaschim- Himalaya Post

Cases related to human trafficking have increased amid the coronavirus pandemic in Sudurpaschim province. Click here to read

Chinese President Xi, PM Li, UNSG extend best wishes to Nepal- Himalaya

Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s Premier Li Keqiang, and United Nation Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have extended their best wishes to the head of the state and the head of the government in Nepal. Click here to read

40% Of Valley People Fully Vaccinated For COVID-19- Rising Nepal

With the vaccination campaign as the first priority of government, 40 per cent of people in the Kathmandu Valley have already received both doses of vaccine. Click here to read

Pakistan
Tarin unveils steps to curb imports ahead of IMF talks: Dawn

Speaking at a hurriedly called news conference along with prime minister’s special assistant Jamshed Iqbal Cheema and Minister of State for Information Furrukh Habib, the finance minister said the government would immediately reduce the prices of vegetable ghee, sugar and wheat across the country. Click here to read

China’s no to coal plants raises questions about $50bn investment: Dawn

China’s pledge to stop building coal-fired power plants overseas could cull $50 billion of investment as it slashes future carbon emissions, analysts said. Click here to read

Taliban apologise to Pakistan over flag removal incident at Torkham border: The Express Tribune

The interim government in Afghanistan on Wednesday apologised to Pakistan over a flags’ removal incident from aid trucks at the Torkham border, calling it “regrettable”. Click here to read

Pakistan wants better ties with US: Qureshi: The Express Tribune

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said Pakistan wants a strong relationship with the US beyond counter-terrorism and Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops from the war-torn country. Click here to read

Pakistan, Turkey, Azerbaijan conclude military drills: ISPR: The Express Tribune

A two-week long trilateral exercise between military contingents of Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan in Baku has concluded, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2321392/pakistan-turkey-azerbaijan-conclude-military-drills-ispr” target=”_blank”>Click here to read

Stop supporting crumbling govt, Nawaz asks institutions: The News

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) supremo and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has urged the institutions to stop shouldering the government, which is about to fall. Click here to read

National security is empowerment of people: Moeed: The News

Prime Minister’s Adviser on National Security Dr Moeed Yusuf on Wednesday said the government was pursuing economic security which ultimately would contribute to national security and people’s welfareClick here to read

ADB lowers GDP growth forecast for SL and rest of developing Asia – Daily FT

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has lowered Sri Lanka’s 2021 GDP growth forecast to 3.4% from 4.1% estimated in the April. Click here to read

1,342 persons test positive for COVID-19 – Daily FT

The detection of 1,342 COVID-19 patients yesterday brought the country’s COVID-19 case count to 508,672. Click here to read

SAARC meet cancelled as Pakistan insists on Taliban participation – Ceylon Today

A meeting of foreign ministers of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, slated to be held on Saturday in New York, has been cancelled. Click here to read