Tag Archives: NSC

VIF Neighbourhood News Digest – January 02, 2023

Afghanistan
Blast Outside Military Airport in Kabul; Casualties Reported: Tolo News

A blast took place on Sunday morning near the gate of the military airport in Kabul, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said. MoI spokesman Abdul Nafay Takoor said that the blast inflicted casualties, leaving several people dead and wounded. But he did not provide the exact number of casualties. “The incident happened at around 08:00 am. There were civilian casualties. Some people were wounded. But officials arrived and took action,” said Mohammad Fahim, a eyewitness. Click here to read…

UN Representative Meets Abdul Salam Hanifi over Women’s rights in Afghanistan: The Khaama Press

A senior United Nations official in Afghanistan met with the deputy prime minister of the acting government in Kabul on Sunday. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a ban on women working for NGOs. The Decision mandated that all the country’s international and domestic non-governmental organizations stopped employing women and stated that they did not follow the Islamic Hijab. This came after banning girls’ students from attending middle and high school, then universities, and working in most professions. Click here to read…

Bhutan
Saidpur airport to boost connectivity with Nepal, Bhutan – The Daily Star

Efforts to turn Saidpur airport in Nilphamari into an international airport are underway as making it a key transit point would boost connectivity with Nepal, Bhutan and the Seven Sister states of India, according to government officials. The northernmost airport in Bangladesh sits on 136.56 acres of land some 260 kilometres away from Dhaka by air with flights requiring about 48 minutes to reach the capital. Click here to read…

Bangladesh
Implementing 10 points a key New Year’s challenge: BNP – New Age

Our challenge in the coming days is to implement the 10 points. We also must free our leader (Khaleda Zia) and bring Tarique Rahman back to the country to give him the opportunity to do politics freely,’ he said. BNP leader also said that they would have to have all the arrested party leaders and workers, including secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee member Mirza Abbas, freed from jail. ‘To do this, the current government has to be removed from power as soon as possible. So, we must get united and move forward with courage to implement the 10 points and bring about a change through it,’ he observed. Click here to read…

EAM Points Out To ‘intense Challenge’ With China & ‘successful Diplomacy’ With Bangladesh – Republic World

Speaking about relations with Bangladesh in Vienna, Jaishankar said, “But if there is one border and one region which has dramatically improved in the last decade, it is actually eastern and northeastern India. And the reason for that is that we have actually vastly improved our relationship with Bangladesh. We have settled our land boundary agreement with that country. And really, that is an example of successful diplomacy that has directly contributed.” Click here to read…

New Omicron subvariant BF.7 found in Bangladesh – The Daily Star

The new subvariant of Omicron, BF.7, has been found in Bangladesh, confirmed IEDCR. Tahmina Shirin, director of Epidemiology, Research and Disease Control, confirmed the matter to The Daily Star. The subvariant was found in four passengers from Kunming, who tested positive for Covid at Dhaka airport on December 26 afternoon after the authorities geared up health screening. Click here to read…

Maldives
Maldives welcomes the first tourist of 2023 – Edition

The Maldives has welcomed its first tourist for the year 2023. On Sunday, Maldives welcomed Nikolai Stratichuk, who visited from Russia. As the first visitor to the Maldives this year, Stratichuk received a five-night stay at Reethi Faru Resort. He also recieved a gift from Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC), the Ministry of Tourism, and Dhiraagu. Click here to read…

“Maldives Foreign Service prioritized gender equality in 2022” – Raajje

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has stated that the Maldives Foreign Service, in the year 2022, prioritized gender equality, building an inclusive and considerate workplace, in their work. Minister Shahid stated this in his new year message on Saturday. Minister Shahid in his message noted that the Maldives successfully led the establishment of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy to be commemorated on 24 June. Click here to read…

Myanmar
Myanmar extends ceasefire until end of 2023 – Vietnam Plus

Myanmar’s military has extended its ceasefire agreement with Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) until the end of 2023, according to a statement released by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services on the last day of 2022. As per the statement, the military has extended the ceasefire agreement for 21 times between December 21, 2018 and December 31, 2022. Click here to read…

Myanmar pro-democracy fighters count bloody cost of struggle – NHK

Nearly two years after a military junta seized power, Myanmar remains mired in conflict and chaos. Armed pro-democracy fighters are offering a dogged resistance that has made it impossible for the regime to consolidate control, but their drawn-out struggle is taking a heavy toll. Click here to read…

Mizoram CM seeks UN action to contain drug trafficking from Myanmar – The Sangai Express

To curb the illegal drugs trafficking and smuggling of various contraband goods from Myanmar, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga has urged the UN to take proactive steps on the issue. He said that drugs trading and poppy cultivation that has been going on in Mynamar is being smuggled to Mizoram and the Government of Mizoram is facing big challenges of drug trafficking in the State. Click here to read…

Aung San Suu Kyi Sentenced To 33-year Prison By Myanmar Court: What Are The Many Corruption Charges – Outlook India

A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption Friday, sentencing her to seven years in prison in the last of a string of criminal cases against her, a legal official said. The court’s action leaves her with a total of 33 years to serve in prison after a series of politically tinged prosecutions since the army toppled her elected government in February 2021. Click here to read…

Nepal
Nepal PM opens airport built with China’s help – The Tribune

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Sunday inaugurated a regional international airport built with the Chinese assistance in country’s western tourist hub of Pokhara. The PRIA, a flagship project of Nepal-China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, was constructed with Chinese loan assistance. The government had signed a USD 215.96 million soft loan agreement with China in March 2016 for the construction of the new airport in the lake city. Click here to read…

Nepal’s outstanding debt increased by Rs 228 billion during mid-April and mid-October – My Republica

Nepal’s public debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio has reached 41.38 percent as of the first quarter end of the current fiscal year. The first quarterly report released by the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) shows that the country’s outstanding debt has reached Rs 2.078 trillion by mid-October. The government records show that the government borrowing increased by Rs 228 billion during six months’ period starting from mid-April 2022. Click here to read…

Nepal risks being ‘greylisted’ for abetting money laundering – The Kathmandu Post

With Nepal struggling to address a number of deficiencies to comply with the standards on anti-money laundering and terrorist financing, stakeholders are worried whether this would lead to the greylisting of the country by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global anti-money laundering watchdog. A delegation of the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), an FATF-style regional anti-money laundering body, recently concluded a field visit to Nepal as a part of Nepal’s mutual evaluation, a peer review process to examine whether Nepal complied with a number of standards set by the FATF. Click here to read…

India extends anti-dumping duty on jute goods from Bangladesh, Nepal – The Business Standard

“The anti-dumping duty imposed under this notification shall be levied for a period of five years (unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier) from the date of publication of this notification in the Official Gazette and shall be payable in Indian currency,” a notification from the Indian finance ministry dated 30 December 2022 said, reports the Telegraph India. Click here to read…

Pakistan
NSC to meet again today amid enormous challenges: The Express Tribune

The high-powered NSC was given a detailed briefing on economy, terrorism and Afghanistan on Friday but no final decision was taken on how to tackle these issues. Therefore, the meeting had been convened again on Monday to continue deliberations. The civil and military leadership was briefed on the current economic challenges and the way forward. There was consensus in the meeting that Pakistan had to revive the IMF programme in order to avoid a potential default. The country’s foreign reserves had come down to $5.8 billion. Another payment of $1.1 billion was due this week meaning the reserves would dip further. Click here to read…

Govt Hikes wheat flour prices by 62pc in utility stores – Dawn

The beneficiaries of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) would be exempt from the price increase, while the limit for subsidised purchases from the USC has also been curtailed. The new rates were notified by the USC on New Year’s Eve on Saturday after the federal cabinet last week approved Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s recommendation to clear a hybrid model of subsidies involving targeted and untargeted elements of the prime minister’s relief package. Click here to read…

In Pakistan, establishment is name of ‘one person’: Imran Khan: The News

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, without taking names, claimed that in Pakistan, the establishment is the name of “one person.” “Former chief of army staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s setup is still working in the establishment,” the ex-prime minister said during a conversation with journalists as he continued the tirade against the former army chief, whom he blames now for his government’s ouster. Click here to read…

Pakistan, India exchange annual lists of nuclear installations, prisoners: The News

With the start of the year 2023, Pakistan and India on Sunday exchanged the annual lists of their nuclear installations and facilities through diplomatic channels. The two countries are bound by the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between Pakistan and India, to inform each other of their “nuclear installations and facilities, falling within its definition, on 1st January of each calendar year”.Click here to read…

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka stares at food shortage, President Wickremesinghe asks for help – The Print

The critical situation of the currency crisis in Sri Lanka has resulted in political, economic and social turmoil. Further, this currency collapse has resulted in a rise in food prices by 100 per cent in two years. Amid all this, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has sought support, The Island Online reported. Click here to read…

US grants $240 Mn assistance to SL in 2022: Julie Chung – Daily Mirror

The United States has announced more than $240 Mn in new assistance to Sri Lanka in 2022 alone, US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said. She tweeted that new assistance supports basic food security and addresses the needs of the most vulnerable communities, including funding for school lunches, fertilizer for smallholder farmers, and cash assistance for new and expectant mothers.
“We are also supporting loans, training and assistance for SMEs in Sri Lanka, as they face the heaviest burden in times of crisis. This assistance is on top of our existing development partnership working with government, the private sector, civil society, and the people of SL,” she tweeted. Click here to read…

Extremism and Terrorism, biggest threat to humanity – Daily News

The incessant call for justice for the Easter Attack victims died with the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Former President Maithripala Sirisena continues to refuse to shoulder the full blame. The ‘brains’ behind the Attack remain elusive. A report from the NIA that appeared mid-December 2022 further attests the threat of terrorism that continues to hover over the region. Since 2021, NIA has reported at least four cases related to the conspiracy by several LTTE cadres based in India and Sri Lanka to revive LTTE by smuggling arms, ferrying drugs and transferring funds via hawala. Click here to read…

VIF Neighbourhood News Digest – December 30, 2022

h5>Afghanistan

NRC Chief Urges West to Engage with Islamic Emirate: Tolo News

Jan Egeland, head of Norwegian Refugee Council, NRC, urged the West to engage with the Islamic Emirate. Egeland made the remarks in a special interview with TOLOnews. He pointed out to the recent decision of the Islamic Emirate regarding the ban on women from going to schools, universities and work, saying that such decision would affect Kabul relations with the international community.”I am sure we will find a solution. We found the solution in the past. We never left Afghanistan. The western forces did, the western diplomats did. I am also asking the western diplomats to engage more with the Taliban but again I don’t think it is gonna be in Doha then because what is said in Doha, is not what decided in Kabul and Kandahar,” Egeland said. Click here to read…

Delivering Humanitarian Aid in Afghanistan to Continue: UN: The Khaama Press

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are committed to the delivery of life-saving services to the people of Afghanistan during these difficult times, a UN envoy for Afghanistan said on Thursday. In a media briefing, in New York, on Thursday, Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan said, despite the Taliban-run administration’s decision to ban women from working in non-governmental organizations, the UN and its partners will deliver the much-needed humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan during these tough times. Click here to read…

Bangladesh
Bangladesh is an important country in South Asia: new Chinese envoy – New Age

Newly appointed ambassador of China to Bangladesh Yao Wen has described Bangladesh as the ‘Pearl of the Bay of Bengal, an important country in South Asia and a rapidly emerging economy’. ‘Bangladesh is playing an irreplaceable role in regional and international affairs,’ said the ambassador who arrived in Dhaka on Wednesday evening to serve as the 16th ambassador of China to BangladeshClick here to read…

Bangladesh bars Russian vessel under US sanction from entering its territory – New Age

A Russian ship carrying a consignment for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project has been barred from entering Bangladeshi territory due to the sanctions of the United States on it. The incident surfaced at a time when the US and Russia were apparently engaged in a debate over the political developments in Bangladesh. Click here to read…

When will border killings stop? – Dhaka Tribune

There is no questioning the deep ties and friendship India and Bangladesh share, and have always shared, since our inception as a nation. There is no denying that India’s assistance during our Liberation War was the catalyst that helped us become a free nation. However, despite ties between the two countries remaining as strong as ever, it is disheartening to see just the alarming regularity with which we hear news of some Bangladeshi being shot at along the border. Click here to read…

Bhutan
Ramp up the surveillance systems – Kuensel Online

In the face of rising Covid-19 cases in the region, the Ministry of Health has advised the government and the public to step up safety measures. This is an important warning. We have gone through some difficult times. Lockdown is never a convenient measure, as we have experienced. Click here to read…

Maldives
Maldives taking precautions after threat to Indian High Commission: MEA

The government of Maldives has taken “swift action” after an Opposition leader called for an arson attack on the Indian High Commission in Male, the External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday. Click here to read…

Maldives President In Sri Lanka On Private Visit

Prior to his departure the President kicked off his campaign for the upcoming presidential primary of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). He even met with the press after a long hiatus and answered numerous questions. Both President Solih and MDP leader and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed are running in the primary. The election is believed to be causing even deeper divisions within the party. Click here to read…

Myanmar
UNICEF Myanmar Humanitarian Situation Report No. 11, December 2022 – Relief Web

The number of people displaced nationally, including those in protracted situations, has continued to rise, exceeding 1.5 million as of 26 December 2022. UNICEF reached over 2.7 million children aged 6–59 months with support to the vitamin A supplementation campaign. Click here to read…

Myanmar junta supporters protest outside US and UK embassies – Mizzima

Supporters of the Myanmar junta held protests against the United States’ (US) ratification of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) outside the Yangon US embassy on University Avenue and the UK embassy on Strand Road. The 2022 Burma Act was part of the 2023 NDAA that was ratified into law by US President Biden on 23 December 2022. Click here to read…

Nepal
UML Chair Oli holding talks with Madhav Nepal – Khabarhub

In a bid to narrow down differences, CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli and Unified Socialist Chairman Madhav Nepal are holding a meeting on Friday. However, the time and place have not been decided yet. According to sources, the two leaders are meeting on Friday where they would discuss power-sharing and party unity. Click here to read…

Excited to work with new government in Nepal: India – The Hindu

India is “excited” about working with the new government in Nepal, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday. “Our PM congratulated Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The Nepalese PM also responded and said he wants friendly relations. He talked about natural affinity. Both our countries have unique bilateral relations. We hope to work together with the new government of Nepal. We are excited to work with the new government,” Mr. Bagchi said. Click here to read…

US funds for Tibetans in India, Nepal – Tribune India

The US budget-2023, passed by the Congress last week, has a provision of USD 11 million for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and Tibetan communities living in India and Nepal. The budget has made available “not less than $8,000,000” for programmes to promote and preserve Tibetan culture and language for Tibetan communities residing in India and Nepal and “not less than $3,000,000” for programmes to strengthen the capacity of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). Click here to read…

Chinese reactions to Nepal’s election result – ORF Online

Despite the “communist victory” in Nepal, there seem to be some apprehensions within Chinese strategic circles about the stability of this new coalition government. Either due to the havoc wreaked by the ongoing COVID crisis or confounded by the complexity of Nepali politics, the Chinese reaction to Nepal’s election results, as evident from the debates and discussions in the Chinese internet circles, has been rather muted. Click here to read…

Nepal expresses satisfaction over SJVN hydro projects – Devdiscourse

Matters related to the development of hydropower in Nepal were also deliberated in the meeting, the statement.SJVN said its CMD is on an official visit to Nepal to review the execution of 900 MW Arun-3, 669 MW Lower Arun 490 MW Arun-4 hydro projects.The CMD also briefed the Deputy Prime Minister about the measures taken by his company to mitigate the impact of the global pandemic on the construction activities of the Arun-3 Project. Click here to read…

Pakistan
Presidential ordinance likely to bring mini-budget: The Express Tribune

Sources in the Ministry of Finance told The Express Tribune that it has been decided, in principle, to impose 1% to 3% import duties to raise around Rs60 billion in additional revenues. However, these duties might be imposed as a levy, which would keep the money outside the federal divisible pool and would not be distributed under the National Finance Commission Award. Due to its non-tax nature, the levy would also not be counted as part of the Federal Board of Revenue collection.
Click here to read…

Geneva moot to take up plight of flood-hit people: The Express Tribune

The prime minister expressed these views as he chaired a review meeting on the Resilient Pakistan Conference to be held in Geneva next month.
The premier said hundreds of lives and billions of dollars had been lost this year due to flash floods in Pakistan. He vowed to make every possible effort to accommodate the flood-struck population. Click here to read…

National Security Committee meets today: The News

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday (today) to discuss the security matters.The NSC meeting has been convened at the PM House, which would be attended by the defence minister, interior minister, foreign minister and finance minister as well as military chiefs, local media reported quoting sources. Click here to read…

Rising inflation, gas shortage, snap polls: PTI holds countrywide protest from today: The News

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced Thursday it would start a country-wide protest movement starting tomorrow (Friday) as the party seeks to force the coalition government into early elections. The PTI has been repeatedly calling for snap elections since ex-prime minister Imran Khan’s ouster in April as it refuses to go back to the National Assembly and keeps on stressing that “early polls” are the only solution to the country’s ongoing crisis, reported local media. But the government has ruled out staging early polls and has told the PTI that given the current situation — floods, census, and new delimitation — the elections cannot be held before October. Click here to read…

Sri Lanka
IS member connected with Sri Lanka Easter bomber held for links with Coimbatore blast suspects: NIA – Hindustan Times

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested a member of terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS) who was in touch with the mastermind of 2019 Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka, for his alleged links with suspects in the October 23 blast in Tamil Nadu’s CoimbatoreClick here to read…

Bankrupt Sri Lanka enters New Year with no clarity on bailout – Strait Times

Sri Lanka will hobble into 2023 with old problems it had hoped not to carry over into the New Year. The bankrupt country is nearing its deadline of end-December to get the bilateral approvals necessary for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with little good news. Click here to read…

Let’s unpack the query in ‘Tamil National Question’ – Daily Mirror

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called all parties to get together and solve what he calls the ‘ethnic-problem’ that has remained ‘unresolved’ for decades. Meanwhile, parties that claim to represent ‘Tamil interests’ have put forward a set of demands: a) stop ‘land grabs in the Northern and Eastern Provinces by armed forces the state institutions while releasing all lands so acquired earlier by them in those two provinces, b) hold provincial council elections forthwith after implementing all provisions in the Constitutions and other laws in respect of power devolution, and c) implement power devolution under a federal framework through a new Constitution are the three demands. Click here to read…