VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: April 05, 2022

Afghanistan
Muttaqi Says Daesh Activities Restrained: Tolo News

The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said that the activities of Daesh have been prevented in Afghanistan and that the group has not been able to conduct any attack in the country within recent months. Click here to read…

Taliban committed to Iran’s water rights: Iran’s special representative: The Khaama Press

Iran’s special representative for Afghanistan Hassan Kazemi Qomi said that talks with Taliban officials were positive and that the Afghan side is committed to Iran’s water rights in accordance with the existing agreement, Tehran News reported. Click here to read…

China agrees to accept credentials of Taliban diplomats: Afghan FM: The Khaama Press

Acting Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi said that China has agreed to accept the credentials of Afghan diplomats sent to Afghanistan’s embassy in China by the Taliban. Click here to read…

Bangladesh
Bangladesh invaluable partner in building free Indo-Pacific Biden said: The Financial Express

Billing Bangladesh as an invaluable partner in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region-a latest geostrategic focus–US President Joe Biden expressed his confidence that the partnership would further strengthen. Click here to read…

US-Bangladesh talks: Dhaka looking into enhancing security capacity: Narinjara

Bangladesh is seeking to buy advanced military equipment as part of its “Forces Goal 2030” to enhance its security capacity and modernize the military. Click here to read…

Bangladesh’s largest bridge to open to traffic in June: Xinhuanet

The overall work in the project of building the mega multipurpose road-rail bridge dubbed the “Dream Padma Bridge of Bangladesh” is currently 92 percent completed. Click here to read…

Bhutan
Covid-19 fear keeps patients away from national referral hospital: Kuensel

With not many people coming to Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH), the national referral hospital looks almost empty by afternoon these days. Click here to read…

Has Bhutan overlooked the transboundary GLOF threat so far?: Kuensel

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) mainly route through river channels often spreading out over wide flood plains. The river systems in Bhutan are composed of eight major rivers: Amochu, Wangchu, Phochu, Mochu, Chamkharchu, Mangdechu, Kurichu, and Drangmechu. Click here to read…

Maldives
Maldives remains GCC travellers’ preferred travel destination In 2022: Khaleej Times

Most countries have now eased the travel restrictions imposed at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Maldives, a popular travel destination known for its sunny beaches and blue waters, is ready for an influx of tourism after the ease of Covid restrictions. Click here to read…

Male’ City Council and Dutch Docklands Maldives sign MOU on cooperation in building the Maldives’ First Floating City: Travel Daily News

Maldives Floating City is a floating community that is being constructed in a lagoon that is a five-minute speedboat ride from Male’ using the latest technology from the Netherlands. Click here to read…

Myanmar
Spring Revolution Daily News for 3 April 2022 – Mizzima

Spring Lottery Family announced that they would resume the sale of the Spring Lottery or so-called Revolution Lottery for April. Ministry of Defense-NUG announced that they warmly welcome those who would leave the junta leader Min Aung Hlaing and join the public. Click here to read…

Tourists urged to avoid Myanmar as junta prepares to reopen to world – The Guardian

Foreign tourists have been urged to avoid visiting Myanmar after the junta signalled plans to open up the country despite widespread ongoing rights abuses and violence including kidnappings and killings by the military, as well as food shortages and regular blackouts. Click here to read…

Myanmar military’s beer sales tumble after junta boycott – France 24

For years, Myanmar Beer dominated bars and supermarket shelves, its Japanese backing a sign of the economic liberalisation washing into the Southeast Asian country after the military relaxed its iron grip on power in 2011. Click here to read…

Myanmar military steps up attacks on ethnic groups – NHK

Videos and images from northwestern Myanmar are painting a devastating picture of the relentless crackdown against civilian militia and ethnic armed groups by the military junta that seized power just over a year ago. Forensic analysis is helping people outside the country understand the plight of villagers who are the targets of gunfire and whose homes have been set ablaze. Click here to read…

Nepal
Nepal: Can discuss boundary through existing mechanism: Tribune India

Nepal has clarified that it is prepared to address the boundary issues through existing mechanisms, dialogue and diplomacy. Click here to read…

Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba, wife gifted GI-tagged artifacts made by master artisans of Kashi: Times Of India

The master artisans of Kashi do not miss a chance to make special gifts for the visiting celebrities. This time, they made Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged artifacts for Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who along with his wife Arzu Rana Debuba visited the city on Sunday. Click here to read…

Vinay Mohan Kwatra, India’s ambassador to Nepal, to take over from Shringla as Foreign Secretary: Indian Express

Kwatra is a member of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) with an experience of nearly 32 years in a range of assignments. He has worked in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office from 2015 to 2017, before he went to France as India’s ambassador. Click here to read…

Pakistan
General elections not possible in three months, says ECP: Dawn

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has expressed its inability to conduct general elections within three months, citing various legal hitches and procedural challenges as the reason. Click here to read…

‘Military finds no evidence of foreign conspiracy against PM Imran’: The Express Tribune

Contrary to claims by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the military leadership told a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on March 27 that they had no evidence to suggest the United States had threatened or was involved in the conspiracy to seek the ouster of the PTI government. Click here to read…

US again rejects interference allegations: The News

The United States has reiterated that the allegations of interference in Pakistan’s internal issues was untrue and maintained it supports the peaceful upholding of constitutional principles. Click here to read…

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka crisis: Opposition won’t join Cabinet, Rajapaksa won’t resign, protests continue: Times Now News

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa won’t resign and the government is going to survive the current crisis, the country’s ruling party said on Monday. Sri Lanka’s two main opposition parties, the SJB and the JVP, have rejected Gotabaya’s request to form an all-party interim government. Click here to read…

Sri Lanka gets new finance minister, cenbank governor as unrest grows: The Reuters

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa dropped his brother as finance minister and sought a new central bank governor on Monday, as crowds angry over the country’s deepening economic crisis surrounded the homes of several lawmakers. Click here to read…

Sri Lanka central bank governor submits resignation amid crisis: BBC

The governor of Sri Lanka’s central bank says he has submitted his resignation as the country faces its worst economic crisis in decades. Ajith Nivard Cabraal’s announcement came after all of the country’s cabinet ministers resigned. Click here to read…

Unrest in Sri Lanka prompts warning from China: South China Morning Post

China has told its citizens in Sri Lanka to be vigilant amid mounting civil unrest in the South Asian country over the government’s handling of its worst economic crisis in decades. Click here to read…