VIF Neighbourhood News Digest: September 02, 2021

Afghanistan
Taliban Expected to Announce New Govt Soon: Tolo News

Taliban say Mullah Hebatullah will be the leader under whom a prime minister or president will run the country. The Taliban has already appointed governors, police chiefs and police commanders for provinces and districts.
Click here to read…

Fighting Continues Between Taliban, Resistance Forces: Tolo News

Taliban say the talks with Massoud supporters have failed and fighting has been ongoing for the last two days. Members of the resistance front, meanwhile, said that they pushed back the Taliban attack on Panjshir and that the Taliban has suffered heavy casualties.
Click here to read…

Qatar, Germany Warn Against Isolating Taliban: Tolo News

Both Qatar and Germany warned of the negative consequences of Taliban isolation and urged the world to engage with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Click here to read…

Gunmen impersonating Taliban stabbed money changer in Kabul: The Khaama Press

A number of gunmen who were pretending to be the Taliban fighters stabbed a moneychanger in Police District eight of Kabul city. Deputy Head of Afghanistan’s chamber of commerce Khan Jan Alokozai said that the money changer was followed from the money changing market and was then stopped and stabbed wounded.
Click here to read…

Bangladesh
PM on Covid Jabs: Govt to arrange 1 crore doses every month- Daily Star

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday told parliament that the government has made arrangements to get more than one crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines every month.
Click here to read…

25pc rise in rice output by 2050- Daily Star

The government has targeted a 25 percent increase in rice production by 2050 by combining the efforts of farmers, rice scientists and agricultural officials to feed the additional population.
Click here to read…

Khaleda brought August 15 carnage perpetrators to parliament: PM- The Independent

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today told Parliament that Khaleda Zia has brought the killers of the Father of the Nation to parliament going one step forward of her husband Ziaur Rahman who gave indemnity to them alongside postings at foreign missions.
Click here to read…

High Court slams lower courts for abusing power on remand orders- Dhaka Tribune

The High Court has condemned the questionable practice of approving remand prayers by the lower courts in the country without following the guidelines set by the Supreme Court.
Click here to read…

Restoration of democracy in Bangladesh major challenge: BNP- New Age

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said that restoring democracy was the major challenge for the party because the ruling Awami League had established a one-party rule in Bangladesh.
Click here to read…

Bhutan
First step towards civil service reform starts with creating a pool of researchers- Kuensel

An initiative, a part of reforming the civil service has kicked off at the Center of Bhutan Studies (CBS) amidst confusion, complaints and lack of clarity and coordination making some civil servants drag their feet to take part in the four-year-long programme.
Click here to read…

UN 50 roadshow at Wangbama Central School- Kuensel

As part of the ninth “United Nations (UN) 50 Art for Change Roadshow”, 35 Class X students of Wangbama Central School in Thimphu presented their environmental concerns in the form of art at their school yesterday.
Click here to read…

Her Majesty Graces Launch of Waste Management Facilities- The Bhutanese

Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen graced an event to inaugurate Waste Management Facilities in Thimphu. The event was held at one of 9 new facilities, in Dangrina on 27th August.
Click here to read…

The different types of prayer wheels in Bhutan- Daily Bhutan

Email You’ll find prayer wheels all over Bhutan. Inside each prayer wheel is a tightly rolled-up scroll of mantras. Spinning the wheel is equivalent to reciting the mantras.
Click here to read…

Govt. to build 1,000 affordable housing units for middle- and low-income residents- Business Bhutan

Housing deficit has become critical especially for middle- and lower-income groups in urban areas with about 58% households residing in rented houses.
Click here to read…

Maldives
Gov’t to sign major project to establish sports facilities nationwide – Raajje

According to the government, this year is expected to be a turning point for the field of sports. They also informed that new sports facilities are to be established within the coming year.
Click here to read…

MMPRC launches campaign to promote Maldives in Russia – Avas

Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has launched a campaign with Russian tour operator, TEZ Tour as part of the effoers to increase arrivals from the Russian market.
Click here to read…

Tourist arrivals increase by 91.2 percent for 2021 – Raajje

The Tourism Ministry has declared that the number of tourist arrivals in the Maldives have increased by 91.2 percent this year, compared to last year.
Click here to read…

Maldives extends state of public health emergency for 18th time – Raajje

A press release signed by the Minister for Health Ahmed Naseem states that the authorities have decided to extend the state of public health emergency, first announced on 12 March 2020 as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Click here to read…

Wednesday’s Majlis sitting cancelled due to pending tasks of committees – Raajje

Due to pending works of parliamentary committees, Wednesday’s People’s Majlis sitting has been cancelled in order to allow committees to finish their tasks.
Click here to read…

Yameen is a toxic leader and a malignant thief: Gasim – Raajje

MP of Maamigili Constituency, Gasim Ibrahim stated that the Maldives has never seen a leader as tyrannical and treacherous as former President, Yameen Abdul Gayoom and described him as the most malignant thief ever.
Click here to read…

Maldives fails to vaccinate 90 percent of the population by August- Edition

According to Health Protection Agency (HPA) 452,798 people are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Maldives. So far 383,620 people have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine.
Click here to read…

Myanmar
Chinese special envoy met with Myanmar military junta – Laprensalatina

A special envoy of the Chinese government has paid a week-long visit to Myanmar, where he met with junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.
Click here to read…

Arrests, torture, beatings and jail –inside Myanmar’s daily junta reality – Asia Pacific Report

The military’s brutality is a daily reality for all the people of Myanmar. As Myanmar’s army prepares to deploy and reinforce its bases with hundreds of extra troops, the country’s media workers remain exposed to Covid-19 and under extreme threat, writes Phil Thornton.
Click here to read…

Visions of a Federal Future for Myanmar are Fading Fast – The Irrawaddy

The chief of the Arakan Army (AA), Major General Tun Myat Naing, declared in his latest interview that the political objective of his troops is to restore the sovereignty of the Arakan fatherland, now known as Rakhine State, lost by its invasion and colonization by the BamarKonbaung dynasty in 1784.
Click here to read…

Efforts being made to drop some Counter-Terrorism Law cases: Arakan State military govt spox – BNI Online

U Hla Thein, the information officer and attorney-general of the Arakan State military government, wrote on his Facebook page on August 31 that the government is working to drop some cases filed under the Counter-Terrorism Law in Arakan State.
Click here to read…

Nepal
1648 infections recorded on Wednesday as death toll reaches 10770- The Himalaya

Nepal’s coronavirus caseload reached 764,295 on Wednesday with 1,648 more people testing positive for the infection in the past 24 hours.
Click here to read…

Nine more Nepalis evacuated from Afghanistan reach Kathmandu- The Himalaya

In the ongoing efforts to evacuate Nepalese citizens from Afghanistan, nine more Nepali nationals have been evacuated from Taliban-occupied Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Click here to read…

UML split in Province 1: New govt in the minority as 10 lawmakers join CPN-Unified Socialist- Online Khabar

The Province 1 government led by the CPN-UML secretary Bhim Acharya has been pushed into the minority as 10 lawmakers of the UML defected to the new CPN-Unified Socialist.
Click here to read…

(Editorial) Cycle of ineptitude- Kathmandu Post

Nepal has a “new” prime minister in Sher Bahadur Deuba. Despite having assumed office for over 50 days, he has not been able to distribute the majority of ministerial portfolios to the patchwork of colourful factions that support him.
Click here to read…
Nepal’s ‘socialist’- Kathmandu Post

Socialism, however, has been talked about in Nepal for many years now. The country’s grand old party, the Nepali Congress, says its motto is: democracy, socialism, nationalism. Click here to read…

SC seeks written response from govt on its decision to bear treatment cost of former PM Khanal- Republica

The Supreme Court has ordered the government to furnish a written response on its decision to bear the treatment cost of former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal. A single bench of Justice Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada issued the order on Wednesday and sought the written response within 15 days.
Click here to read…

Govt Forms Body to Study Border Issue with China- Rising Nepal

The government has formed a committee to study the border issue of northern Himalayan region of Humla district. A meeting of the Council of Ministers held Wednesday evening at the official residence of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Click here to read…

Pakistan
FM Qureshi cautions world against abandoning Afghanistan: Dawn

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qur¬eshi said that following completion of the evacuation process all eyes were on the formation of the next government in Afghanistan and people would now assess how inclusive it was and then formulate their reaction.
Click here to read…

Trade gap widens by 133pc to $4.05bn in August: Dawn

The second month of the current financial year saw a rise of 133 per cent in trade deficit driven largely by an almost triple increase in the country’s imports compared to exports, according to the provisional data released on Wednesday.
Click here to read…

Pakistan to observe mourning day over demise of Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani: The Express Tribune

Following the sad demise of veteran Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Geelani, Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that Pakistan’s flag will fly at half-mast and a day of official mourning will be observed across the country.
Click here to read…

FBR to achieve annual tax collection target comfortably: PM Imran: The Express Tribune

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday expressed his confidence in the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) ‘comfortably’ achieving its annual tax collection target of Rs5,829 billion.
Click here to read…

Reconciliation possible with everyone but govt: Maryam: The News

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has ruled out reconciliation with the PTI government, saying that the time has come to get rid of the incumbent regime which is planning to rig the next general elections.
Click here to read…

UK Foreign Secretary to visit Pakistan: The News

The UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will be visiting Pakistan to hold high level talks with Pakistani officials against the backdrop of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
Click here to read…

Sri Lanka
Ivermectin tablets for COVID-19: Stop using it as no evidence yet, experts warn – Daily Mirror

Senior medical experts yesterday warned the public against the use of Ivermectin tablets which are being prescribed by some health consultants to prevent or fight the COVID-19 virus, saying a local study was presently underway to study this drug but it had not been approved.
Click here to read…

Daily COVID-19 detections drop to 3,828 – Daily FT

Sri Lanka’s COVID-19 detections rose to 444,130 with 3,828 COVID-19 more patients identified yesterday. This is the first time daily COVID-19 detections have dropped below 4,000 since 21 August, when 3,884 were detected.
Click here to read…

Sri Lanka to update MOU with UK to facilitate employment for marine professionals – ECONOMYNEXT

Sri Lanka is looking to update a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Kingdom signed in 2007 to enable more employment opportunities for Sri Lankan marine professionals, a cabinet statement said.
Click here to read…

BUSINESSApparel industry urged to increase value addition to its EU exports – The Island

Sri Lanka’s apparel industry must increase value addition to its exports to the EU from the current 52 per cent to 65 per cent quickly if the industry wants to utilise the fullest extent of the GSP+ benefits, Hemantha Perera, Secretary of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters, a constituent member of Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) said last week.
Click here to read…