Category: Other

MALÉ, October 19, 2013 (AFP) – Presidential elections in the Maldives will go ahead on Saturday despite an 11th-hour court challenge by two candidates aimed at delaying the poll, the elections chief announced.Outgoing president Mohamed Waheed, who replaced Nasheed but is not running in the fresh polls, has promised a smooth transition of power. He […]

MALÉ, October 18, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives’ electoral commission warned Friday that this weekend’s presidential polls could be scrapped at the last minute as two of the candidates have still to endorse the voting roll.Just hours before polling stations were due to open, commission chairman Fuwad Thowfeek said former president Mohamed Nasheed was the […]

NEW DELHI, October 18, 2013 (AFP) – Indian police Friday arrested and questioned 33 people aboard a ship operated by a US anti-piracy firm for carrying guns and ammunition in Indian waters without proper permits, reports said.India’s coastguard stopped and detained the ship off the Indian coast on October 12 after discovering the cache of […]

MALÉ, October 17, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives returns to the polls on Saturday for another presidential election after a top court annulled last month’s results, deepening concern about political stability in the young democracy.Election officials were working overtime to ready the luxury tourist destination for Saturday, after the Supreme Court last week scrapped the […]

GOPALPUR, October 13, 2013 (AFP) – Tens of thousands of people who fled India’s strongest cyclone in 14 years returned to discover their homes and livelihoods destroyed Monday, as a massive relief operation kicked into gear.One million people were forced to seek refuge in shelters and government buildings after the terrifying cyclone struck eastern India […]

BHUBANESWAR, October 12, 2013 (AFP) – A cyclone left a trail of death and destruction Sunday after winds packing speeds of up to 200 kilometres an hour ripped through a vast swathe of India’s impoverished east coast.As emergency teams began assessing the damage from the country’s worst cyclone in 14 years, a massive relief effort […]

MALÉ, October 12, 2013 (AFP) – Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed has withdrawn his candidature for fresh elections which were ordered by the Supreme Court after a previous round of voting was annulled, an official said Saturday.However, a Commonwealth probe said the transfer of power was constitutional. A new president must be in office in the […]

NEW DELHI, October 11, 2013 (AFP) – A cyclone barrelling towards India’s east coast intensified overnight, leading weather forecasters to warn Friday of a “very severe” storm that could cause widespread damage and flooding.Cyclone Phailin was expected to hit the impoverished states of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh on Saturday evening, accompanied by a storm surge […]

NEW DELHI, October 11, 2013 (AFP) – Organisers of Miss Universe extended their “deepest apologies” to India over a photo shoot at the Taj Mahal that triggered a police case and accusations that she disrespected the famed monument to love. Reigning Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, a 21-year-old American from Rhode Island, visited the Islamic mausoleum […]

MUMBAI, October 9, 2013 (AFP) – Global retail giant Walmart and Indian firm Bharti said on Wednesday they were ending their partnership in the country’s retail sector and would now operate separate businesses.The companies said in a joint statement that they would “discontinue their franchise agreement in the retail business” in India and would “independently […]