Category: Other
‘s Bharti to buy Bangladesh mobile operator: regulator
DHAKA, December 16, 2009 (AFP) – Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel is seeking to buy Bangladesh’s fourth-largest mobile phone operator Warid from its Abu Dhabi-based owners, regulators said Wednesday.The Dhabi Group, which fully owns Warid Telecom, has sought approval from the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission for the sale of a 70 percent stake in the […]
‘s green fightback
KAVRE, December 15, 2009 (AFP) – Thirty years ago, Nepalese farmer Badri Prasad Jangam realised that the once thickly-wooded hillside that overlooks his home had been transformed into a barren slope.Decades of deforestation had taken their toll, stripping away the topsoil, affecting vital underground water sources and threatening to bring disaster to a community entirely […]
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NEW DELHI, December 14, 2009 (AFP) – Indians, the world’s biggest buyers of gold, are increasingly opting for branded jewellery, attracting franchisers and foreign groups like Cartier at the expense of traditional retailers.Traditionally, most Indians would go to their small family jewellers, normally located in a congested wholesale market, sit down on cotton mattresses with […]
India inflation hits 10-month high, surprises analysts
NEW DELHI, December 14, 2009 (AFP) – India’s inflation rate jumped to its highest level in 10 months, according to official data Monday, increasing pressure on the central bank to begin reversing aggressive interest rate cuts.The wholesale inflation rate, India’s closest watched inflation measure, increased by 4.78 percent in November from a year earlier after […]
UN Call
December 11, 2009 (AFP) – A top United Nations envoy asked Sri Lanka on Friday to release detained Tamil Tiger child soldiers and urged the authorities to re-unite them with their families.The government allowed tens of thousands of civilians held in the IDP camps to go in and out freely from December 1, but aid […]
Fake
BANGKOK, December 11, 2009 (AFP) – Thai authorities have arrested five people for producing and smuggling more than 300 fake EU passports and other official European documents, officials said Friday.“He (Fathi) confessed that he had trafficked stolen passports into Thailand more than 20 times,” the statement said. The DSI said Thailand is a known hub […]
VW starts production of first Indian-made Polo
NEW DELHI, December 12, 2009 (AFP) – Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest carmaker, began production of its popular mass-market Polo hatchback in India on Saturday and said it aimed to grab up to 10 percent of the rapidly growing market. But the Polo is seen by analysts as a key model for Volkswagen to penetrate the market […]
Indian navy rescues coastguard abducted on Sri Lanka trawler
NEW DELHI, December 11, 2009 (AFP) – The Indian navy on Friday rescued two coastguard personnel abducted earlier this week by Sri Lankan fishermen, a spokesman said.Navy spokesman P.V.S Satish said the two were among 14 coastguard officers who had boarded seven Sri Lankan trawlers found fishing in Indian waters on Tuesday. They had been […]
India sticks with stimulus despite good growth
NEW DELHI, December 11, 2009 (AFP) – India’s car sales are racing ahead, mobile phone sales are booming and share prices have rocketed, but policy makers are signalling a go-slow approach to ending economic stimulus and hiking rates.Even with inflationary pressure returning, central bankers and the government are suggesting only a gradual roll-back of stimulus […]
Progress Call
December 9, 2009 (AFP) – The United States said Wednesday it was willing to extend more aid to Sri Lanka provided there was progress in political reconciliation and human rights.He commended the government’s efforts to allow war-displaced civilians to leave state-run welfare camps in the north at their own free will and said Sri Lanka […]
‘s Supreme Court suggests legal prostitution: report
NEW DELHI, December 10, 2009 (AFP) – India’s Supreme Court suggested legalising prostitution as a solution to the rampant sex trade that has flourished despite a raft of laws, a report said Thursday.“When you say it is the world’s oldest profession and when you are not able to curb it by laws, why don’t you […]
Indian IT industry a target for militants: official
NEW DELHI, December 9, 2009 (AFP) – India’s multi-billion-dollar IT software industry is a target for attacks by militant groups, a top home ministry official warned Wednesday. “We are world leaders in software,” Gopal Pillai, India’s home secretary told a conference on the “Challenge of Terrorism to India’s Infrastructure and Economy” in New Delhi. “The […]