Category: South Asia

NEW DELHI, November 15, 2013 (AFP) – The president of the Maldives has left the country on the eve of national elections that have been delayed three times, his spokesman said Friday, leaving a leadership void amid a constitutional crisis.Mohamed Waheed, who took office after a contested transfer of power last February, left for Hong […]

MALÉ, November 12, 2013 (AFP) – The United States stepped up its criticism of the embattled Maldives on Tuesday, warning caretaker president Mohamed Waheed that a decision to remain in office after his mandate expired was endangering democracy.The US State Department said Waheed’s move to continue to govern after his time in office lapsed at […]

MALÉ, November 10, 2013 (AFP) – The United States sharply rebuked the Maldives’ top court after it suspended a presidential election runoff scheduled for Sunday, blocking a vote for the third time in two months.“Efforts by the Supreme Court to repeatedly and unduly interfere in the electoral process subverts Maldives’ democracy and takes decision-making out […]

MALÉ, November 9, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives’ presidential run-off will be held Sunday, but with a five-hour delay, the chief elections commissioner announced as the second-placed candidate asked for more time to prepare.The court has begun hearing the case.Ibrahim says he wants more time to tell his supporters which of the two candidates they […]

MALÉ, November 10, 2013 (AFP) – Presidential elections in the Maldives were thrown into disarray on Sunday after the Supreme Court suspended a run-off vote, denying former president Mohamed Nasheed the chance to return to power 21 months after he was ousted. Despite growing international concerns over the Indian Ocean atoll nation’s failure to elect […]

MALÉ, November 9, 2013 (AFP) – Voting got underway in the Maldives Saturday in its third bid to choose a president and end unrest sparked by the toppling of their first freely-elected leader 21 months ago.“God willing, we will win this election in one round,” he said at a rally in the capital Male. Nearly […]

COLOMBO, November 7, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives faces a final chance to avoid a constitutional crisis and secure its five-year democracy this weekend when it makes a third attempt to hold a long-delayed presidential election.He held a meeting with all three candidates on Wednesday, with a statement saying it was “a very crucial period” […]

NEW DELHI, November 5, 2013 (AFP) – India’s first mission to Mars blasted off on Tuesday as the country aims to become the only Asian nation to reach the Red Planet with a programme showcasing its low-cost space technology.A study of data from Curiosity published in September found the rover had detected only trace elements […]

NEW DELHI, October 28, 2013 (AFP) – India’s top carmaker Maruti Suzuki Monday posted a nearly threefold jump in its quarterly net profit compared to the same period last year when production was hit by a labour dispute.Net profit was 6.70 billion rupees (9 million) for the three months ending September 30, compared with 2.27 […]

MALÉ, October 21, 2013 (AFP) – Maldives officials on Monday rescheduled the country’s presidential election, two days after police blocked the last attempt to hold a vote saying it was illegal.“Dear all, 1st round of the Presidential elections to be held on Nov 9th and 2nd round on Nov 16th,” the independent Elections Commission chief […]

COLOMBO, October 20, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives embraced multi-party democracy in 2008 hoping to emerge a modern nation. Five years on, there are fears the honeymoon islands are becoming a “banana republic” ready to implode. The political crisis came to a head Saturday when police blocked elections designed to restore stability after the first […]

MALÉ, October 20, 2013 (AFP) – Maldivian opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed Sunday demanded fresh elections under a caretaker president, a day after police forced the postponement of a vote he was expected to win.Nasheed, a former president, told reporters in the capital island Male that the outgoing President Mohamed Waheed should step down immediately and […]