Category: South Asia

MUMBAI, Aug 22, 2013 (AFP) – India’s top vehicle maker Tata Motors says it plans to reposition the Nano as a “smart city car” after its marketing pitch as the world’s cheapest auto resulted in disappointing sales.The Nano was launched in 2009 as a budget solution for millions of aspirational lower-middle class Indian families wanting […]

NEW DELHI, August 22, 2013 (AFP) – India’s finance minister said Thursday that intense selling pressure on the rupee was exaggerated and that the currency market “panic” was unnecessary.The rupee, which has hit record lows for five straight trading days, slumped to 65.56 to the dollar on Thursday as uncertainty about the future of the […]

MUMBAI, August 21, 2013 (AFP) – India’s shares opened higher and bond yields eased Wednesday but its currency remained under pressure after the central bank announced moves to inject 80 billion rupees into the banking system. Banking stocks jumped on the new measures, pushing Indian shares 1.22 percent higher to 18,468.55 points, after falling nearly […]

MUMBAI, August 20, 2013 (AFP) – India’s rupee hit a new all-time low against the dollar on Tuesday on continuing fears that recent measures to stabilise the currency and kickstart the flagging economy will not work. Asia’s worst-performing currency this year slid to 64.11 rupees against the dollar, past its previous low of 63.22 the […]

NEW DELHI, August 18, 2013 (AFP) – Indian policymakers are looking increasingly panicky as they battle the worst currency crisis in more than two decades, and more worryingly there is no sign their remedies are working.There have been no signs so far of domestic capital flight but analysts say the controls may have been tightened […]

NEW DELHI, August 17, 2013 (AFP) – India’s premier ruled out Saturday any suggestion the country could suffer a repeat of its 1991 balance-of-payments crisis as it grapples with a plunging rupee and a huge trade gap.Singh added that he hoped for “fresh thinking” at the central bank when its new governor Raghuram Rajan takes […]

MUMBAI, August 16, 2013 (AFP) – India’s rupee plunged to a fresh record low against the dollar on Friday over fears that the central bank’s measures may not be able to prop up the ailing currency, dealers said.The rupee, one of Asia’s worst-performing currencies this year, hit a new low of 62.00 rupees to the […]

NEW DELHI, August 14, 2013 (AFP) – India slapped new controls Wednesday on foreign exchange outflows as it struggled to narrow a record current account deficit and arrest the fall of the rupee.The central bank “has to cater to both currency and inflation risks”, which means monetary easing to kickstart growth “is off the table […]

NEW DELHI, August 14, 2013 (AFP) – India’s defence minister said Wednesday there were fatalities when a diesel-powered submarine exploded and sank at a dock in Mumbai. . “I feel sad about those navy personnel who have lost their lives in service of the country,” A.K Antony told reporters in New Delhi. The minister did […]

MUMBAI, August 13, 2013 (AFP) – India’s rupee fell in early trade on Tuesday despite the government announcing new measures aimed at narrowing the current account deficit and aiding the ailing local currency.Overseas funds have pulled out a combined .49 billion in equities and debt from India’s markets since June 1 on concerns about the […]

NEW DELHI, August 12, 2013 (AFP) – India’s car sales slid by over seven percent in July, marking a record ninth straight month of decline, industry data showed Monday, as an economic slump and high borrowing costs discouraged buyers. Carmakers sold 131,163 cars in India last month, down 7.4 percent from the same month in […]

NEW DELHI, August 10, 2013 (AFP) – India announced Saturday that its first indigenously-built nuclear submarine is ready for sea trials, a step before it becomes fully operational, and called it a “giant stride” for the nation.It will ply the seas alongside the former Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Gorshkov”, now the “INS Vikramaditya”, due to […]