Category: South Asia

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 […]

DHAKA, August 6, 2013 (AFP) – Bangladesh denied on Tuesday that it plans to take control of pioneering microlender Grameen Bank which has lifted millions of people out of poverty. The statement by a government spokesman came ahead of the release of a report by a commission expected to recommend that the government increase its […]

MUMBAI, August 6, 2013 (AFP) – India’s rupee plunged to a fresh record low against the dollar Tuesday over concerns that foreign capital could flow back to the United States as the American economy picks up.The rupee, Asia’s worst-performing major currency this year, hit 61.35 against the greenback in morning trade, below its previous low […]

MUMBAI, July 31, 2013 (AFP) – India’s central bank governor has decided to “move on” and a hunt for his successor is underway, the country’s finance minister was quoted saying Wednesday.The government’s chief economic advisor, Raghuram Rajan, India’s economic affairs secretary Arvind Mayaram and Planning Commission member Saumitra Chaudhary are contenders to succeed Subbarao, the […]

NEW DELHI, July 29, 2013 (AFP) – India’s foreign investment panel Monday approved a plan for Abu Dhabi-based Etihad to buy a stake in Indian airline Jet, but the pact still faces other hurdles. “It (the agreement) has been cleared” by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), a senior finance ministry official told AFP. “But […]

NEW DELHI, July 22, 2013 (AFP) – US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in India Monday at the start of a four-day visit designed to revive momentum in flagging diplomatic ties and fire up bilateral trade.Biden, the first US vice president to visit India in three decades, landed in New Delhi shortly after 5pm (1130 […]

MUMBAI, July 21, 2013 (AFP) – India may be trying to lure foreign investors to revive its ailing economy, but the axing of two mega steel projects underlines obstacles even industry giants face, analysts say. Although industrialisation is championed as a way to pull tens of millions of Indians out of poverty, many farmers complain […]

PATNA, July 16, 2013 (AFP) – Indian police investigating bomb blasts at one of Buddhism’s holiest sites released sketches of a suspect on Tuesday and offered a reward for information about the attacks.Buddhists are rarely targeted in India but there have been tensions in the wider region recently following clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in […]