Category: South Asia

NEW DELHI, March 5 (AsiaPulse) – Car-maker Volkswagen on Thursday posted a 7.74 per cent decline in its sales in India at 6,529 units for February. The company had sold 7,077 units in the corresponding period last year. Compact car ‘Polo’ and sedan ‘Vento’ continue to be the backbone for the brand, with a total […]

MUMBAI, (Asia Pulse) – India’s diversified Adani Group said it will invest US$6 billion in overseas expansion by 2015, mainly in Australian mining and related assets. “We will be investing US billion into our overseas assets (spread in Australia and Indonesia) by 2015,” group Chairman Gautam Adani told reporters here after unveiling a new corporate […]

NEW DELHI (Asia Pulse) – The Indian Finance Ministry has written to all public sector banks asking them to ensure profits are not overstated and to make appropriate provisions for bad loans. In a letter to heads of public sector banks, the Finance Ministry said “instances of over-reporting of profit have been continuing year after […]

NEW DELHI, Feb 10 (Asia Pulse) – The Indian government has discontinued a practice of releasing food inflation data every Thursday. “Consequent upon the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) held on January 24, 2012, weekly release of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for the commodities items under the Groups ‘Primary Articles’ and […]

Feb 07, 2012 (LBO) – Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has resigned, news reports said. Hundreds of police started demonstrating early Tuesday in the capital, Male, after officials ordered them to withdraw protection for government and opposition supporters protesting close to each other, the AP news agency said. The withdrawal resulted in a clash that injured […]

MUMBAI, Feb 2 (AsiaPulse) – US-based private-equity firm Carlyle Group on Wednesday reduced its stake to about 4 per cent in leading Indian mortgage company HDFC (BSE: 500180). Carlyle had 5.22 per stake in HDFC. The private equity firm sold about 1.3 per cent stake in the company through open market transaction, sources said. The […]

MUMBAI, Feb 1 (Asia Pulse) – Buoyed by an over 11 per cent increase in foreign tourist arrivals in 2011, which was a bad year for the global tourism industry given the bleak economic environment, Kerala is on a marketing blitz to attract more travellers from the Middle East and Down Under. “We plan to […]

NEW DELHI, Jan 30 (Asia Pulse) – American quick service restaurant brand QUIZNOS is expanding in India with plans to set up around 150 outlets in the northern and western regions of the country in the next five years. Quiznos, which has entered into a master franchise agreement with Delhi-based restaurant management company Sub-one Hospitality […]

DAVOS, (Asia Pulse) – With HCL Technologies announcing 10,000 jobs for locals in the US and Europe, India Inc on Thursday chose the WEF meet to send a strong message that Indian IT firms are creating and not stealing jobs in troubled western economies. Also, a message emerged from British Prime Minister David Cameron’s advice […]

NEW DELHI, Jan 27 (Asia Pulse) – India and Pakistan are closer to agreeing on a transit fee and a joint strategy to develop gas fields and import the hydrocarbon via a pipeline from the Central Asian Republic of Turkmenistan, oil ministers of two countries said. The statements came during joint press conference by Indian […]

TOKYO, Jan 25 (AsiaPulse) – Hitachi Construction Machinery Co. (TSE:6305) has begun Indian production of huge dump trucks used in large-scale mine development projects. Telco Construction Equipment Co. (Telcon), a joint venture with Tata Motors Ltd. (BSE:500570), is manufacturing the trucks. Hitachi Construction invested 22 billion yen (US$283 million) in the venture in 2010 to […]

Jan 25, 2012 (LBO) – The Maldives is seeking more investments from Sri Lanka and plans to set up an investment agency similar to Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment, officials said. “A lot of Sri Lankan products are coming to the Maldivian market – new brands are being introduced.” Niyaz said Sri Lankan investments in […]