Category: South Asia

DHAKA, June 20, 2010 (AFP) – Up to 77 million Bangladeshis have been exposed to toxic levels of arsenic from contaminated drinking water, and even low-level exposure to the poison is not risk-free, The Lancet medical journal reported. Over the past decade, more than 20 percent of deaths recorded in a study that monitored nearly […]

JAKARTA, June 16, 2010 (AFP) – Indonesian police said Wednesday that more migrants are landing on its shores this year than before, intensifying the country’s struggle to crack down on people-smuggling. Close to 1,300 migrants were detained between January and June this year, many of whom were trying to reach Australia, national police security and […]

NEW DELHI, June 13, 2010 (AFP) – New Delhi residents can’t wait for the onset of the monsoon to bring relief from the summer heat, but the impending rains could spell further trouble for Commonwealth Games organisers. “There is no doubt everything will be ready on time, whatever anyone may say,” organising committee secretary-general Lalit […]

DHAKA, June 13, 2010 (AFP) – Thousands of Bangladeshi football fans went on the rampage after power cuts blacked out television coverage of an eagerly-awaited World Cup match. He urged fans to understand the dire state of the Bangladeshi national grid meant shortages were inevitable. “The reality is that the country does not produce enough […]

LONDON, June 13, 2010 (AFP) – Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency provides funding, training and sanctuary to the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to a study Sunday which claimed to have the strongest evidence yet of their links. However the report for the London School of Economics (LSE) was dismissed by the Pakistani military as “malicious and […]

MUMBAI, June 9, 2010 (AFP) – Car sales in India jumped 30. 5 percent year-on-year in May, industry data showed on Wednesday, as new launches boosted demand. A total of 148,481 vehicles were sold in May, up from 113,810 a year earlier, data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) showed. Market leader Maruti […]

MONTREAL, June 8, 2010 (AFP) – Looking to swell its population with an influx of up to 250,000 immigrants annually, Canada is arguably among the world’s most welcoming nations, but its doors are not open to all. A French couple, Sophie and David Barlagne, recently experienced bitter rejection by a still selective immigration policy. They […]

MUMBAI, June 8, 2010 (AFP) – An Indian property group was due Tuesday to unveil plans to build one of the world’s tallest residential towers in Mumbai, the booming financial capital of the fast developing country. Lodha Developers intends the tower to be 117 storeys high, and it will be designed by New York-based architects […]

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2010 (AFP) – US President Barack Obama set a visit to India in November as he pledged Thursday to push forward ties between the world’s two largest democracies as part of his busy diplomatic agenda. The United States also offered full support for India’s role in Afghanistan after high-level talks in Washington, […]

June 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and India has an opportunity to move towards closer economic ties as the end of a 30-year war opened up new opportunities, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. “We have a common heritage in trading with each other and the rest of the world,” President Rajapaksa told a business forum […]

SINGAPORE, June 2, 2010 (AFP) – India, Indonesia and the Philippines have Asia’s most inefficient bureaucracies, with red tape a constant blight to citizens and deterrent to foreign investment, a survey said Wednesday. Regional financial centres Singapore and Hong Kong have the most efficient bureaucracies, according to the survey of expatriate business executives by the […]

NEW DELHI, May 30, 2010 (AFP) – Sanjay Malhotra, the owner of an Indian travel company, knows his target market — so he seeks out and recruits gay-friendly guides, taxi drivers and hotel managers. “Nobody who works for me laughs or passes a silly remark if two men are obviously partners. They treat gays as […]