Category: South Asia

NEW DELHI, September 21, 2009 (AFP) – India’s top mobile firm Bharti Airtel and South African cellular flagship MTN are ready to sign a tie-up deal but regulatory issues could stymie a final agreement, reports said Monday. “The deal is all set, agreed and legally ready to be signed,” the Business Standard newspaper quoted an […]

PHNOM PENH, September 14, 2009 (AFP) – Cambodia has joined the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries in the hope of further developing the nation’s rubber industry, a government official said Monday.Ly Phalla, director-general of Cambodia’s directorate of rubber, said the ascension to the inter-governmental organisation will bring its burgeoning industry new technology and help […]

MUMBAI, September 13, 2009 (AFP) – Services on India’s second-largest private airline, Jet Airways, resumed on Sunday after a five-day walk-out by pilots ended, the company said.Jet officials, who sacked two other pilots for breach of disciplinary procedures, on Sunday told a news conference in Mumbai that no action would be taken against the pilots. […]

NEW DELHI, September 11, 2009 (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has backed down after his cabinet revolted against an austerity drive that would have forced ministers to fly in economy class, reports said Friday.Singh faced a barrage of complaints when he chaired his weekly meeting on Thursday over a series of cost-cutting steps […]

MUMBAI, September 11, 2009 (AFP) – India’s second-largest private airline, Jet Airways, on Friday cancelled 171 flights, including 16 on international routes, as a stand-off between pilots and management entered a fourth day.But the further grounding of planes came amid hopes of an end to the dispute, as pilots prepared to meet bosses and India’s […]

MATARAM, September 11, 2009 (AFP) – Indonesia has detained 56 Afghan migrants off the eastern island of Lombok who were attempting to travel by wooden boat to Australia, a navy official said Friday. The migrants’ boat was intercepted in the waters near Papakan island east of Lombok last night, local navy official Colonel Nanang Eko […]

NEW DELHI, September 10, 2009 (AFP) – India is set to host its inaugural men’s fashion week from Friday, which observers say is a long overdue nod to a growing and lucrative market often overshadowed by women’s clothes.The event in the capital New Delhi hopes to capture the interest of India’s millions of young males, […]

MALE, September 7, 2009 (AFP) – The Maldives, whose fight against rising sea levels has become a cause celebre for environmentalists, said Monday it would have to skip UN climate change talks in Copenhagen this year to save money.Some campaigners said the negotiations would be weakened if the Maldives were missing, given their vocal campaigning […]

TOKYO, September 5, 2009 (AFP) – Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp.plans to build a new plant in India in 2011 in a bid to meet growing demand for cars in the country, a newspaper reported on Saturday. The manufacturer of small cars and motorcycles plans to invest about 30 billion yen (323 million dollars) in construction […]

WASHINGTON, September 5, 2009 (AFP) – The International Monetary Fund on Saturday hailed India’s pledge to buy 10 billion dollars worth of IMF bonds, as top emerging economies pressed for a greater say in running the global economy.“I welcome the announcement by India of its intention to support the Fund’s lending capacity through the purchase […]

MUMBAI, September 6, 2009 (AFP) – India’s low-cost airlines are set to go from strength to strength as they grab market share from ailing premier carriers such as Air India, whose debts and losses continue to pile up, experts say.Big airlines such as Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India are being hit by falling revenues […]

KATHMANDU, September 3, 2009 (AFP) – As a child, she was worshipped as a “living goddess” in Nepal after she proved her bravery in an ancient ritual by not crying at the sight of a sacrificed buffalo.But now Rashmila Shakya, 29, meets friends in cafes, listens to Bollywood music — and is building a promising […]