Category: South Asia

LONDON, June 12, 2009 (AFP) – A British Tamil leader convicted of supplying bomb-making equipment to Tamil Tiger rebels was jailed for two years by a court in London Friday, but the judge described him as a “thoroughly decent man.” “He is not merely a man of good character, he has done a great deal […]

NEW DELHI, June 11, 2009 (AFP) – The Indian government is to ban fishing near sensitive facilities as part of an ongoing major security upgrade spurred by last year’s attacks on Mumbai by Islamic militants, an official said Thursday.No-fishing zones will be created along 7,500 kilometres (4,650 miles) of designated coastal zones to protect “important” […]

MUMBAI, June 7, 2009 (AFP) – Indian shares trading near 10-month highs are on a roll and could see more gains as investors pour money back into the South Asian country, analysts say. Indian stocks are already among the top-performing emerging markets this year as financial institutions and overseas funds bet on robust growth in […]

NEW DELHI, June 4, 2009 (AFP) – India’s new Congress-led government promised Thursday to focus on spurring economic growth in its bid to meet a recent election pledge of turning voters’ hopes “into change”.Spelling out the government’s goals for a second term in office after being swept back to power on promises to help the […]

June 4, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has identified six foreign nationals among tens of thousands of war displaced civilians held in state-run camps in the island’s north, a minister said Thursday. Three Australians and one each from Britain, the Netherlands and Norway had crossed over to government-held areas after escaping from the war zone […]

NEW DELHI, June 2, 2009 (AFP) – The number of mobile subscribers in India crossed the 400 million mark in April, official data showed Tuesday, putting the country on track to reach its goal of 500 million customers by next year.Some 11.90 million subscribers were added in April compared with 15.64 million during the previous […]

NEW DELHI, June 1, 2009 (AFP) – India’s exports of jewelry, garments and other goods slid 33 percent in April, shrinking for the seventh straight month, hit by a demand slump in major global markets, official data showed Monday. Exports slumped to 10.74 billion dollars in April from 16.08 billion dollars a year ago as […]

NEW DELHI, May 31, 2009 (AFP) – India’s economy is on the upswing with eyes now keenly focused on July’s planned budget for new market-opening moves by the freshly re-elected Congress government, analysts say.The country logged unexpectedly strong 5.8 percent growth in the final quarter to March 2009, against forecasts of 5.0 percent, figures late […]

NEW DELHI, May 29, 2009 (AFP) – The world’s number one retailer Wal-Mart is set to open its first sales venture in India Saturday as part of an ambitious plan to establish a foothold in the country’s vast consumer market.The US discount chain has teamed up with Bharti Enterprises, parent of India’s biggest mobile firm […]

NEW DELHI, May 28 (Asia Pulse) – Vijay Mallya-led United Breweries (UB) and Dutch beer maker Heineken could come together in the Indian market, following the exit of Jaipuria from Asia Pacific Breweries-Pearl. “Talks between both companies (UB Group and Heineken) are in the advance stages and soon both will announce the deal,” a source […]

GENEVA, May 27, 2009 (AFP) – The UN Human Rights Council reconvened its special session on Sri Lanka Wednesday with diplomats struggling to bridge an Asian-Western divide over the rights situation and a probe into abuses. Sri Lanka, backed by Asian countries including China, India and Pakistan, tabled a revised draft resolution late Monday which […]

DHAKA, May 26, 2009 (AFP) – Bangladesh and India launched major relief operations Tuesday after a cyclone tore into the northern coast of the Bay of Bengal, killing at least 116 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless. Many of the casualties in Bangladesh were reported to be children who drowned when Cyclone Aila triggered […]