Category: South Asia

June 20, 2009 (AFP) – The United Nations said on Sunday that two of its employees working among tens of thousands of war-displaced civilians had been arrested by Sri Lankan authorities.The two men, both ethnic Sri Lankan Tamils, were reported missing eight days ago and were subsequently discovered to have been taken into custody by […]

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2009 (AFP) – India on Thursday called on the United States, China and other powers to return to talks immediately to frame a world trade accord instead of waiting for recovery from the global economic crisis.“We live in times when the people are anxious.This economic challenge cannot be resolved by waiting and […]

NEW DELHI, June 18, 2009 (AFP) – French tyre giant Michelin, which has announced plans to shed nearly 1,100 jobs in France, may invest more than one billion euros (1.39 billion dollars) over 10 years in a factory in India, an Indian newspaper reported Thursday.The group declined to confirm the amount but recalled that it […]

LAHORE, June 17, 2009 (AFP) – Pakistani police said Wednesday they had arrested one of seven men from a shadowy Taliban-linked group accused of plotting the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore.Six policemen and two civilians were killed and seven Sri Lankan squad members were injured when militants launched a gun […]

NEW DELHI, June 18, 2009 (AFP) – India’s annual inflation rate slipped into negative territory, official data showed Thursday, with the country’s slowing economy cutting into demand.Inflation stood at minus 1.61 percent for the week ended June 6, down from 0.13 percent the previous week, according to the Wholesale Price Index, India’s most watched cost-of-living […]

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2009 (AFP) – US and Indian business leaders meet Wednesday in a bid to put a new focus on the South Asian power, whose warming US ties have ironically kept it off the new administration’s first priorities.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to deliver an address charting out the administration’s path […]

MUMBAI, June 16, 2009 (AFP) – A Bollywood director said Tuesday he wants to make a film based on alleged racist attacks on Indian students in Australia, despite an unofficial boycott of the country by his movie colleagues. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan rejected an honorary degree from Brisbane University, telling the authorities that it would be […]

June 14, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops have unearthed the largest haul of weapons and ammunition discovered since the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels last month, the government said on Sunday. Military officials said the discoveries made over the weekend formed the largest haul since the government’s recent victory over the Tiger rebels ended […]

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 […]