Category: South Asia

Mar 05, 2009 (LBO) – The Indian Ocean atoll nation of Maldives said it had banned shark hunting close to shore and a complete ban on shark products exports was on the cards to shore up depleting numbers. The Maldives attracts 600,000 tourists per year and the sector accounts for 28 percent of gross domestic […]

CHICAGO, March 1, 2009 (AFP) – Global warming could delay the start of the summer monsoon by five to 15 days within the next century and significantly reduce rainfall in much of South Asia, a recent study has found.“These circulation changes decrease moisture flow over the land, and we see longer periods without rain, along […]

GENEVA, February 27, 2009 (AFP) – The UN refugee agency said Friday it was preparing for the arrival of tens of thousands of displaced people fleeing the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka over the coming weeks.The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said it had received 300 acres of land […]

KARACHI, February 17, 2009 (AFP) – Pakistan is to ask for an additional loan of 4.5 billion dollars from the International Monetary Fund to patch up an economy wilting under a widening trade deficit, an official said Tuesday.Among other tight demands, the IMF wants a reduction in Pakistan’s deficit and huge borrowing from the central […]

UNITED NATIONS, January 30, 2009 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday appealed to the Sri Lankan government and its Tamil foes to ensure safe passage for an estimated 250,000 civilians caught in the fighting in the northeast of the island country.“The Secretary General calls upon the (rebel) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), […]

January 29, 2009 (AFP) – The United Nations evacuated hundreds of severely wounded civilians from behind rebel lines in Sri Lanka Thursday as government troops fought to secure final victory over the Tamil Tigers.Human rights bodies have called for immediate steps by both the Colombo government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to […]

NEW DELHI, January 24, 2009 (AFP) – India’s 76-year-old Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent heart bypass surgery Saturday, raising questions about his political future with general elections looming.Doctors decided to perform the surgery, which was due to take up to eight hours, after Singh complained of chest pains earlier in the week. The procedure began […]

THE HAGUE, January 23, 2009 (AFP) – Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo hopes to alert the world to the plight of child soldiers when he finally faces Congolese militiaman Thomas Lubanga next week at the International Criminal Court’s first-ever trial.“This case is about how serious it is to enlist hundreds of children and transform them into killers,” […]

KUALA LUMPUR, January 22, 2009 (AFP) – Malaysia is on alert for Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, saying he may have fled here after troops surrounded his last remaining stronghold, according to reports Thursday.Police chief Musa Hassan told the New Straits Times daily he had ordered a nationwide alert following reports that Prabhakaran, […]

Jan 19, 2009 (LBO) – Cairn India, which has won a license to explore for oil off Sri Lanka’s west coast, said it got Indian government approval to go ahead with the development of an oil field in north-west India. The company said it holds material exploration and production positions in west India and east […]

NEW DELHI, January 15, 2009 (AFP) – India’s inflation fell for a tenth straight week, according to official data Thursday, creating more room to boost the nation’s slowing economy, economists said.Annual inflation stood at 5.24 percent for the week to January 3, down from 5.91 percent a week earlier, according to the Wholesale Price Index, […]