Category: South Asia

MUMBAI, October 15, 2008 (AFP) – India’s central bank said Wednesday it was injecting a further 400 billion rupees (8.25 billion dollars) into the financial system by cutting the cash reserve commercial banks must hold to 6.5 percent. The move by the Reserve Bank of India is the third such cut in the past two […]

MALE, October 9, 2008 (AFP) – The first-ever democratic presidential election in the Maldives looked set to go into a second round after Asia’s longest-serving leader apparently failed to deliver a knock-out blow to his rivals. Official results based on roughly two-thirds of ballots cast showed incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom — who has run […]

MALE, October 7, 2008 (AFP) – The president of the Maldives went into a multi-party election challenge to his 30 years in office Wednesday insisting he was no dictator and pledging to bow out gracefully should he lose. Veteran strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, currently Asia’s longest-serving leader, faces five challengers in the polls that mark […]

MUMBAI, October 6, 2008 (AFP) – India’s central bank injected liquidity into the financial system by cutting the amount of cash commercial banks must hold in reserve, citing “a sharp deterioration” in the world financial situation. After a day of market turmoil in which Indian stocks plunged nearly six percent, the bank lowered the cash […]

MALE, October 7, 2008 (AFP) – For the main opposition leader of the Maldives, life on the islands is a far cry from the more familiar image portrayed by holiday brochures.While its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters may be a paradise for well-heeled tourists, the Indian Ocean nation is beset by rising crime, […]

Oct 06, 2008 (LBO) – The tourist paradise of Maldives will hold its first multi-party poll on Wednesday in what is seen as a litmus test on Asia’s longest serving ruler and his commitment to democratic reforms.Around 209,000 people across some 200 inhabited islands will cast their ballot to elect a president for a five-year […]

KATHMANDU, October 6, 2008 (AFP) – Nepal’s Maoist president has endorsed the choice of a three-year-old girl to be worshipped as a goddess, officials said Monday, upholding an age-old tradition despite his government’s atheist stance. The selection of the child goddess, or Royal Kumari, had for centuries required the approval of Nepal’s kings, but the […]

MUMBAI, September 26, 2008 (AFP) – India is minting new millionaires at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world, buoyed by a fast-growing economy, according to a new study. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 There were an estimated 123,000 millionaires in India […]

ISLAMABAD, September 20, 2008 (AFP) – At least 27 people were killed in a massive car bombing at the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistan capital Islamabad on Saturday and many people are trapped inside the burning building, police said. Flames were seen shooting out of the hotel, a key meeting place for foreigners and one […]

ISLAMABAD, September 20, 2008 (AFP) – Many people are trapped inside the hotel in the Pakistan capital Islamabad after a massive bombing at the site Saturday killed at least 27 people, police said.At least 20 bodies could be seen at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad following the large bomb blast, an AFP photographer said. The […]

WASHINGTON, September 16, 2008 (AFP) – The US Food and Drug Administration Tuesday said it would block the import of more than 30 generic drugs made by Indian pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy, saying the company had failed to meet manufacturing standards. Due to extensive violations of US requirements, the FDA issued the import alert for drugs […]

NEW DELHI, September 13, 2008 (AFP) – Three people were killed as a series of blasts hit the Indian capital New Delhi on Saturday, television reports said. India’s Star News network said the three died in an explosion in the central Connaught Place district.Another Indian television network CNN-IBN also reported three people had died. Police […]