Category: South Asia

MALE, October 29, 2008 (AFP) – Ex-political prisoner Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed beat Asia’s longest serving leader, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, in the Maldives’ first democratic presidential election, official results showed Wednesday. The elections are the climax of an effort to bring political freedoms to the Indian Ocean archipelago in the wake of pro-democracy protests and international […]

MALE, October 28, 2008 (AFP) – Voting got under way in the Maldives on Tuesday to choose the country’s first-ever democratically elected president in a run-off between Asia’s longest serving leader and a former political prisoner. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the 71-year-old incumbent, faces his toughest critic Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed, 41, after failing to win an […]

MALE, October 27, 2008 (AFP) – The first-ever democratic presidential battle in the Maldives goes to a second round Tuesday, with Asia’s longest serving leader facing his most outspoken critic, a former political prisoner. Elections three weeks ago produced no clear winner after Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has run the Indian Ocean archipelago unchallenged for […]

KARACHI, October 21, 2008 (AFP) – Pakistani officials are to meet International Monetary Fund representatives in Dubai on Tuesday as the violence-hit country looks for billions of dollars to stave off an economic meltdown. The government has insisted that seeking IMF help to avoid a balance of payments crisis is only a “back-up plan”, but […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]