Category: South Asia

August 3, 2008 (LBO) – Bhutan and Bangladesh, tried to fan the flame of free trade in South Asia as dismantling trade barriers went off the agenda, when leaders of seven nations that make up a South Asian regional grouping met in Colombo.The agenda of the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation (SAARC) was dominated […]

August 3, 2008 (AFP) – South Asian leaders will push for anti-terror measures and greater food security as they wrap up a summit Sunday, but efforts to boost cooperation remain hampered by tensions between India and Pakistan. The prime ministers of the two countries met on the sidelines of the eight-nation regional summit, grabbing headlines […]

August 2, 2008 (AFP) – A summit of South Asian leaders was set to open in Sri Lanka on Saturday, with tensions between India and Pakistan likely to eclipse regional talks on trade, terrorism and poverty. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s new premier Yousuf Raza Gilani were due to hold their first-ever talks […]

Aug 02, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa called for lower international direct dial (IDD) tariffs to better integrate the people of south Asia when he opened a regional summit in Colombo Saturday.But the international regime was dismantled from 2003, though its remnants seems to be still alive within SAARC. Last month he […]

Aug 02, 2008 (LBO) – South Asian leaders have called for tough action against terrorism at their summit in Colombo this weekend where they are to sign an accord on co-operation in criminal matters. Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh said terrorism continues to “rear its ugly head” in the region. “It remains the single biggest […]

July 31, 2008 (AFP) – South Asian leaders are set for a weekend summit in Colombo where they are expected to repeat pious platitudes, highlighting that the 23-year-old regional grouping has little to show by way of economic progress. Observers compare summits to movie productions, but the script has changed little since the first SAARC […]

TOKYO, July 30, 2008 (AFP) – Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura has put off a visit to South Asia starting this weekend due to political uncertainties at home, the foreign ministry said Wednesday. Japan was arranging for Komura to visit India, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan from Friday until August 8, said a foreign ministry official, […]

July 30, 2008 (LBO) – A summit meeting of South Asian leaders this weekend is placing ‘food security’ high on its agenda with promises of more state intervention, officials said, despite recent state meddling that backfired on the region’s poor and farmers.Sri Lanka’s international trade minister G L Peiris told reporters that the time has […]

July 25, 2008 (LBO) – Pakistan should stop printing money to bridge budget gaps to avoid further currency depreciation and loss of foreign reserves, the International Monetary Fund has said.The new money increases demand for goods, and usually cause imports to go up, which in turn increases demand for foreign exchange. If the monetary authority […]

July 22, 2008 (LBO) – South Asian leaders holding a summit in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo next months will consider setting up common standards for goods made in the region as well as a food crisis fund and buffer stocks, a senior official said. Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said south Asian leaders are […]

NEW DELHI, July 21, 2008 (AFP) – The Indian government was scouring for support Monday, trying to shore up its position a day before a no-confidence vote in parliament triggered by a controversial nuclear deal with Washington. The government will collapse and early elections will be called if the coalition of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh […]

GHAZNI, July 18, 2008 (AFP) – Police arrested a woman and a 13-year-old child they alleged were suicide bombers planning to kill a provincial governor in central Afghanistan, officials said Friday. President Hamid Karzai pardoned the boy and handed him over to his parents. The pair were arrested late Thursday as they were fixing explosives […]