South Asia

WB warn Indian growth to slow at 6.8%

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:26:00 PST

The World Bank has estimated India's growth for the current fiscal at 6.8 per cent, lower than the government projection, as the economy faces headwinds of high interest rates and "heightened" uncertainty of policy reforms. Without naming India, the World Bank in its 'Global Economic Prospects'...

Bhutan to host APN South Asia sub-regional meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 04:23:00 PST

APN’s twenty-second and youngest member country Bhutan successfully hosts the Third South Asia Sub-Regional Cooperation (SA-SRC) Meeting from 16 to 17 January 2012, where country representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka worked together to identify research...

South Asia should become single economic entity

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:23:00 PST

There is an increasing realisation in New Delhi about the cross-benefits available to the country on social, political, economic and strategic fronts from its neighbours as they are bound to benefit from healthy bilateral and multilateral arrangements encompassing the entire South Asian region. The...

2nd South Asia Literature Festival at a glance

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:21:00 PDT

The second annual DSC South Asian Literature Festival kicked off on October 7 in London, UK with the launch of new biography of Sonia Gandhi. The Festival will continue up to October 24. For details, check out: DSC South Asian Literature Festival. The festival at a glance: Open...

Understanding South Asian Situation: Greater Kashmir

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 03:43:00 PDT

From Greater Kashmir by Z.G. Muhammad: Understanding South-Asian Situation Sixty three years on, Pakistan continues to be caught up in a morass of acrimonious relations with some of its important neighbors. It continues to live with paradoxes of alliances and counter-alliances with global...

Weekly news monitoring on South Asia from October 1 to 7

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 23:44:00 PDT

Now a days, South Asia leads in the new media for various reasons, specifically Afghanistan and Pakistan have security issues, Indian and Bangladesh have political and development issues. Above all, this region is fully highlighted in local, national, even International media. In the last...

Food, fuel price falls stir Asia inflation concern: Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:18:00 PDT

An economic analysis from Business Standard by Reuters/India: Analysis: Food, fuel price falls stir Asia inflation concern Anyone hoping that recent falls in commodity prices would provide a boost to powerhouse Asian economies and help lift the developed world out of recessionary danger will be...

Karzai, Singh set to forge closer ties in South Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 22:20:00 PDT

AFP reports by Adam Plowright from New Delhi: Karzai in India amid shifting South Asia ties Afghanistan and India, two nations united in their suspicion of Pakistan, are set to forge closer ties Tuesday as Hamid Karzai visits New Delhi during a highly unstable time in South Asia. The Afghan...

8th South Asian Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 23:31:00 PDT

A four-day South Asian documentary film festival opened Thursday in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu with some of the main themes related to the Afghanistan war, Sri Lanka and mass suicides of farmers in India. Also to be screened at the 8th edition of Film South Asia were documentaries about the...

How to borrow $10 million

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:09:00 PDT

From Reuters (India), by Chris Vellacott: How to borrow $10 million At Christie's auction house in London one evening last July, as art investors bid millions for an 18th-century painting of a horse, the sons and daughters of the capital's super-rich were going through their paces in a simulated...

South Asia in September, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 06:03:00 PDT

South Asia has a large number of events in September, 2011. I show shortly most important events as date by date in the below: September 01: Accenture Foundations provide Leonard Cheshire Disability additional US$2 million to expand training programs to the Philippines and South...

Rao addresses South Asian identity

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:47:00 PDT

From THE HOYA: Indian Ambassador Addresses South Asian Identity Nirupama Rao, the Indian Ambassador to the United States, expressed her hope that India can play a role as both a world superpower and a builder of the South Asian identity in her lecture Tuesday. During the talk in Gaston Hall,...

South Asia most dangerous for sea turtles: study

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 06:46:00 PDT

From AFP (Manila): South Asia most dangerous for sea turtles: study The waters around India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are home to the world's most endangered sea turtles, according to a study released Thursday aimed at setting a blueprint for global conservation.While it was well known that...

Corruption, political instability major constrain in South Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 22:31:00 PDT

Corruption and political instability is on top among the five major constraints being faced by the private sector expanding firms in Pakistan, according to the World Bank report titled “More and better jobs in South Asia”, released on Friday. The expanding firms in Pakistan ranked corruption and...

WB Urges for Million Jobs Each Month for Sustainable Growth in SA

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 22:14:00 PDT

The countries in the South Asian (SA) region including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka require at least one million new jobs each month to sustain growth and reduce poverty, says a World Bank (WB) report released 22 September, 2011. The report...

SAARC Ministers Review Draft on Energy Cooperation

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:54:00 PDT

Energy ministers of the SAARC nations today 15 September reviewed a draft on regional energy cooperation in a crucial meeting here in line with the recommendations of the last summit of the eight-nation regional grouping in Thimphu. "The draft on a framework agreement was reviewed in our meeting....

4th SAARC Energy Ministers Meeting in Dhaka

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:10:00 PDT

The Fourth SAARC Energy Ministers' Meeting kicks off in Dhaka on 15 September, with an aim to strengthen energy cooperation among the member countries of the organisation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also in-charge of the energy ministry, is scheduled to inaugurate the meeting. The...

Developing Asia growth to slow: ADB

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:02:00 PDT

Asia's developing economies will post slower-than-expected growth this year and next as key trading partners reduce orders due to worries about the global economy, a report said on 14 September.However, the region will continue to see strong expansion as it makes up for lost exports to the...

Mahindra to target overseas markets with new SUV

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 04:18:00 PDT

Just an update from The Wall Street Journal: Mahindra to Target Overseas Markets With New SUV Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said Friday it will target western Europe, Latin America, Africa, Australia and Southeast Asia with a new sport-utility vehicle that will be introduced by the end of...

Russia to support build power line from Central to South Asia

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 04:02:00 PDT

Russia is waiting for an invitaion to participate in the construction of a power transmission system from Central Asia to South Asia, and it is ready to invest into the project hundreds of millions of dollars, President Dmitry Medvedev said after a meeting with his counterparts from...

SA Culture to spice up Belfast Mela 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:23:00 PDT

Shimmering saris, fabulous food and inspiring music and dance are just a few of the sights and sounds to expect from the Belfast Mela - Northern Ireland's largest multi-cultural festival. Titling the mela's stage is 'Delhi to Dublin', South Asian culture spice up this festival. Indian...

South Asia's Wealth Diaspora - Looking Beyond Non-Resident Indians

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:23:00 PDT

Just an update from Reuters: Research and Markets: South Asia's Wealth Diaspora - Looking Beyond Non-Resident Indians South Asia, and India in particular, is an attractive region for private banks and wealth management firms. However, there are a large proportion of very wealthy individuals from...

FDI to South Asia declined by one-fourth: Report

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:20:00 PDT

The decline of FDI to South Asia reflects a 31 per cent slide in inflows to India and a 14 per cent drop in Pakistan. In India, the setback in attracting FDI was partly due to macroeconomic concerns, according to the World Investment Report 2011 titled as 'Non-Equity Modes of International...

US Suspends $800 million in Pakistan Military Aid

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:06:00 PDT

The United States is withholding some $800 million in aid to Pakistan, almost a third of the $2.7 billion in security assistance it provides each year to Islamabad, President Barack Obama's chief of staff confirmed Sunday. Relations between the key allies, always tricky, have drastically...

South Asian in America: Ten Years After 9-11

noreply@blogger.com (Firoz Zaman) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 04:29:00 PDT

Americans of South Asian descent are one of the fastest-growing ethnic groups in the country and also one of the most successful, with high education attainments and high income. Despite this story of academic and professional achievements, there are still many struggles faces by Americans who can...