Category: Asia News
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Modi flexes muscle to tame Pakistan
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India calls off talks over Pakistan envoy’s invite to separatists In a tough move, India Monday called off the Aug 25 foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan after the latter’s envoy held a meeting with a separatist Kashmiri leader. Pakistan described the decision as a “setback” to its efforts to promote good neighbourly relations. External Affairs…
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Imran seeks Nawaz resignation
Thousands of protesters gathered in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad as rally leaders Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri called for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down. They are alleging rigging in the 2013 elections, which saw the first civilian government transfer of power. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) chief Imran Khan demanded Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s resignation. The PM’s…
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Special Report: India’s new foreign policy
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Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, former High Commissioner of India to UK, writes on Modi’s foreign policy. The veteran diplomat, who also served in Nepal during the Himalayan country’s transition from a kingdom to a democracy, says Modi’s initiative is a good beginning in protecting India’s core national interests Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal, the…
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India Gears Up for Big Day
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India, the world’s largest democracy, is celebrating its 68 Independence Day on Friday
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GALLERY- Pakistan Celebrates I-Day
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inspects honor gurads during a ceremony to mark Pakistan’s Independence Day in Islamabad. Sharif used his Independence Day speech to pay tributes to the security forces fighting militants in North Waziristan tribal region
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Pakistan celebrates I-Day
As Pakistan celebrated its 68th Independence Day Thursday, supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) parties remained determined to march towards Islamabad. The marches have been called to protest against alleged rigging in the 2013 general elections, Dawn online reported. According to officials, parts of Islamabad have been blocked off by placing…
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SO WHAT’S THE NEW INDO-PAK EQUATION
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Bikram Vohra analysing the issue of “war and proxy-war” as India and Pakistan prepare to celebrate 68th Independence Day Indian Prime Minister Modi deflected from the importance of the scheduled Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary talks by resetting the parameters of the relationship between two neighbours who have not been neighbourly for 70 odd years. And, besides…
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Jashan e Azaadi Mubarak!
In a televised address to the nation, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif rejected demands for his resignation and reiterated that his government will complete five-year constitutional term. Sharif’s remarks came at a time when opposition leader Imran Khan was demanding his resignation as he claimed that last year’s elections were rigged, Xinhua reported. The announcement came just…
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Afghanistan enters new phase
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Afghan presidential candidates agree to accept election results Afghan presidential candidates Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai agreed to accept the election results. They made the announcement at a joint press conference attended by US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Afghanistan Jan Kubis here, Xinhua reported. “We have…
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ASEAN countries to close ranks
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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said India’s relations with the 10 ASEAN countries have reached a critical stage, which could be elevated with the five-year plan of action starting 2016. Addressing the 12th India-ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Myanmar’s capital city, Swaraj emphasised on connectivity, trade and investment and tourism to bring about a seamless…
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Hagel seeks better ties with India
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India, US should seize opportunities to boost ties: Hagel US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel Saturday called for a stronger partnership between India and the US, including in defence cooperation, and stressed that both countries should “seize the opportunities” before them and not be bound by bureaucratic red tape. “A stronger US-India partnership is critical for…
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Turkish leader faces crucial polls
The fate of Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the President of Turkey will be decided tomorrow as campaigning in Turkey’s first direct presidential election is entering its final day ahead of Sunday’s vote, BBC reported The election is a referendum on Mr Erdogan, an Islamist-rooted politician whose support base lies in Turkey’s conservative, pious heartland. The winner must…
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ASIA – NEWS N PICS
News pictures from Asian countires. Protest against Gaza violence rocks many Asian cities
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Nagasaki marks US bombing
Nagasaki commemorates 69th anniversary of US bombing Japanese city of Nagasaki Saturday commemorated the 69th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of the city. Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue said that nuclear weapons are a continuing danger that threaten the present and future, and his city will cooperate with the UN and other countries to continue…
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PICS: Sikhs protest in Pakistan
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Pakistani Sikh minority shout slogans during a protest against the killing of a colleague in northwest Pakistan’s Peshawar. A Sikh trader was shot dead and two others injured when unknown gunmen opened fire on them in Peshawar.
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REVIEW: Modi’s first visit to Nepal
Saroj Mohanty says Modi’s Nepal visit unfurls vision of an integrated South Asia Flying in to Kathmandu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to forge a “new relationship” with Nepal that could serve as a model for regional partnership in South Asia. After his two-day visit, it is apparent he has succeeded to a large…
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Nepal to host 18th SAARC Summit
The Himalayan country to host 18th SAARC Summit on Nov 22-27 Nepal will host the 18th SAARC Summit here Nov 22-27, the government announced . The foreign ministry made the formal announcement saying the dates had been circulated by the Kathmandu-based SAARC Secretariat to the grouping’s other seven member states. “We decided to announce the dates of…
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Baroness Warsi quits over Gaza
Prime Minister David Cameron lost a key BME ally as Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi quits from the government, saying the British government’s policy on the crisis in Gaza is “morally indefensible”. She wrote on her Twitter feed that she was leaving with “deep regret”. Lady Warsi, daughter of a Pakistani immigrant, who was previously chairman of…
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Flood alert in Bihar
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About 65,000 evacuated after flood alert in Bihar Over 65,000 people have been evacuated in Bihar Monday amid a flood alert, following a rise in the water level of Kosi river, an official said. A day after the Bihar government invoked the provisions under the Disaster Management Act to start forcible evacuation of people living…
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INTERVIEW: Tibet PM Lobsang Sangay
Vishal Gulati talks to Lobsang Sangay who says it’s in Chinese interest to give Tibetans more autonomy Tibetan Prime Minister-in-exile Lobsang Sangay says the people in Tibet will be happy if are given more autonomy by China “within the Chinese constitution”. The 46-year-old Harvard educated elected head of the Central Tibetan Administration, who completes three year…
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Modi woos Nepali leaders
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Anil Giri reports from Kathmandu on Modi’s visit to the Himalayan country The commitments and candour in the expressions of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meetings in Kathmandu have paved the way for the two countries to renew their bilateral relations with political leaders across the spectrum lauding his approach and statements. On Sunday…
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REVIEW: India at CWG Glasgow
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Veturi Srivatsa says India should be happy with the Glasgow returns If you take away 2010 New Delhi, the benchmark for India at the Commonwealth Games has been 2002 Manchester when they crossed the 50-medal mark for the first time by ending up with 69 medals, 30 of them gold. Before the Indians left for Glasgow,…
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Air India targets global aviation market
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Anasudhin Azeez meets Pankaj Srivastava, director (Commercial) and a board member of Air India India’s national carrier Air India, the new entrant in the 27-member Star Alliance, is overhauling its systems to take India’s flag carrier to the next level of the global aviation market and meet the challenges arising from the new alliance. Pankaj Srivastava,…
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Modi gets warm welcome in Nepal
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here Sunday to a grand welcome, with his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala breaking protocol to receive the Indian leader at the airport. After getting off an Indian Air Force plane, Modi warmly shook hands with Koirala and other Nepalese leaders at the Tribhuvan International Airport before accepting a bouquet…
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65 killed in China factory blast
At least 65 people were killed and 150 injured Saturday in an explosion at a factory in China’s Jiangsu province, officials said. According to officials, the blast occurred at 7.30 a.m., inside the wheel hub polishing factory in Kunshan city, Xinhua reported. More than 200 workers were at the site when the explosion occurred. Rescuers pulled out…
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PICS: Myanamr’s Parliament Meet
Representatives attend the 10th regular session of the Union Parliament in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. Myanmar’s parliamentary House of Representatives Tuesday agreed to form a commission to review a proposal to adopt the Proportional Representation electoral system or to find out if there is any other system that suits Myanmar in its parliamentary election.
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Tarun Basu on Modern China
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Chinese gambit: On an ancient route to modern greatness People’s Daily, China’s iconic newspaper known to the world as the voice of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC), is constructing in the heart of Beijing a 32-storey office tower that will have 140,000 square metres of working space with new-media ventures alone occupying seven…
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UK to stem Modern Slavery
The British government is launching the first nationwide campaign aimed at raising awareness of modern slavery in the UK, BBC reported. It intends to encourage the public to identify signs of slavery and report them to a new national helpline. The Human Trafficking Foundation charity estimates 20,000 people are working in slavery in the UK, and…
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Pakistan summons Afghan envoy
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Pakistan Wednesday summoned Afghan envoy and lodged a strong protest over an attack launched by terrorists from across the border. Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement that between 70 and 80 terrorists were involved in the cross-border attack on Pakistan military posts in Upper Dir of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan, late Tuesday, Xinhua…
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‘Qatar exploits migrant workers’
Migrant workers, mainly from Asia, building the first stadium for Qatar’s 2022 World Cuphave been earning as little as 45p an hour, the Guardian newspaper revealed. The pay rate appears to be in breach of the tournament organisers’ own worker welfare rules and comes despite the Gulf kingdom spending £134bn on infrastructure ahead of the competition. More…
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Pak army turn heat on militants
Pakistan army chief says the troops wwill not allow terrorists back in Waziristan Pakistan Army chief Raheel Sharif said the “terrorists will not be allowed” to return to the North Waziristan tribal region where a major offensive against militants continues. Gen. Sharif was addressing the Pakistani forces involved in operations against the Pakistani Taliban and…
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Currency Corner – Price of Gold
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Vatsal Srivastava in his weekly column Currency Corner says taking directional call on gold risky over next six months Gold has been in a narrow trading range of $1,200/ounce-$1,400/ounce so far this year. The yellow metal has managed to trade above the key support of $1,200/ounce mainly because US 10 year yields and the US…
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Emirates to skip conflict zones
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Emirates to stop fly over Iraq0 Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, one of the world’s biggest airlines, will stop flying over Iraq after concerns about the missile threat posed by Islamist militants on the ground, The Times reported. Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said he believed that other carriers would follow suit, as the airline industry began a…
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Promote trade with India: The Dawn
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A leading Pakistani newspaper Sunday moaned the lost opportunities and called for speedy promotion of trade with India. More than a decade after the signing of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement by both countries, bilateral trade was far below the potential, the Dawn suggested in an editorial. “Having missed an opportunity to advance opening…
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Obama urge for unity in Afghanistan
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US President Barack Obama has spoken with the men vying to become Afghanistan’s next head of state, encouraging them to follow through with a plan to form a national unity government regardless of the outcome of the audit of ballots from the June 14 presidential runoff, the White House said. The president commended Abdullah Abdullah…
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Malaysian PM to visit Netherlands
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will visit the Netherlands Wednesday and meet his counterpart Mark Rutte for talks on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that crashed after being shot down over Ukraine, his office said Saturday. It said that the two leaders would discuss the MH17 crash, especially whether Malaysian pathologists could help expedite the…
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Pakistan target Haqqani Network
Pakistan Thursday said the country’s security forces are targeting all armed groups including the Haqqani Network in the ongoing major offensive in North Waziristan tribal region. The comments came a day after Afghan intelligence officials said that Pakistani forces have not yet taken any action against the Haqqani Network, blamed for recent deadly attacks in…
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Air India gets big leap
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Rohit Vaid analysing the national carriers’ alignment with 27-member Star Alliance. It took eight years and a host of hiccups before flag carrier Air India finally joined Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline accord. And finally, the 60 million passengers who fly from the world’s fifth largest aviation market will gain better global connectivity and…
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Pak fashion due in Mumbai
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Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) Winter-Festive 2014 will host four Pakistani designers Faiza Samee, Rizwan Beyg, Sania Maskatiya and Zara Shahjahan. Presented by POPxo.com and Hello! Pakistan, the designers will mark their LFW debut with a grand show Aug 22 at the winter-festive edition of LFW. “This season we are very excited to host four exceptional…
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India, Pak foreign secretaries to meet
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Foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan are to meet in Islamabad Aug 25, in a major forward movement in reviving stalled peace talks two months after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. The date and venue of the talks was decided Wednesday during a telephonic talk between Indian…
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Parents to face jail over FGM
UK will introduce new legislation to prosecute parents if they fail to stop their daughters undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). Prime Minister David Cameron is unveiling a £1.4m prevention programme aimed at ending the practice at a global summit in London. It is estimated that up to 137,000 women and girls living in England and Wales…
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Rochdale to host Gaza rally
Rochdale is gearing up to host a huge rally on Sunday to show their support and solidarity with victims Gaza and condemn Israeli aggression on innocent civilians during the holy month of Ramadan. Thousands will assemble outside Rochdale Town Hall on Sunday 27th July 2014 at 2pm . This peaceful rally will hear from a number…
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Delhi seeks World Heritage City tag
Shilpa Raina looks into Delhi’s campaign to become World Heritage City As Delhi gears up to welcome a team from Unesco in September to evaluate the national capital’s bid for the World Heritage City tag, an NGO spearheading the move says this idea should have been proposed earlier and reveals how “frustrating” it can be…
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Whisky tops Scottish export to CW
Almost a fifth (19%) of exports of Scotland’s national drink goes to Commonwealth countries. Last year exports to the Commonwealth were up 1% on 2012 to £793 million, out of a global total of £4.3 billion. Singapore is the largest market in the Commonwealth for Scotch Whisky with exports of £330m last year. However, a…
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BAPIO chief joins march to save NHS
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Prof. Rajan Madhok, Chairman of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), is joining a campaign to save the crisis-hit National health Services (NHS). Prof. Rajan, one of the senior most Indian-origin doctors in the country, is a former director of public health and medical director in the NHS. BAPIO is the largest organisation of the…
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PICS: TYPHOON FURY
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Super typhoon Rammasun hits China and Philippines. Rammasun made its landfall in Zhanjiang on Saturday. This was the second landfall of Typhoon Rammasun in China’s coastal areas within four hours.
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PICS: Burma Martyr’s Day
Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of Aung San, led a prayer meet at the Martyrs’ Mausoleum to mark the 67th Martyrs’ Day in Yangon, Myanmar. Myanmar held a ceremony here Saturday to commemorate fallen national heroes including Gen. Aung San and eight others who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence
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US drone attack kills eight in Pakistan
At least eight militants were killed Saturday in a US drone attack in Pakistan’s North Waziristan region. According to officials, the attack occurred at around 3 a.m. when an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fired two missiles on a compound in Dattakhel area, around 35 km west of Miranshah, Dawn online reported. The dead militants belonged…
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Modi welcome to visit Pakistan: Envoy
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be welcome whenever he chooses to visit Pakistan, said that country’s envoy here Friday. Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit said a visit to Pakistan by Modi “would be welcome whenever he comes”. But Basit noted that such high-level visits “don’t happen without adequate preparation”. “It is too early to…