News for 'south-asia'

US approves sale of $90 mn worth of military equipment to India

US approves sale of $90 mn worth of military equipment to India

Rediff.com4 Dec 2020

In a major move in 2016, the US had designated India a "Major Defence Partner" intending to elevate defence trade and technology sharing to a level commensurate with that of its closest allies and partners.

UK has sought info on use of FCRA by India, House of Lords told

UK has sought info on use of FCRA by India, House of Lords told

Rediff.com7 Jan 2022

The UK government has asked for specific numbers over a period to drill-down on the use of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act by the Indian government around funding licences of non-governmental organisations, the House of Lords was informed during a debate.

R N Ravi sworn-in as Tamil Nadu Governor

R N Ravi sworn-in as Tamil Nadu Governor

Rediff.com18 Sep 2021

Ravi, shifted from Nagaland, said he saw his new role more as an opportunity than a challenge.

'The epidemic is receding in India'

'The epidemic is receding in India'

Rediff.com9 Feb 2021

'But we still have to be very careful.'

Pak has 'taken note' of signing of BECA pact between US-India

Pak has 'taken note' of signing of BECA pact between US-India

Rediff.com27 Oct 2020

"These developments clearly negate the argument that India's mainstreaming in the international export control regimes will further the non-proliferation objectives of these regimes," Pak's Foreign Office said.

In Pics: Aditi Rao Hydari soaks up the sun in France

In Pics: Aditi Rao Hydari soaks up the sun in France

Rediff.com8 Dec 2019

The actor made herself at home in Le Logis France for the cover shoot of Travel + Leisure.

Bharti Airtel Q4 profit zooms to Rs 2008 crore

Bharti Airtel Q4 profit zooms to Rs 2008 crore

Rediff.com17 May 2022

India's second-largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Tuesday posted more than twofold year-on-year jump in its consolidated net profit for the March quarter to Rs 2,008 crore, buoyed by a lift in average revenue per user and an exceptional gain. The telco said its Q4 scorecard was backed by strong performance delivery across the portfolio and its CEO Gopal Vittal, in a statement, exuded optimism about opportunities in the coming years and Airtel being "well-poised" as a company. Airtel, which competes in the market with Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, as well as state-owned BSNL/MTNL, promised to maintain razor sharp focus on financial flexibility, optimising the capital structure and finance cost.

Will INS Vishal Opt For British Power?

Will INS Vishal Opt For British Power?

Rediff.com28 Oct 2021

London hopes to convince New Delhi's naval planners to power India's second indigenous aircraft carrier with the Queen Elizabeth's integrated all-electric propulsion system.

India battling climate change and it is getting worse, warn experts

India battling climate change and it is getting worse, warn experts

Rediff.com16 May 2022

The experts said that climate change is not only raising temperatures and making India's heatwaves hotter, but also changing weather patterns that further drive dangerous weather extremes.

US concerned over future government in Pak: Tillerson

US concerned over future government in Pak: Tillerson

Rediff.com5 Oct 2017

Tillerson said that he believed that the US has a partner in Pakistan.

How BRICS Is Expanded Is Crucial

How BRICS Is Expanded Is Crucial

Rediff.com25 Jun 2022

With its political colour dominated by less than democratic trends, BRICS currently leaves some of us wondering -- where in this grouping is there an assurance that human freedom will be respected unconditionally? It would be nice to see the new members of BRICS drawn from the ranks of countries wedded to preserving and guarding human freedom, observes Shyam G Menon.

Jhunjhunwala the biggest draw as investors line up to board Akasa

Jhunjhunwala the biggest draw as investors line up to board Akasa

Rediff.com25 Jan 2022

Veterans in the travel industry, a well-known corporate lawyer, and a marquee US-based hedge fund have backed the upcoming low-cost airline Akasa Air. Founded by former Jet Airways chief executive officer (CEO) Vinay Dube, the venture counts ace stock trader and investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala as its biggest financial backer with an investment of around Rs 300 crore. A person with knowledge of the development said most of the people were well known to Jhunjhunwala and Dube, who approached them during the conception stage.

Modi's visit to Dhaka to be very memorable: Jaishankar

Modi's visit to Dhaka to be very memorable: Jaishankar

Rediff.com4 Mar 2021

Jaishankar arrived on a day-long visit to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bangladesh later this month to participate in the celebrations of 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's Independence and 50 years of Bangladesh-India diplomatic relations.

War in Ukraine worrisome, hope for peace: Modi tells Biden in virtual meet

War in Ukraine worrisome, hope for peace: Modi tells Biden in virtual meet

Rediff.com12 Apr 2022

The virtual meeting comes in the midst of some disquiet in Washington over India's position on the Ukraine crisis as well as its decision to procure discounted Russian oil.

India's FDI inflow fell by 26% in 2021, says UN report

India's FDI inflow fell by 26% in 2021, says UN report

Rediff.com20 Jan 2022

Foreign Direct Investment flows to India in 2021 were 26 per cent lower, mainly because large M&A deals recorded in 2020 were not repeated, the UN trade body has said.

Voters Least Bothered About Economy

Voters Least Bothered About Economy

Rediff.com7 Feb 2022

Issues such as the economy's health and the government's ability to produce an environment where jobs are available are not of particular concern to us as voters, asserts Aakar Patel.

Card users may have to bear cost of RBI's new norms

Card users may have to bear cost of RBI's new norms

Rediff.com7 Oct 2021

The recent Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms on tokenisation services, which will be offered by card networks, are likely to result in merchants and payment aggregators incurring a cost as they have to pay a fee to the networks. The merchants and the payment aggregators, in turn, may pass on the cost to the customers. The norms, which were issued by the banking regulator released on September 7, allow card networks like Visa and Mastercard to offer the tokenisation service.

Turkey's remarks on J-K at UNGA 'completely unacceptable': India

Turkey's remarks on J-K at UNGA 'completely unacceptable': India

Rediff.com23 Sep 2020

India said Ankara should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.

Hotels see green shoots of recovery as the fear of pandemic recedes

Hotels see green shoots of recovery as the fear of pandemic recedes

Rediff.com1 Oct 2021

The mood at the Hotel Investment Conference South Asia (HICSA), the annual hospitality industry conference was rather upbeat. But hotel brand operators and owners remain cautiously optimistic of the outlook and are living on a hope that a third wave of the pandemic doesn't become a reality. Having just survived the unprecedented zero revenue situation, the two day confrence organised by consulting firm Hotelivate, was dotted with anecdotes and best practices adopted by the hotels of all hues.

At $51 billion India 9th largest FDI recipient in 2019

At $51 billion India 9th largest FDI recipient in 2019

Rediff.com16 Jun 2020

The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said in a report on Monday that a lower but positive economic growth in India in the post-Covid-19 pandemic period and India's large market will continue to attract market-seeking investments to the country. The World Investment Report 2020 by UNCTAD said that India was the 9th largest recipient of FDI in 2019, with 51 billion dollars of inflows during the year, an increase from the 42 billion dollars of FDI received in 2018, when India ranked 12 among the top 20 host economies in the world.

Axis Bank launches contactless wearable payment devices

Axis Bank launches contactless wearable payment devices

Rediff.com10 Mar 2021

Private sector lender Axis Bank on Wednesday launched the country's first contactless wearable payment devices to allow customers make on-the-go transactions more conveniently. Announcing the 'Wear N Pay' wearable devices brand, Axis Bank said it is the first bank in India to offer such a service. The bank has partnered with Thales and Tappy Technologies to design and create these products, which are exclusively available on the Mastercard platform, it said in a release.

There Is More To India Than Delhi Or Gujarat!

There Is More To India Than Delhi Or Gujarat!

Rediff.com2 Jun 2022

The Modi government has to embrace the history of Tamil conquests in South East Asia and stop obsessing about Babar/Humayun, argues Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

'Our community has lost a giant'

'Our community has lost a giant'

Rediff.com31 May 2022

Urvashi Vaid dreamed of a common movement for social justice that could address them all: Racism, gender oppression and homophobia. Sandip Roy salutes the memory of Urvashi Vaid, one of America's most prominent LGBT activists, who passed into the ages this month.

After Ola, Uber India too lays off 600 employees

After Ola, Uber India too lays off 600 employees

Rediff.com26 May 2020

Uber on Tuesday said it is laying off about 600 employees in India -- about a quarter of its staff in the country -- as business has taken a major hit amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The development comes days after rival Ola had announced laying off 1,400 people from its rides, financial services and food business.

Kerala Oppn, experts question Centre, state on dam management

Kerala Oppn, experts question Centre, state on dam management

Rediff.com26 Oct 2021

Poor dam management was considered as a major reason for the 2018 floods in the state that led to a loss of around Rs 50,000 crore and claimed as many as 483 lives, reports Shine Jacob.

DeMo and GST disrupted India's growth: World Bank

DeMo and GST disrupted India's growth: World Bank

Rediff.com11 Oct 2017

A slowdown in India's growth rate, the bank said, has also affected the growth rate of South Asia. As a result, South Asia has fallen to second place after East Asia and the Pacific.

Cost of data breach hits record high during pandemic: IBM

Cost of data breach hits record high during pandemic: IBM

Rediff.com28 Jul 2021

Security incidents became more costly and harder to contain due to drastic operational shifts during the pandemic with the cost of data breaches to Indian organisations rising close to 18 per cent to Rs 16.5 crore on an average between May 2020 and March 2021, according to a report by IBM. The study pointed towards similar trends in other parts of the world with data breaches costing surveyed companies $4.24 million per incident on an average - the highest in the report's 17-year history.

Enabling environment imperative for dialogue: Imran writes to PM Modi

Enabling environment imperative for dialogue: Imran writes to PM Modi

Rediff.com30 Mar 2021

Khan's letter was in reply to Prime Minister Modi's letter to him last week to extend greetings on the occasion of Pakistan Day. In his letter, Modi had said that India desires cordial relations with Pakistan but an atmosphere of trust, devoid of terror and hostility, is "imperative" for it.

Volkswagen Rolls Out Tiguan

Volkswagen Rolls Out Tiguan

Rediff.com18 Dec 2021

Through a combination of local manufacture and imported CBU models, the company makes and sells four SUVs, one hatchback, and one sedan.

India has bounced back, real GDP growth to be 7.5%-12.5%: WB

India has bounced back, real GDP growth to be 7.5%-12.5%: WB

Rediff.com31 Mar 2021

India's economy has bounced back amazingly from the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown over the last one year, but it is not out of the woods yet, according to the World Bank, which in its latest report has predicted that the country's real GDP growth for fiscal year 21/22 could range from 7.5 to 12.5 per cent.

Change in authority in Kabul was neither through negotiations, nor inclusive: India

Change in authority in Kabul was neither through negotiations, nor inclusive: India

Rediff.com13 Oct 2021

Addressing the UNSC High Level Open Debate on 'Peacebuilding and sustaining peace: Diversity, state building and the search for peace', Muraleedharan said the expectations of the international community on Afghanistan, including on combating terrorism, are set out clearly in the UN Security Council Resolution 2593, that was adopted under India's Presidency of the 15-nation Council in August.

'I am like an energiser bunny'

'I am like an energiser bunny'

Rediff.com19 Jul 2021

'I was born a lower middle-class person, am one today and will die as one,' Billboard's International Power Player Devraj Sanyal tells Vanita Kohli-Khandekar.

This year's Asia Cup cancelled, says Ganguly

This year's Asia Cup cancelled, says Ganguly

Rediff.com8 Jul 2020

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday announced cancellation of the Asia Cup T20, scheduled to be held in September, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pakistan originally had the hosting rights of the six-team continental event but considering the alarming COVID-19 situation, the PCB board had decided to swap it with Sri Lanka.

ISRO all set to launch South Asian satellite today

ISRO all set to launch South Asian satellite today

Rediff.com5 May 2017

Except Pakistan, seven SAARC countries are a part of the project.

ADB cuts India's FY19 growth forecast to 5.1%

ADB cuts India's FY19 growth forecast to 5.1%

Rediff.com11 Dec 2019

Asian Development Bank on Wednesday lowered India's economic growth forecast for FY2019 to 5.1 per cent on slowing job prospects, rural distress exacerbated by poor harvest and credit crunch. Growth in FY2020 is likely to recover thanks to this support, low oil prices, and a weakening rupee, but risks to the projections remain tilted to the downside, it said on India.

Bangladesh may overtake India this year

Bangladesh may overtake India this year

Rediff.com27 Oct 2020

Bangladesh might overtake India this year by per capita income in nominal dollars, but it is not yet close to becoming South Asia's economic powerhouse anytime soon, T N Ninan points out.

Finally, some good news for tourism sector

Finally, some good news for tourism sector

Rediff.com25 Oct 2020

Goa, Kerala, Maldives and Dubai are among the popular destinations.

World Bank approves $1bn COVID-19 aid for India

World Bank approves $1bn COVID-19 aid for India

Rediff.com3 Apr 2020

The World Bank also approved $200 million for Pakistan, $100 million for Afghanistan, $7.3 million for the Maldives and $128.6 million for Sri Lanka.

Cong's Manish Tewari criticises UPA govt for 26/11 response

Cong's Manish Tewari criticises UPA govt for 26/11 response

Rediff.com23 Nov 2021

In the book 10 Flashpoints: 20 years that is set to be released on December 2, the former union minister has looked back at the security situations that have impacted India in the last two decades.

'Putin's nuclear threats are attempts to bully the world'

'Putin's nuclear threats are attempts to bully the world'

Rediff.com2 May 2022

'Putin is in danger of losing face in his Ukrainian adventure. His bluster is a response to this.'