Page 8 - South Asia

Sanjiv Mehta appointed as president commissioner of Unilever Indonesia

Sanjiv Mehta will join Unilever Indonesia's board of commissioners and chair it in a non-executive capacity

Procedural issues continue to hinder commercialisation of GM crops in India

Two decades after Bt cotton made its debut in India, commercialisation of genetically modified crops remains mired in complex procedural rules

As China deals with Covid, nearly 1 in 4 European firms consider moving out

Of the firms considering a shift in investment, 16% said they were looking at relocating to Southeast Asia, while 18% said they were looking elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region

'Act East, Neighbourhood First policies to have impact beyond South Asia'

Addressing the Natural Allies in Development and Interdependence (NADI) conclave here, Jaishankar said the realisation of this is evident from the potential of BIMSTEC on the Bay of Bengal region.

Kashmir issue elephant in the room: Pak on S Asia integration, trade boost

Describing the Kashmir issue as "the elephant in the room", Pakistan minister Hina Rabbani Khar said any efforts to integrate South Asia and boost trade would be futile without resolving the conflict

India drops to 54th place on tourism development Index, top in South Asia

India was on Tuesday ranked at the 54th place in a global travel and tourism development index, down from 46th in 2019, but still remained on the top within South Asia. Japan has topped the global charts, followed by the US, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austraila, UK, Singapore and Italy in the top ten. The World Economic Forum's biennial travel and tourism study also showed a recovering sector following pandemic lows, though the recovery has been uneven and challenges remain. The Travel and Tourism Development Index assesses 117 economies, identifying key factors in enabling the sustainable and resilient growth of travel and tourism economies. "COVID-19 shutdowns have re-emphasised the important contribution travel and tourism makes to many economies around the world," Lauren Uppink, Head of Aviation, Travel and Tourism at the World Economic Forum, said. "As the world emerges from the pandemic, economies must invest in building a strong and resilient environment to delive

Listen to voices of Asean, South Asia, Indo-Pacific: Kishida at Quad Summit

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida in his opening remarks at the Quad summit on Tuesday called upon the international community to listen to the voices of the Asean, South Asian and Indo-Pacific countries.

Increasing the pace of India's urbanisation

The rate of urbanisation needs to be moderated in a way that the influx of population is not concentrated in bigger cities only

World recognising India, its values: Deepika Padukone on Cannes jury

"I think what we should be talking about is the celebration of India. The celebration of Indian talent and cinema," she added.

Sri Lanka president's brother quits as PM in escalating economic crisis

Sri Lankan authorities on Monday imposed a nationwide curfew and Army troops were deployed in the capital

Sri Lanka in talks for $100 mn emergency funding from China-backed bank

Sri Lanka has requested foreign-exchange liquidity support for state banks from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

Sri Lanka again put under state of emergency as economic crisis continues

Sri Lanka's government has been facing a wave of protests around the country with an increasingly furious public demanding its resignation.

Marriott International elevates Ranju Alex as Area VP for South Asia region

As a key member of Marriott International's leadership think tank, Alex will be based in Mumbai and oversee the company's operations across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan

India's economy to grow by 7.5% in FY23; to pick-up to 8% in FY24: ADB

Asian Development Bank on Wednesday projected a seven per cent collective growth for South Asian economies in 2022

Faltering Sri Lanka holds strategic importance for India, shows data

The share in India's total exports declined from 2.16 per cent in FY15 to just 1.3 per cent in the first 10 months of the current financial year.

South Asia peace not possible without resolving Kashmir dispute: OIC group

The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir said on Wednesday that lasting peace in South Asia cannot be achieved without a settlement of the Kashmir issue.

Pak, China sign agreements to further strengthen 'iron-clad friendship'

Pakistan's FM Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed ways to further strengthen the "iron-clad friendship" between the two countries

India prime destination for darknet traded drugs in South Asia: Report

India is among the "most frequently" listed destinations in the South Asian region for shipping drugs traded over the darknet

India briefs high-level UN team on concerns over terrorism in South Asia

India has briefed a high-level UN team about its concerns over terrorism in the South Asian region, especially the possible threats from misuse of new and emerging technologies and unmanned aerial systems. India's concerns were conveyed to the team of experts from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring team during its visit to the country from March 8 to 10, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The UN experts visited India following an invitation from New Delhi and it was in continuation of regular consultations between the team with key member-states relevant to their mandate, it said. "A team of experts from the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida and the Taliban supporting the Security Council's 1267 & 1988 Sanction Committees visited India from March 8 to 10," the MEA said. It said the team held meetings with senior officials in the relevant ministries and was briefed on India's counter-terrorism ...

Pak PM Imran Khan meets Russian President Putin amidst Ukraine conflict

This was the first face-to-face talks of the Russian leader with a foreign leader since the start of a special military operation to protect Donbass