South Asia

World Bank raises S Asia growth forecast to 6.4% on Indian domestic demand

India's economic growth forecast for the current fiscal year, ending in March 2025, was revised to 7 per cent year-on-year

India can play role in DPI development in global south, says MEA official

India can play a role in supporting the global south in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) development by technology transfer, knowledge sharing, and promoting the adoption of open source technologies, a top Ministry of External Affairs official said on Wednesday. Delivering his key note address at the Global Technology Summit Innovation dialogue co-hosted by the MEA and Carnegie India virtually, Special Secretary (ER and DPA), MEA, Periasamy Kumaran said how over the past decade and a half, DPI has evolved from a conceptual framework to a tangible, practical force, catalysing unprecedented innovation, driving improved public service delivery and promoting greater economic inclusivity and development. He noted that today, the DPI model has emerged as a key Indian value proposition and is being adopted and adapted by countries worldwide. "Based on our own experience during this period, for DPI based solutions to work and to produce the kind of outcomes in vision, we require three k

India has highest oral cancer cases due to betel nut in South Asia: Study

The Lancet Oncology study highlighted that South-Central Asia recorded the highest number of oral cancer cases linked to smokeless tobacco and areca nut use

Mobility sect in Asian mkt to absorb $1.3 trn in green fund by 2030: Report

The mobility sector in emerging markets of South and Southeast Asia is growing so rapidly that it could absorb up to USD 1.3 trillion in green capital by 2030, mirroring China's phenomenal electric vehicle (EV) growth, according to a report. The Powering an affordable EV revolution in emerging Asia report, released on Friday -- ahead of the Climate Week NYC by investors LeapFrog Investments and Temasek alongside electric mobility companies Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Limited and Battery Smart -- showed affordable entry points for electric mobility across the low-income markets of emerging Asia. An analysis of the lifetime cost of owning an electric vehicle versus fossil-fuel powered vehicles highlighted how electric scooters and electric three-wheelers have hit price tipping points across the region, spiking demand for green mobility even amongst first-time vehicle buyers. Case studies from Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Limited and Battery Smart also found that manufacturing and ...

South-east asian nations must take steps to reduce road mishap deaths: WHO

The World Health Organization on Monday called on countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region to accelerate measures to reduce road traffic deaths, a leading cause of mortality among young people aged 15-29. "Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and two or three-wheelers constitute 66 per cent of all reported road traffic deaths in our region," said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, in her address at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety 2024) which began here today. She emphasised that the roads and their networks need to be designed prioritising those most at risk -- children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians and other vulnerable groups. The WHO South-East Asia Region accounted for 330,223 of the 1.19 million estimated global road traffic deaths in 2021, representing 28 pc of the global burden, the WHO said in a statement. With 70 per cent of the global population projected to live i

Philippine says China biggest disruptor of peace, seeks stronger censure

The Philippine defense chief said Tuesday that China is the biggest disruptor of peace in Southeast Asia and called for stronger international censure over its aggression in the South China Sea, a day after China blocked Philippine vessels from delivering food to a Coast Guard ship at the Sabina Shoal. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr spoke at an international military conference organized in Manila by the US Indo-Pacific Command amid a spike in clashes between China and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea and in its airspace. China is the biggest disruptor of international peace in Southeast Asia, Teodoro told the conference, which was attended by military officials and senior diplomats from the US and allied countries. He later told reporters on the sidelines of the conference that international statements of concern against China's increasingly assertive actions in the disputed waters and elsewhere were not enough." "The antidote is a stronger collective ...

Disaster-prone Southeast Asia also best prepared, offers lessons: Survey

Southeast Asia is among the regions most prone to natural disasters, but a new analysis released Thursday shows its people also feel the best equipped to deal with them. It seems logical that the countries in and around the Pacific Ring of Fire, vulnerable to earthquakes, typhoons, storm surges and other dangers, are also the best prepared, but the survey by Gallup for the Lloyd's Register Foundation shows that's not always the case in other regions. Frequent exposure to hazard isn't the only factor that determines how prepared people feel, Benedict Vigers, a research consultant with Gallup, told The Associated Press. The report found the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has played a key role in disaster risk reduction, and Vigers said the region's wider approach includes widespread and effective early-warning systems, scaled-up community approaches and regional cooperation, and good access to disaster finance. Southeast Asia' success in feelings of disaster preparedness can

India's bets in Bangladesh surged before crisis in neighbouring country

India's proposed investments in South Asia nation up 350% since 2018-19

Bangladesh crisis: Pak expresses solidarity, hopes for return to normalcy

In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Office said, 'We are confident that the resilient spirit and unity of the Bangladeshi people will lead them towards a harmonious future'

Sri Lanka set to go for prez election on Sept 21, puts end to speculations

The presidential election in Sri Lanka is to take place on September 21, the independent elections commission announced today. The announcement ended months long speculation that the election would be postponed to extend the term of the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe. The government gazette no 2394/51 issued today said in terms of article 31 (3) of the constitution the election would take place on September 21 while the nominations would be accepted on August 15. The election announcement set to end the balance term of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was ousted mid 2022 in a popular public uprising. Rajapaksa had been elected with a record near 7 million votes in November 2019 when the last presidential election was held. Tens of thousands who got into the streets early 2022 demanded Rajapaksa to step down for his failure to tackle the island's gravest economic crisis since 1948. Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country on July 9, 2022 and incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe who was

The China challenge

From a military standpoint, while the regional rivalry is not insignificant, it is the territorial contestation that is more important at the moment

What Usha Vance's rise means to other South Asian, Hindu Americans

Usha Chilukuri Vance, entered the spotlight this week as the wife of JD Vance, former President Trump's running mate in the 2024 presidential election. Her rise comes at a time when, across the aisle, there's another prominent figure of South Asian descent: Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation's first woman and person of colour in her role. During its primaries, the Republican Party also saw increased South Asian representation with presidential candidates including Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley and Tulsi Gabbard. Some Indian American political empowerment groups say they're glad there's more representation. Still, they don't think Usha Vance's rise to prominence will sway more liberal South Asian American voters. Others say what needs to be examined is how the GOP responds to hate speech made about her religious identity. On Wednesday, Usha Vance introduced her husband, Ohio's junior senator, at the Republican National Convention by talking about their relationship. "I grew up

LNG imports set to slump as monsoon hits power demand: S&P analyst

The South Asian nation bought some 2.6 million tons of the fuel last month, its highest since October 2020, according to Kpler data

Nepali Congress & CPN-UML strike deal to oust Prachanda, form new alliance

The two leaders tentatively agreed to form a new government, amend the Constitution, and work out a power-sharing formula

8 Nepal ministers from CPN-UML in Dahal-government set to resign today

The latest change in the government in less than 100 days of its formation on March 4 comes amid a new agreement that was struck at midnight in between KP Sharma Oli and Sher Bahadur Deuba

Sri Lanka likely to sign bilateral debt agreements: Foreign minister

The South Asian island nation defaulted on its foreign debt in May 2022 after its economy was driven to the brink by a severe fall in foreign exchange reserves

PM Modi, French President discuss ways to further strengthen partnership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met French President Emmanuel Macron and believed to have discussed ways to further bolster the bilateral ties and exchanged views on global issues. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the G7 summit here in the southern resort town of Italy. It is Prime Minister Modi's first foreign trip after assuming office for a third time this month. The two leaders last met in January when the French President visited India to attend the 75th Republic Day of India. During their last meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, outlined in Horizon 2047 and other documents from the July 2023 Summit. Horizon 2047 Roadmap sets an ambitious and broad-ranging course for the bilateral relationship for 2047, the centenary year of India's independence.

Akasa on path to profitability; will launch more int'l flights: Co-founder

Akasa Air is well on the path to profitability and will fly to more international destinations, including in South Asia and Southeast Asia, according to its Co-Founder Aditya Ghosh. In less than two years of taking to the skies, Akasa Air has a fleet of 24 planes and has more than 4,000 employees. In an interview to PTI in the national capital, Ghosh, who has donned multiple and diverse roles during his career, said that airlines are becoming more of a consumption story in India. "We will increasingly see it as consumer-focused businesses where the learnings which are there from ecommerce companies will help us address the needs and behaviour of consumers better in the transportation business," he said. Among other roles, he had served as IndiGo's President and Whole Time Director for ten years till 2018. When a customer-focused and employee-centric organisation is being built, it is also important to build a financially sustainable business, Ghosh said and emphasised that Akasa A

Modi good not just for India but for S Asia: Pakistani-American businessman

Prime Minister Narendra Modi guarantees stability not only in India but in the entire South Asia region, a prominent Pakistani American businessman said Friday as he congratulated the people of India on the peaceful and successful conduct of the world's largest democratic exercise. I have always said that Modi's leadership is necessary for India's future stability, preventing multiple parties from coming and destabilizing the constitution. Modi's leadership is a guarantee of India's stability and future of India, Pakistani-American businessman Sajid Tarar told PTI in an interview. With Modi coming to power for a third term, people in Pakistan hope that this will result in an improvement in its relationship with India, he said. Responding to a question, Tarar said he was expecting that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would participate in the swearing-in ceremony of Modi and added that it was "disappointing" that so far there has been no congratulatory message from him. ...Mod

India rises to 39th position in WEF index for travel, tourism development

Country top performer in South Asia and among the lower-middle-income nations