In Friday's South Asia papers

21 November 2008 05:00  [Source: ICIS news]

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Front page

NSA to brief Advani on Malegaon blast probe
Two days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up BJP leader L K Advani in regard to his allegations about torture of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, a key accused in the Malegaon blast case, National Security Advisor M K Naryanan will meet the BJP leader on Friday to discuss the ongoing ATS probe.

Obama ignores 'secular' group complaints, promotes Sonal Shah
US President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday named Indian-American policy wonk Sonal Shah as a leader of a key policy working group, ignoring charges from the so-called leftist-secular Indian groups in the US about her alleged links with radical Hindu groups.

Business

No manipulation in ICICI trading: Sebi
Market regulator Sebi has found no basis in ICICI Bank's claims that in September this year malicious rumours were spread to hammer down its stock.

Transaction fee on air fare to come down
While agents want to return to the old commission system under which they got 5% of basic fare, airlines want the current fee to be drastically reduced to reasonable levels.

THE ECONOMIC TIMES

Front page

Market sees convertible bond issues decline 91%
Indian convertible bonds, one of the preferred instruments of corporates for raising capital in 2007, have almost dried up.

Ambani brothers shake hands at Advani's residence
It was a rare moment. Estranged Ambani brothers Anil and Mukesh shook hands at a meeting of leading industrialists with Leader of Opposition L K Advani at which BJP firmly pitched itself as the government in waiting and promised to restore confidence in India's growth story if voted to office.

THE BANGLADESH TODAY

Front page

BNP to participate if polls shifted to 28 December
BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia on Thursday said BNP-led four-party alliance would participate in the ensuing parliamentary election if it is held on 28 December.

Election should be held on 18 Dec with participation of all political parties: Hasina
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the national parliament election should be held on 18 December with the participation of all political parties.

Business

Big taxpayers caught on LTU net, much higher revenue netted
Government's revenue department netted a much higher amount of money from the individual taxpayers under the Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) this year, mainly due to new techniques adopted to bring potential taxpayers onto the net.

Asia-Pacific nations ready to push ahead WTO talks
Twenty-one Asia-Pacific economies making up half of global trade are prepared to agree by next month on a formula to tear down tariff walls stalling global liberalization talks, a draft communique said Thursday.

DAILY MIRROR

Front page

LTTE airstrip captured
The military captured a 200 metre long runway on the Paranthan-Pooneryn road, that has been used to operate LTTE’s light air craft, the defence ministry said.

SL beats Zim
Kumar Sangakkara batted a four to give Sri Lanka an easy victory over Zimbabwe 130/127 in 33.2 overs. CLICK to view full scorecard.

Business

SL has a chance to attract shifting industries: Economist
Sri Lanka has a chance to attract industries from advanced nations in the wake of current turmoil if the country can put its house in order with a longer term view and create a strong base for industry, an economist has said.

Emerging markets to drive mobile growth: British watchdog
The top emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China will drive mobile services growth in the coming years, a new report by Britain's telecoms regulator Ofcom said Thursday.

DAWN

Front page

US drone attacks intolerable: PM: No secret accord with Washington, NA assured
Most fingers were pointed at the United States in the National Assembly on Thursday for what Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called an `intolerable’ drone attack on a suspected militant hideout in the NWFP, but none at Al Qaeda or Taliban against whom Pakistan is the West’s ally in the so-called war against terrorism.

Ambassador summoned over Bannu attack
Pakistan summoned US Ambassador Anne W Patterson to the Foreign Office on Thursday and lodged a protest against Wednesday’s drone strike in Bannu, a settled area of the NWFP.

Business

Automakers reluctant to cut prices
The local auto assemblers have no immediate plans to cut prices to boost the demand for cars and other vehicles despite suffering from steep fall in sales during the last six months.

Making informed ‘price discovery’ of stocks
One of the major pitfalls for investors in the Karachi stock market, just as soon as the ‘floor’ is removed, would be to know what exactly is the price or ‘fair value’ of a particular stock that they hold.

BUSINESS RECORDER

Front page

Tribal chief among 10 killed in suicide bomb attack
A tribal chief and four other people were killed in an apparent suicide bomb blast in a mosque in Bajaur tribal region on Thursday, witnesses said.

Tariff framework for imported coal power projects: government, multinational companies fail to evolve consensus
The Federal government and multinational companies have failed to develop consensus over tariff framework and determination process for imported coal power projects, well-informed sources in PPIB told Business Recorder.

Business

Utility Stores reduce ghee price upto Rs 30 per kg
The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) has reduced the prices of ghee and edible oil from Rs 8 to Rs 30 per kg, aiming to provide more relief to the inflation stricken people.

Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves decline by $99.7m
Country's foreign exchange reserves have further plunged by some 99m dollars during the last week.

By: Staff Reporter
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