In Friday's South Asia papers

20 November 2009 05:00  [Source: ICIS news]

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Front page

Two killed, 47 injured as train derails after Maoists blast tracks
Two passengers were killed and over 47 others injured when eight bogies of the Tata-Bilaspur passenger train derailed after Maoists blew up railway tracks on Thursday night in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district.

Sushma Swaraj turned down BJP top job
Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj was offered the post of party president much before the Sangh and the party had settled for Nitin Gadkari, the deputy leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said here on Thursday.

Business

Government to cut holding in SAIL by 20%
The government is set to dilute its holding in Steel Authority of India Ltd by 20%. While the company will make a fresh issue of 10% equity, the government will divest 10% of its stake.

In consumption of gold, India again climbs to top
With gold prices touching new highs in 2009, its demand in the global market declining. However, in gold consumption, India again climbed to the top position in world, led by strong demand of jewellery.

THE ECONOMIC TIMES

Front page

Companies' share buybacks may hit a wall
With the stock market bouncing back over the past six months, majority of the ongoing share buybacks announced by listed companies in the recent past are unlikely to find any takers as the market price of those companies are much higher than the maximum repurchase price offered under the schemes.

Tech companies find it difficult to crack deals in US, Europe
For India’s top tech firms seeking to take an inorganic growth route for expanding in the US and European markets, successful acquisitions are becoming harder to come by, as potential targets demand high valuations and cultural barriers in several countries act as a bottleneck.

THE BANGLADESH TODAY

Front page

Supreme Court upholds the High Court judgement
The former army officers sentenced to death for the murder of independence-leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most members of his family have to walk to the gallows as they lost the legal battle at the highest court.

PM expresses gratitude to Allah
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah by offering nafal prayers after hearing the verdict of the Bangabandhu murder case which was pronounced by the Supreme Court this morning.

Business

Verdict spurs share prices
The country's stock market on Thursday gained heavily after the verdict of the much-awaited and historical verdict in the Bangabandhu murder case.

Dilip Barua for removing barriers to boost plastic sector
Industries Minister Dilip Barua on Thursday underscored the need for exploring opportunities and removing barriers to give a boost to the country's potential plastic sector.

DAILY MIRROR

Front page

Holmes expresses encouragement after months of frustration
The UN Under-secretary General of Humanitarian Affairs said yesterday that although the UN had been frustrated for a long time about the freedom of movement from the IDP camps, the situation has improved over the past 3 to 4 weeks.

Six students given bail
Six student of St Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya who had allegedly assaulted a group of students of S Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia were released on personal bail of Rs100,000 each by the Mount Lavinia Magistrate Harsha Sethunga and the case was referred to the Mediation Board.

Business

Lack of standardisation slows agriculture export expansion
Lack of a globally recognised standardising mechanism is undermining the export growth of the fourth largest agriculture sector in Sri Lanka and experts yesterday warned that development goals would be seriously undermined if competitiveness was not enhanced in the Rs3bn foreign exchange earning industry.

Sri Lanka can be the “Dubai of South Asia” – Amunugama
The Government believes that Sri Lanka has the potential to grow at 8% and advocates an intensifying of growth to reach this goal.

DAWN

Front page

Terrorists strike Peshawar twice
Peshawar went through yet another day of bloodbath on Thursday when two strikes, within a space of 14 hours, left 22 people dead.

Aafia Siddiqui promises NY trial boycott
A Pakistan native who was trained as a scientist in the US and suspected of being an al-Qaida operative has promised to boycott her January trial in New York.

Business

CCP decisions likely to be invalid after 28th
More than 20 decisions taken by the Competition Commission between February last year and 28 November this year will become null and void if the Competition Ordinance of 2007 is not validated by parliament before 28 November.

Stocks recover 106 points on buying at dips
Stocks on Thursday were back on the rails as investors covered positions at the lower levels but physical activity shrank to a modest proportion in the absence of leading sellers.

BUSINESS RECORDER

Front page

19 killed in Judicial Complex suicide attack
At least 19 people, including three police personnel and an advocate, killed and 50 others injured, 13 seriously, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the gate of Judicial Complex on Khyber Road here on Thursday.

Suspected US missiles kill four militants
A suspected US missile strike in North Waziristan tribal district killed at least four militants and wounded five others, an official said on Thursday.

Business

Nobody is willing to explain 'others' in FDI fall
Inexplicably, the statistics for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for the first four months of 2009 show a massive decline of $549.3m dollars under the head "other" in comparison to the previous year.

NFC to fund terror war from 'undivided' divisible pool
The National Finance Commission (NFC), which concluded its two-day meeting here on Thursday, agreed to create a special fund from, what Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin said, the undivided divisible pool to finance the long and capital-intensive war on terror, in the northern parts of the country.

 

By: Staff Reporter
+44 20 8652 3214

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