In Thursday’s South Asia papers

THE TIMES OF INDIA

Front page

Cost of keeping Kasab alive: Rs31 crore and counting
Guess how much India is spending on keeping the sole surviving 26/11 Pakistani terrorist alive and healthy in prison? Over Rs30 crore and counting.

BJP falls back on old hands to pull party out of Liberhan setback
They may have failed to find favour with RSS when it came to choosing the new party president but Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj have ended up as BJP’s chief defence attorneys to uphold the cause of the Ram temple movement.

Business

Oman Oil buys 26% in BPCL project
State-run Bharat Petroleum has wrested a 50% premium to allow Oman Oil Company to re-enter its Rs11,397 crore Bina Refinery project.

Over 370 transactions on bourses under lens
Intelligence agencies tracking financial fraud and money laundering are examining over 370 cases of suspicious transactions in Indian stock markets after they were reported by stock brokers to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

THE ECONOMIC TIMES

Front page

Dynamic portfolio plans on the comeback trail
Structured portfolio schemes, based on a constant proportion portfolio insurance (CPPI) model, are back in vogue, after nearly two years.

Mahindra Satyam feels heat of Rs1,220 crore extra burden
Mahindra Satyam, the new owner of fraud-hit Satyam Computers, will have to manage an additional burden of Rs1,220 crore over and above its existing claims and pending law suits after India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Wednesday B Ramalinga Raju forged board resolutions to borrow money from banks to salvage his company.

THE BANGLADESH TODAY

Front page

2.5m Muslims gather in Mecca to perform hajj
The world’s largest annual religious pilgrimage began on Wednesday as 2.5m Muslims amassed at the holy city of Mecca for the hajj.

PM asks Disabled Foundation to extend services up to upazila
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the authorities concerned to take services of the National Disabled Develop-ment Foundation up to upazila level for the best care and development of millions of people debilitated by disabilities across the country.

Business

Farmers to get 1664mw power in Boro season
The government on Wednesday decided to allocate 1664MW electricity daily for farmers to ensure uninterrupted irrigation in the coming Boro season, as food security is a pivotal concern of the time all over the world.

SME sector’s fund flow rises by 120% in one year
The fund flow in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector has increased by 120% in the last one year as commercial banks and financial institutions responded to the demand for loan and propel the growth in the sector, SME foundation sources said.

DAILY MIRROR

Front page

Minister orders stern action against medical staff
Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday instructed National Drugs Control Authority Chairman Dr Hemantha Benaragama to take disciplinary action against the medical staff of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital who had allegedly not done enough to save the life of a school girl at Wariyapola.

Court of Appeal allows Tissainayagam’s application for bail pending appeal
The Court of Appeal yesterday allowed an application made by the Counsel for Senior Journalist JS Tissainayagam to support his petition for bail after filing a certified copy of the petition of appeal submitted to the High Court.

Business

Trade deficit contracts by 60%
Contraction in the country’s trade deficit continued with first nine months dip now confirmed at 60% with depressed imports and exports.

Gemologists Association to hold ‘Jewels 2009’
The Gemologists Association of Sri Lanka (GASL), the only professional organisation in the gem trade will hold their annual Gem Exhibition Jewels 2009 On the 12th and 13th of December at the BMICH Committee Lounge.

DAWN

Front page

Jailed militant’s hoax calls drove India, Pakistan to brink of war
Omar Saeed Sheikh, a detained Pakistani militant, had made hoax calls to President Asif Ali Zardari and the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, in a bid to heighten Pakistan-India tensions after last year’s terrorist attacks on Mumbai, investigators have told Dawn.

Three including two policemen injured in Peshawar blast
At least three people including two policemen injured in a blast on Charsadda Road in Peshawar.

Business

SBP allows foreign currency microfinance loans
The State Bank of Pakistan has allowed microfinance banks/institutions (MFB/Is) to raise foreign currency loans from international financial institutions/donor agencies so that they are able to meet their funding requirements, DawnNews reported.

Power purchase price for eight Discos raised
National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has accepted the petition of eight electricity distribution companies to increase the power purchase price for the months of May and June 2009.

BUSINESS RECORDER

Front page

Nato oil tanker destroyed in Peshawar
Suspected Taliban militants on Wednesday attacked and destroyed a tanker supplying fuel to Nato troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, police said.

Operation Rah-e-Nijat: forces unearth militant training centre
Security forces on Wednesday during ongoing military operation Rah-e-Nijat at South Waziristan conducted search operation at village Nishpa and Salari Shaga near Kandai Sar and found a training centre used by the militants.

Business

Government approves 23 CDM projects
The Government of Pakistan has approved 23 Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects which would attract foreign direct investment (FDI) of $719.39m and drastically reduce greenhouse gases up to 3.83m tonnes per year.

Government still unable to resolve corporate circular debt
The government continued to show its inability to eliminate inter-corporate circular debt, accumulated to Rs423bn by the end of September against Rs401bn in August 2009, Business Recorder has learnt.