South Asia

Four British men, including two of South Asian heritage who ran jewellery businesses, were on Tuesday convicted in one of the UK's largest money laundering prosecutions worth an estimated GBP 266 million following a complex eight-year investigation. Arjun Babber, 32, and Haroon Rashid, 53, were found guilty alongside Gregory Frankel and Daniel Rawson, both 46, at Leeds Cloth Hall Nightingale Crown Court in northern England over large amounts of unexplained cash passing through their businesses. Babber ran Goldsteel Limited and is said to have started laundering cash for others through Fowler Oldfield Limited in 2015. According to the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Babber's family members ran RPS Jewellers Limited, a well-known and reputable gold and jewellery business based in west London and Hatton Garden. Meanwhile, Rashid was the sole director of Rashid Jewellers Ltd and was a frequent visitor to the premises of Fowler Oldfield and had access to its computers. This case is

Jaishankar met foreign ministers from Mauritius, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka

Indian-origin Paul Kapur is a widely respected scholar, having authored several influential books and academic papers on South Asian security

The US planemaker's previous rolling 20-year market forecast, issued last year, was for 2,705 jets

Nearly 20 per cent of women and girls in south Asia abstain from regular daily activities during periods, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal. The study found that overall, 15 per cent of girls and women in low- and middle-income countries do not take part in daily activities while menstruating. In west and central Africa, prevalence of menstruation-related absences were the second highest at 18.5 per cent. Researchers, including those from the University of Melbourne, Australia, also found that girls aged 15-19 years are the most affected, with over 17 per cent not participating in regular daily activities while menstruating. The study analysed survey data collected during 2017-2023 from households across 44 countries. Over 6,73,300 women and girls aged 15-49 years were included in this analysis. "The overall pooled prevalence of menstrual-related absenteeism was 15 per cent, with prevalence being highest in south Asia and west and central Africa," t

Each interview in this collection is insightful, unpacking for the uninitiated how the publishing industry works and the types of desirable and undesirable challenges they face

Calling Dr Manmohan Singh as a great statesman, President Mohamed Muizzu on Sunday reminisced about his November 2011 visit to the Maldives and said it marked a momentous milestone that further cemented the bonds of friendship with India. Singh, India's prime minister for 10 years from 2004 to 2014, died in New Delhi on Thursday night. He was 92. Muizzu signed the condolence book at the High Commission of India in the Maldives following Singh's demise when his message also conveyed sympathies to the former Indian prime minister's family and the government and people of India, on behalf of the Government and people of the Maldives, during this time of profound loss, a statement from the president's office said. The Indian High Commission here reciprocated with a post on X: We appreciate the thoughtful gesture of HEP @MMuizzu for being the first dignitary to sign the condolence book @HCIMaldives on sad demise of Hon'ble former PM Dr Manmohan Singh. His words of support are truly value

If approved, P D Singh will succeed Zarin Daruwala, who is set to retire on April 1, 2025, after nearly a decade in the role

A lone former diplomat, who has continued to stay in India, has somehow kept the Afghan Mission/Consulates running

Of course, the elephant in the South Asia room continues to be China. But a strategy of containment that goes beyond banning apps is in place in the neighbourhood

The unfairness in the allocation of responsibility for controlling CO2 emissions is evident in the shifting of the burden of emission reductions from consumers to producers

Blinken emphasised the significance of South Asian culture in the United States, highlighting that the country derives strength from its diversity

A year on, rebel forces have ground down the junta, pushing the military out of vital borderlands and making inroads into the contested heart of Myanmar

Vietnam elected Luong Cuong, a military general, as its new president on Monday, the fourth official to fill the role in 18 months. Cuong, 67, was elected by the National Assembly to replace To Lam, who remained president even after he was formally appointed as the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party in August. The role of the general secretary is the most powerful position in Vietnam while the presidency is largely ceremonial. Cuong, who has served in the Vietnamese army for over four decades, has been a Politburo member since 2021. His appointment took place after months of uncharacteristic tumult in Vietnam's politics and the death of former party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who had dominated the country's leadership since 2011. Trong was an ideologue who viewed corruption as the single gravest threat in maintaining the party's legitimacy and launched a sweeping anti-graft campaign known as the blazing furnace. It singled both business and political elites,

The JV will own Mothercare brand and all its IP assets for India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Bangladesh

Leaders from 120 member and signatory countries will gather in New Delhi for the Seventh Session of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Assembly, set to take place from November 3 to 6, 2024, at Bharat Mandapam.The curtain-raiser event, held on Wednesday, with representatives from 60 countries attending the event.Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy and President of the ISA Assembly, Pralhad Joshi, addressed the gathering, saying, "ISA has evolved into a key platform for global solar cooperation, now encompassing 120 Member & Signatory Countries. This growing commitment demonstrates solar energy's significant role in addressing our shared energy access challenges and the adverse effects of climate change."He added, "The progress made by ISA's Member Countries in adopting solar energy is remarkable. Solar energy, available year-round and in abundance in some of our Member Countries, holds the potential to be the game-changer in the theatre of global climate action. Its ..

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 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

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

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 ...