TheRepublic.com - South Asia News

AP EXCLUSIVE: Taliban offer to free US soldier

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:35:17 -0400

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Afghan Taliban are ready to free a U.S. army soldier held captive since 2009 in exchange for five of their senior operatives imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay as a conciliatory gesture, a senior spokesman for the group said Thursday.

India floods strand thousands; more than 100 dead

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:22:53 -0400

LUCKNOW, India - Days after floods killed more than 100 people - possibly many more - rescuers used helicopters and climbed through mountain paths to reach nearly 4,000 people trapped by landslides in a narrow valley near a Hindu shrine in the northern Himalayas, officials said Thursday.

AP PHOTOS: Bangladesh collapse left many amputees

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 02:49:03 -0400

SAVAR, Bangladesh - It was the worst disaster in the history of the garment industry. When the Rana Plaza factory building crashed down in April, 1,129 people were killed. But many others had to sacrifice their limbs to survive.

Militants kill 6 soldiers in northwest Pakistan

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:50:14 -0400

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A senior police official says militants attacked a military convoy with rocket-propelled grenades and other heavy weapons in northwest Pakistan, killing six soldiers.

Paterson mayor's India trip raises questions

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:44:19 -0400

PATERSON, New Jersey - Questions are being raised about Paterson Mayor Jeffrey Jones' planned economic development trip to India, fueled by his refusal to say with whom he will be meeting.

Bribery trial of former Finmeccanica CEO opens

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:43:21 -0400

MILAN - The former head of Italian aerospace and defense giant Finmeccanica , accused by prosecutors of making bribery part of the company culture, went on trial Wednesday for his alleged role in the payment of bribes to secure a crucial 560 million euro ($670 million) helicopter contract in India.

Group decries Sri Lanka's proposed media code

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:01:11 -0400

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Rights groups are criticizing a code of media ethics proposed by Sri Lanka's government, saying Wednesday that the code could have a chilling effect on free speech in the Indian Ocean island nation.

Especially grim encephalitis toll feared in India

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:53:02 -0400

GORAKHPUR, India - A mosquito-borne disease that preys on the young and malnourished is sweeping across poverty-riven northern India again this monsoon season in what officials worry could be the deadliest outbreak in nearly a decade.

Bombing at Pakistani funeral kills 29

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 12:58:02 -0400

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of hundreds of mourners attending a funeral in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday, killing 29 people. Among the dead was a newly elected lawmaker who may have been the target, authorities said.

Gender report of Shah Rukh Khan baby investigated

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:07:06 -0400

NEW DELHI - Health officials in Mumbai are investigating reports that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and his wife know the sex of a baby they are having through a surrogate mother.

Dreams turn bitter for Bangladeshi garment workers

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:36:44 -0400

TEKANI, Bangladesh - Moushumi's family now has one of the largest homes in their village - two bedrooms plus a living area with walls made of sturdy brick. Her father and brother will soon have a small business out front, selling furniture her dad will make. There will be money to pay for her younger sister to get married when it's time.

Adventure of Everest begins at tiny Nepal airstrip

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:19:09 -0400

LUKLA, Nepal - As soon as the decades-old Twin Otter landed at Lukla airport, passengers burst out in applause. They do that for nearly every safe landing at the often terrifying airport at the gateway to Mount Everest.

Feds: NY, Va. 7-Eleven stores exploited immigrants

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:10:40 -0400

NEW YORK - Nine owners and managers of 7-Eleven stores across Long Island and in Virginia were charged Monday with making tens of millions of dollars by exploiting immigrants from Pakistan and the Philippines, in part by paying them using the stolen Social Security numbers of a child and three dead people while stealing most of their wages.

Ohio man charged in $10M real estate scam

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:11:43 -0400

MIAMI - A Pakistan native has been charged with bilking a wealthy Washington businessman out of nearly $10 million, but it's the flashy way prosecutors allege Haider Zafar spent the money that's also getting attention.

Indian opposition alliance splits ahead of polls

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:05:19 -0400

PATNA, India - The second-biggest party in India's main opposition alliance quit the group on Sunday after the dominant party appointed a Hindu ideologue to lead its campaign for parliamentary elections next year.

Pakistan - Nuclear-armed but short of electricity

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:58:49 -0400

GUJAR KHAN, Pakistan - A woman named Rehana Yasmin struggles to keep her sick 2-year-old granddaughter cool in a sweltering hospital where working air conditioners are rare and electric fans are idle for much of the day.

Boat capsizes in Indian river; 4 dead, 25 missing

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 12:46:05 -0400

KOLKATA, India - A boat crowded with passengers capsized Friday in the Ganges River in eastern India, a state official said. At least four people drowned and 25 others were feared missing.

AP Exclusive: More Bangladesh factories dangerous

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:38:55 -0400

DHAKA, Bangladesh - Bangladeshi garment factories are routinely built without consulting engineers. Many are located in commercial or residential buildings not designed to withstand the stress of heavy manufacturing. Some add illegal extra floors atop support columns too weak to hold them, according to a survey of scores of factories by an engineering university that was shown to The Associated Press.

UN: World population to reach 8.1 billion in 2025

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:00:18 -0400

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations forecast Thursday that the world's population will increase from 7.2 billion today to 8.1 billion in 2025, with most growth in developing countries and more than half in Africa. By 2050, it will reach 9.6 billion.

Maoist rebel attack on train in India kills 3

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:46:14 -0400

PATNA, India - Dozens of suspected Maoist rebels fired at a passenger train passing through their stronghold in eastern India on Thursday, killing three people and injuring two others, police said.

Cooper CEO says buyer committed to US operations

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:24:40 -0400

TOLEDO, Ohio - A tire maker whose main market is in India is buying Ohio's Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. for $2.2 billion and making a commitment to maintain the company's three U.S. manufacturing plants and retain its management operation in Ohio, Cooper's chief executive said Wednesday.

Slain Bhutanese refugee had high hopes in America

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:39:10 -0400

ST. LOUIS - Bhutanese refugee Mon Rai couldn't wait to be a father and was excited about his new life in America.

Pakistan's Musharraf gets bail in key case

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:12:22 -0400

ISLAMABAD - A defense lawyer says a court has granted bail to Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in a case involving his allegedly unconstitutional 2007 decision to fire senior judges.

10 die in India building collapse

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:57:26 -0400

MUMBAI, India - Part of a four-story building in India's financial capital collapsed in heavy monsoon rains, killing 10 people including five members of one family, authorities said Tuesday.

Pakistan says Indian planes violated its airspace

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:45:00 -0400

ISLAMABAD - The Pakistani Air Force said two Indian aircraft violated Pakistan's airspace on Tuesday, and that it scrambled two fighter jets to "challenge the intruders."