Washington, June 22 (IANS) The United States has approved two proposed defence support packages for India worth a combined $428.2 million, covering long-term sustainment for M777A2 Ultra-Light Howitzers and follow-on support for AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, according to notifications published by the Pentagon.The notices, issued by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and published in the Federal Register last week, were recently delivered to the US Congress. The proposed sales in…
Latest South Asia News & Updates
New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) If India can combine its talent advantage with stronger research and development (R&D) and continued skilling, the country can become a very important contributor to the global AI ecosystem, says Arundhati Bhattacharya, President and CEO, Salesforce South Asia.India has the talent, digital infrastructure and entrepreneurial energy to become a leader in AI.“A lot of innovation will come from India’s unique requirements, whether it is multilingual AI, cost-efficient…
Washington, June 11 (IANS) India will remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy despite the economic shock from the conflict in the Middle East, with the World Bank on Thursday raised its growth forecast for the country even as it cut projections for much of the global economy.In its latest Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank upgraded India’s growth forecast for 2026 to 6.6 per cent from its January estimate of 6.5 per cent and raised its 2027 projection to 7.2 per cent from …
Washington, June 11 (IANS) The conflict in the Middle East is emerging as a major economic threat to South Asia through rising oil, gas and fertiliser prices, with the World Bank warning that the region is among the most exposed to the fallout from the crisis despite remaining the world’s fastest-growing economic region.The World Bank’s latest ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report projects South Asia’s growth to slow from 7 per cent in 2025 to 6.3 per cent in 2026 as higher energy costs, inflationa…
Islamabad, June 10 (IANS) Several leading international human rights organisations slammed the Pakistani authorities’ violent crackdown on “peaceful protests” in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), including an internet shutdown, mass arbitrary arrests, and the deadly use of force, describing it as an alarming deterioration of human rights in the region.The remarks came amid reports that several people have been killed and hundreds injured following deadly clashes between the law enforcement …
Ahmedabad, June 9 (IANS) Union Food Processing Industries Minister Chirag Paswan on Tuesday inaugurated the SAPLING (South Asian Policy Leadership for Improved Nutrition and Growth) Dialogue 2026 in Ahmedabad, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, development agencies, researchers and entrepreneurs from across South Asia to discuss ways to strengthen food processing ecosystems, generate employment and build sustainable food systems in the region. The two-day regional high-level polic…
New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) Public sector banks (PSBs) are increasingly embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and are keen to adopt next-generation technologies to improve customer service, operational efficiency and risk assessment, Arundhati Bhattacharya, President and CEO, Salesforce India and South Asia, said on Tuesday.In an interaction with IANS, the former State Bank of India (SBI) chairperson said public sector lenders have recognised the need to adapt to rapid technological changes and ar…
Ahmedabad/New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) South Asia, and particularly India, can unlock significant opportunities for employment, investment, economic growth and poverty reduction through agricultural and food transformation with the help of key government initiatives, the World Bank Group said on Tuesday.The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), in collaboration with the World Bank Group-led SAPLING initiative, inaugurated the Regional High-Level Policy Dialogue in Ahmedabad.At the ‘SAPLI…
New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) BHASHINI’s open Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) model has the potential to transform digital access for millions of citizens across South Asia, Amitabh Nag, CEO, Digital India BHASHINI Division, has said.The Digital India BHASHINI Division (DIBD) under IT Ministry, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kathmandu University’s Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure & Artificial Intelligence (DPI-AI), Nepal, to establish a collaborative framework for a…
Washington, June 6 (IANS) President Donald Trump has promised to lower energy and fertiliser costs for American farmers and said his administration was working to expand export markets and strengthen farm incomes.Speaking at an agriculture roundtable in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, on Friday (local time), Trump said farmers would see improving conditions in the coming months.”You’re going to see some very good things happen over the next 90-day period,” Trump said.”I told Ken 90 days, watch what h…