Audit raps USAID for wasting almost $50m in Afghanistan

Audit raps USAID for wasting almost $50m in Afghanistan A watchdog body criticized the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Monday for spending nearly $50 million on programs in Afghanistan which had so far failed to strengthen local government or improve stability. An audit from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) highlighted concerns with USAID's "Stability in Key Areas Programme" which runs across the war-torn country.The report from the official US watchdog will raise further worries about wastage of some of the billions of dollars of international aid spent in a country battling a 12-year Taliban insurgency."It's troubling that after 16 months, this program has not issued its first community grant," SIGAR's special inspector general John...

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Bhutan says India fuel subsidies to restore next month

Bhutan says India fuel subsidies to restore next month Subsidies on cooking gas and kerosene will be restored first week of August. This official confirmation came from the prime minister’s office Monday evening. This means Bhutanese consumers will be able to buy these products at prices that existed before July 1 when the subsidy was lifted.An LPG would cost Nu 504 and not Nu 1,196.Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Indian Ambassador VP Haran discussed the issue of subsidy withdrawal by the Indian external ministry in July.A news release from the prime minister’s office stated that following his request, Ambassador VP Haran informed him that the Indian government would restore all subsidies starting first week of August.Trade department officials claim they were, however, not informed...

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Hundreds of Uyghurs( Muslims) Detained Over Deadly Attack on Chinese Dam Workers

Hundreds of Uyghurs ( Muslims) Detained Over Deadly Attack on Chinese Dam Workers Two Uyghurs are being sought in connection with a May 20 attack which led to the death of seven Han Chinese workers building a dam in Qaraqash county. RFA Chinese authorities have detained for questioning hundreds of ethnic minority Uyghurs and are hot on the trail of two key suspects in connection with a fatal knife attack on Han Chinese workers building a dam in the restive Xinjiang region, according to local officials and residents.Dozens still remain in custody following the May 20 attack which led to the death of seven Han Chinese workers building...

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Thein Sein Orders Myanmar’s Second Major Cabinet Reshuffle

Thein Sein Orders Myanmar’s Second Major Cabinet Reshuffle Thein Sein (C) gives a speech during a ceremony in Rangoon, June 2, 2013.  AFP Myanmar President Thein Sein has announced his second major cabinet reshuffle since taking power two years ago from the former military junta, reassigning four ministers, dropping two deputy ministers and naming scholars as among 10 new deputy minister appointments.The announcement by the President’s Office, made late Thursday, marks the first significant shakeup since Thein Sein approved nine new cabinet posts in August last year.Observers cautiously welcomed the changes, calling on the...

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Myanmar Sets Up Panel to Review Constitution But Concerns Remain

Myanmar Sets Up Panel to Review Constitution But Concerns Remain The lower house of Burma's parliament meets in Naypyidaw on Oct. 18, 2012.  AFP Myanmar has set up a 109-member parliamentary committee to consider amendments to the country's constitution that could enable opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to make a bid to become president and provide greater rights for ethnic minorities, according to lawmakers.But some warned that the panel is unwieldy, does not fully represent the pro-reform groups, and could be a halfhearted attempt merely to defuse pressure from Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD)...

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'My Father Is a Hero'

'My Father Is a Hero' Qi Ji, the daughter of Chinese dissident Qi Zhiyong, speaks to RFA in San Francisco, June 2013.  RFA Qi Ji is the 15-year-old daughter of Beijing-based dissident and rights activist Qi Zhiyong, who was maimed when a tank ran over his legs on the night of June 3, 1989, as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) put an end to weeks of peaceful protest on Tiananmen Square. Having a parent who is linked to China's pro-democracy movement, or to a political event deemed "sensitive" by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, could be seen as a disadvantage. State security police continue to harass the victims of the...

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'A Crucial Stage That Cannot Be Avoided'

UNDER HOUSE ARREST -- 'A Crucial Stage That Cannot Be Avoided' Students gather at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, April 22, 1989. AFP Something must be done about the issue of June 4, 1989. I am not going to predict how this will happen in the future. All I can say in advance is that whether the issue is resolved or eliminated will depend on two things: firstly, free access by our citizens to the truth about this incident; and secondly, the freedom of citizens to express their own evaluation of this incident.In today's world, it is difficult to solve any major problem in the absence of freely available information and the...

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China Struggles With Economic Policies

China Struggles With Economic Policies A man walks past a branch of the People's Bank of China in Lin'an city, Zhejiang province on June 25, 2013.  ImagineChina China's second market disruption in less than four months has sparked questions about the new government's management of economic policy, analysts say.On June 25, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) tried to ease market fears of a liquidity crisis following a two-week spike in interest rates and a plunge in share prices to 2009 lows."In recent days, the central bank has provided liquidity support to some financial institutions that meet the demands of macro prudence,"...

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Doubts Rise Over China's Economic Growth

Doubts Rise Over China's Economic Growth Pedestrians walking along an overpass in Beijing, July 11, 2013.  AFP China's economic growth has continued to slow as the government tries to crack down on inflated official reports.On Monday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced that the economy expanded at an annualized rate of 7.5 percent in the second quarter, down from 7.7 percent in the first quarter of the year.The slippage was in line with a consensus of forecasts reported by the official Xinhua news agency a week before.It was also in keeping with the government's target rate of 7.5 percent growth in gross domestic...

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China Eyes Effect of Slowing Economic Growth on Jobs

China Eyes Effect of Slowing Economic Growth on Jobs Chinese workers labor at the construction site of an industry park in Wenxian county, Jiaozuo city, central Henan province, May 1, 2013.  Imaginechina As China's government moves toward a new development model, it appears to be abandoning old formulas for job creation and economic growth.For years, government planners believed that economic growth rates of at least 8 percent were needed to provide jobs for new entrants to China's cities. Minimum growth of 8 percent in gross domestic product (GDP), a key benchmark for economic expansion, was seen as the key to employment...

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Death revisits Parachinar

Pakistan-- Death revisits Parachinar People gather around one of the blast sites in Parachinar on Friday. PHOTO: EXPRESS The conflict in Parachinar, Kurram Agency, resurfaced once again, when two suicide bombers targeted a busy market killing, at least, 51 and injuring almost 190 tribesmen from the predominantly Shia, Turi and Bangash tribes. Just last month, security forces, which had concluded a successful military operation in the neighbouring Sadda area of the agency, claimed to have restored peace by flushing out the militants who were advancing towards Parachinar. But the unabated violence continues. After the attack,...

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UAE stops visas for Bangladeshis

UAE stops visas for Bangladeshis The United Arab Emirates have temporarily stopped issuing all kinds of entry permits for Bangladeshi passport holders because of security concerns over identification and fake documents. But the Bangladesh authorities do not know about the UAE action.‘The suspension of issuing visas is not permanent and is not a ban,’ Major General Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, Assistant Undersecretary for Naturalisation and Residency and Ports Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Interior was quoted by Dubai-based Gulf News as having said.Al Menhali said the situation will return to normal once a number of issues are resolved...

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Buddhist leaders unhappy with govt probe

Bangladesh- Buddhist leaders unhappy with govt probe Buddhist gurus in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday said that they had lost confidence in the government’s investigation of the attacks on minorities at Ramu that left 22 temples damaged as they believe that the committee had no scope to work independently. They also questioned the activities of some elected representatives and ruling party leaders and said that such activities indicated that they were influencing government actions.Courts in Cox’s Bazar, meanwhile, allowed 105 out of the 205 people arrested in connection with the sectarian attack, to be remanded in police custody for periods varying from one to seven days for interrogation.Two were remanded in custody for seven days, 14 for three days, 23 for two days and the remaining 66...

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Leadership training should be mandatory for youths: Defence Secy

Sri Lanka - Leadership training should be mandatory for youths: Defence Secy Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said it should be mandatory for the country’s youths to undergo leadership training to earn laurels both locally and internationally. “Leadership training should be compulsory for youths to build self - confidence and earn victories in the international sphere as well as locally,” the Defence Secretary said at the Piping Ceremony of the SLEAS Class 1 Principals and MOE officers as Brevet Colonels at the Defence Ministry yesterday.He said if their confidence, leadership qualities, team work abilities etc were not built up properly, they would not be able to take the best probable decision at the crucial point of a competition which would be...

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Anti-Maoist stir on Indo-Nepal border, security beefed up

Anti-Maoist stir on Indo-Nepal border, security beefed up District authorities stepped up security along the Indo-Nepal border following tension in Sonauli area of Maharajganj district on Saturday after traders staged a bandh against Nepal's Maoist Party obstructing entry of traders and tourists from India. Traders said Maoists on the other side of the border were constantly attacking and looting Indian traders and not allowing trucks and tourists buses to enter Nepal for the last few days. "There is business worth Rs 5 crore per day between India and Nepal through Sonauli. Maoist activities in the last 10 days have caused a huge loss,"...

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Nepal Maoists ban Indian films, fish and fruits

Nepal Maoists ban Indian films, fish and fruits Maoist self-proclaimed heads of Tamsaling state comprising 10 Nepal districts close to the China border have banned entry of vehicles into the neighbouring country from India and also banned cinemas from exhibiting Hindi films and songs. While the leaders claim it is in a bid to save the Nepal film industry from collapsing and their society from veiled insults in Hindi films that show Nepali stereotypes, the mainstream political parties brand such attempts puerile and say Nepal's ties with India run deep and go back to ancient times. In support of their ban on goods being carried from India...

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Mukherjee lauds SAFMA's efforts for promoting SAARC agenda

Mukherjee lauds SAFMA's efforts for promoting SAARC agenda Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has lauded South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) for its efforts for promoting the agenda of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). “The SAFMA programme for South Asia, which is in operation for the last several years, is quite appreciable,” Mukherjee told a SAFMA delegation headed by Secretary General Imtiaz Alam that met him in New Delhi on July 24. The SAFMA team included SAFMA President Vinod Kumar Sharma and SAFMA India President Gautam Lahiri. Indian President and the SAFMA officials discussed the prospects of peace...

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Nawaz to set up 'China Cell' in PM house

Nawaz to set up 'China Cell' in PM house Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping. PHOTO: PPI SHANGHAI: To follow up on all the projects signed during the recent China visit, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will set up a dedicated “China Cell” in the prime minister house. Nawaz revealed this while speaking to the media from China on Sunday. Thanking the Chinese authorities for their overwhelming response, Nawaz said all the projects – when completed – will be of great benefit to the people of Pakistan. He asked the nation to pray that these schemes materialise soon and that no untoward incident...

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