Indian government has move ahead with its decision to consolidate some of the public sector banks in order to improve efficiency and have better control over management of these banks.

The US presidential election will be one of the most important events in 2020.

The government is on a roll and is making concerted efforts to bring India’s economic growth back on track.

The government’s recent decision to revoke Article 370 and Article 35(A) is expected to have a positive impact on Jammu & Kashmir’s overall real estate market, which has been quite dismal so far. Property prices in Srinagar, for instance, still hover between INR 2,200 - 4,000 per sq. ft. – significantly low for tier 2 & 3 cities in the country.

On the one hand, locals will finally see an increase in the value of their properties. On the other, the really exciting prospect is the opening up of opportunities for Indians from outside J&K to finally invest in immovable property here. In fact, in his recent address to the nation, the Prime Minister categorically invited various industries - including Bollywood - to make investments across the entire region.

Manila - Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to immediately condemn the existence of a death squad that it said has killed more than 800 people in the past decade in a southern city.

The New York-based watchdog lamented that since it released a report on April 6 on the activities of the death squad in Davao City, 990 kilometres south of Manila, that Arroyo had not spoken about the murders.

Dhaka - Bangladeshi former prime minister Khaleda Zia and her two sons on Thursday sought the withdrawal of graft charges brought against them.

"We have filed applications seeking withdrawal of the 21 cases," Sanaullah Mia, one of Zia's attorneys, told reporters after filing the appeal. "... These cases have no merit."