Latest news with #SouthAsia
SBS Australia
33 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
SBS Gujarati Australian update: 23 July 2025
SBS Gujarati is a part of SBS South Asian, the destination channel for all South Asians living in Australia. Tune in to SBS Gujarati live on Wednesdays and Fridays at 2pm on SBS South Asian on digital radio, on channel 305 on your television, via the SBS Audio app or stream from our website . You can also enjoy programs in 10 South Asian languages, plus SBS Spice content in English. It is also available on SBS On Demand
SBS Australia
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- SBS Australia
Listen to the full SBS Punjabi radio program
For news, information, and interviews in Punjabi from Australia and the homeland, tune into SBS Punjabi live, Monday to Friday at 4 pm, on SBS South Asian , digital radio (channel 305 on your television) or via the SBS Audio app . You can also stream directly from our website .
Times of Oman
4 hours ago
- Business
- Times of Oman
India helping Maldives stabilise its "stressful financial" situation: Foreign Secretary Misri
New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday stated that India has been lending a "helping hand" to the Maldives to stabilise its "stressful financial" situation, highlighting New Delhi's role in bolstering the island nation's foreign exchange reserves through significant financial assistance. Addressing a press briefing ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Maldives, Misri elaborated on India's support for the island nation, noting that a USD 400 million swap line has been nearly fully utilised to stabilise its financial situation. Maldives has been grappling with a mounting debt crisis that threatens its economic sovereignty, as its foreign exchange reserves dwindle to precarious levels while substantial debt repayments loom. Maldives is currently needing to service external debt worth USD 600 million in 2025, which can amount to a staggering USD 1 billion by 2026. Misri also emphasised that India remains in close contact with Maldivian authorities to explore further support, describing the situation as dynamic and requiring ongoing collaboration. "Insofar as the issue related to the financial stability of Maldives is concerned, it is a fact that it has faced a stressful financial environment, and that is why we have been giving a helping hand to Maldives in order to stabilise the financial situation. Our recent assistance has led to accretions in the foreign exchange position of the Maldives, and it is this accretion, as a matter of fact, that has been cited by international financial organisations, including the IMF, as a positive factor that has helped the Maldives stave off outcomes that could be difficult for it," the Foreign Secretary stated. "This is a dynamic situation. We will remain in close touch with our friends and partners in the Maldives to see what else we can do. In any case, so far as the swaps are concerned, my understanding is that the USD 400 million swap line has been drawn almost completely, and now perhaps the USD 30 billion rupee Indian swap line will also be drawn upon," he added. Last year, during Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu visit to India, the Union Government extended support in the form of USD 400 million and Rs 30 billion as a bilateral currency swap agreement in order to tackle the ongoing financial challenges faced by the Maldives. Earlier in May, the Union Government has extended support to the island nation by rolling over the USD 50 Million treasury bill. Addressing the broader turnaround in India-Maldives relations after ties between New Delhi and Male were strained following derogatory remarks made by Maldivian officials about Prime Minister Modi in early January last year, Misri underscored the resilience of the partnership. He credited the close discussions with Maldivian partners for providing clarity and assurances on the matter while highlighting India's continued support through its military or infrastructural assets provided to the Maldives for its development. "There will always be events that will impact or try to intrude on the relationship. But I think this is testimony to the kind of attention that has been paid to the relationship, including attention at the highest levels that has been paid to the relationship. We've continued to work at it, and I think the result is there for you to see. I think we have also been in very close discussions with our partner partners in the Maldives to provide clarity and assurances about what it is that we want to do bilaterally, and I think this is the result is there for all to see," the Foreign Secretary stated. "With regard to the assets that we have provided them. They continue to function there with the appropriate personnel to manage them and to assist the Maldives authorities in using them for the best possible results," Misri added. Notably, ties between New Delhi and Male were strained after Maldivian officials made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Modi in early January last year. However, during the visit of Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer in April 2024, Zameer distanced his government from the derogatory remarks made by these officials, stating that it was not the government's stance and that "proper action" had been taken to ensure such remarks were not repeated. Earlier in January, India handed over defence equipment and stores to the Maldives, as per the island nation's request, while reiterating its firm commitment to working closely in realising the joint vision for the India-Maldives Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. PM Modi will embark on his two-nation tour of the UK and the Maldives from July 23 to July 26, the MEA had said on Sunday. From July 25, he will be on a two-day state visit to Maldives at the invitation of President Mohamed Muizzu. He has been invited as the 'Guest of Honour' for the 60th Anniversary celebrations of the Independence of Maldives on July 26. Notably, the visit by PM Modi comes at a historic juncture as New Delhi and Male are marking their 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. This will be the Prime Minister's third visit to the Maldives and the first visit by a Head of State or Government to the Maldives during the Presidency of Mohamed Muizzu.
Malay Mail
10 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Without papers: Ghost lives of millions of Pakistanis
KARACHI, July 23 — Ahmed Raza is invisible in the eyes of his government, unable to study or work because, like millions of other Pakistanis, he lacks identification papers. In the South Asian nation of more than 240 million people, parents generally wait until a child begins school at the age of five to obtain a birth certificate, which is required for enrolment in most parts of Pakistan. Raza slipped through the cracks until the end of elementary school, but when his middle school requested documentation, his mother had no choice but to withdraw him. 'If I go looking for work, they ask for my ID card. Without it, they refuse to hire me,' said the 19-year-old in the megacity of Karachi, the southern economic capital. He has already been arrested twice for failing to present identification cards when stopped by police at checkpoints. Raza's mother Maryam Suleman, who is also unregistered, said she 'didn't understand the importance of having identity documents'. 'I had no idea I would face such difficulties later in life for not being registered,' the 55-year-old widow told AFP from the single room she and Raza share. Pakistan launched biometric identification cards in 2000 and registration is increasingly required in all aspects of formal life, especially in cities. In 2021, the National Database and Registration Authority estimated that around 45 million people were not registered. They have declined to release updated figures or reply to AFP despites repeated requests. To register, Raza needs his mother's or uncle's documents—an expensive and complex process at their age, often requiring a doctor, lawyer or a newspaper notice. The paperwork, he says, costs up to US$165 (RM698.40) —a month and a half's income for the two of them, who earn a living doing housework and odd jobs in a grocery shop. Locals whisper that registration often requires bribes, and some suggest the black market offers a last resort. 'Our lives could have been different if we had our identity cards,' Raza said. 'No time or money' In remote Punjab villages like Rajanpur, Unicef is trying to prevent people from falling into the same fate as Raza. They conduct door-to-door registration campaigns, warning parents that undocumented children face higher risks of child labour and forced marriage. Currently, 58 percent of children under five have no birth certificate, according to government figures. Registration fees depend on the province, ranging from free, $0.70 to $7 -- still a burden for many Pakistanis, about 45 percent of whom live in poverty. 'Our men have no time or money to go to the council and miss a day's work,' said Nazia Hussain, mother of two unregistered children. The 'slow process' often requires multiple trips and there is 'no means of transport for a single woman,' she said. Saba, from the same village, is determined to register her three children, starting with convincing her in-laws of its value. 'We don't want our children's future to be like our past. If children go to school, the future will be brighter,' said Saba, who goes by just one name. Campaigns in the village have resulted in an increase of birth registration rates from 6.1 per cent in 2018 to 17.7 per cent in 2024, according to Unicef. This will improve the futures of an entire generation, believes Zahida Manzoor, child protection officer at Unicef, dispatched to the village. 'If the state doesn't know that a child exists, it can't provide basic services,' she said. 'If a child does not have an identity, it means the state has not recognised their existence. The state is not planning for the services that the child will need after birth.' Muhammad Haris and his brothers, who have few interactions with the formal state in their border village in the mountainous province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have not registered any of their eight children. 'The government asks for documents for the pilgrimage visa to Mecca,' a journey typically made after saving for a lifetime, he told AFP. For him, this is the only reason worthy of registration. — AFP
Arab News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
UN backs peaceful dispute resolution as Pakistan slams India over water treaty suspension
ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution calling on member states to use peaceful means, including negotiation, mediation and judicial settlement, to resolve disputes, as Pakistan accused India of undermining a landmark water-sharing agreement. Signed in 1960 with World Bank mediation, the Indus Waters Treaty governs the distribution of the Indus River and its tributaries between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed neighbors with a history of conflict. Despite strained bilateral relations over the decades, the treaty has been regarded as one of the most resilient diplomatic frameworks in South Asia. Speaking at the UNSC's open debate, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty remained a 'noteworthy example of dialog and diplomacy working for peacefully arriving at a water-sharing arrangement between two neighbors.' 'The treaty has withstood periods of trials and tribulations in bilateral relations,' Dar said. 'It is most unfortunate and regrettable that India has chosen to illegally and unilaterally hold this treaty in abeyance on baseless grounds with the intention of withholding the flow of water to 240 million people of Pakistan, who rely on it for their livelihood and survival.' Dar's remarks came as the Security Council adopted a resolution reaffirming the importance of peaceful dispute resolution mechanisms, with all 15 of the Council's members voting in favor. The resolution encourages states to make full use of existing mechanisms such as 'negotiation, mediation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means,' in accordance with the UN Charter. India decided to hold the IWT treaty 'in abeyance' after a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people in April. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for being behind the attack and announced a slew of punitive measures, including suspending the water sharing pact. Pakistan denies involvement in the assault and has called for an independent international investigation. The IWT ensures water supply for 80 percent of Pakistani farms. Pakistan has previously warned that the treaty contains no provision for unilateral withdrawal and any attempt to block or stop river water flowing into the country would be considered 'an act of war.' In May, weeks after the April attack, the most intense India–Pakistan military confrontation in decades ensued, involving a series of drone, artillery and missile strikes before a ceasefire was brokered by the US on May 10.
