Highlights From South Asia News: July 4, 2013

Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Stocks Led Lower By Keels As Rupee Concerns Weigh
Sri Lankan shares, led by market heavyweight John Keells Holdings, weakened on Thursday due to investors’ concerns over the rupee’s weakness, and worries that outflows from government securities could spread to equities.From Reuters http://reut.rs/17W3BpG

Bangladesh
Retailers Call For Common Standards After Bangladesh Disaster

The UK’s top clothes retailers have denied they are exploiting workers in developing countries during a high-level Whitehall summit which was called after the recent factory disaster in Bangladesh.
By Kiran Stacey
From Financial Times http://on.ft.com/11k7NMX

Maldives
Egyptian Coup Different To Maldives’ 2012 Power Transfer: President Waheed
President Mohamed Waheed has condemned the overthrow of Egyptian leader Mohamed Morsi by the military, but emphasized that the event that brought him to power in February 2012 was “different”.
By J. J. Robinson From Minivan News http://bit.ly/16R85t7

Myanmar
Myanmar To Increase Riot Police Strength
Myanmar government will form more anti-riot squads and give them training in accordance with international standards, official media reported Thursday, citing a Myanmar Home Ministry official.From Mizzima News http://bit.ly/11k8Koz

Nepal
Landslides And Floods Kill 50 In Nepal
Landslides and floods triggered by several weeks of monsoon rains have killed at least 50 people in mainly remote parts of Nepal, a government official said.From Fox News/AFP http://fxn.ws/125sEOV

Afghanistan
Story
Six Children Killed By Hidden Bombs In Afghanistan 
By Rob Norland and Habib Zahori
From The New York Times http://nyti.ms/14QdajU

Pakistan
Pakistan, IMF Agree To $5.3 Billion Bailout
Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund have reached an initial agreement on a bailout of at least $5.3 billion to stave off an economic crisis as the country’s foreign reserves dip perilously low, officials said.
By Sebastian Abbot (@sebabbot)From AP http://bit.ly/123UU8i

Column
Pakistan’s Taliban Proxy and Afghan Power SharingBy C. Raja Mohan
From The Indian Express http://bit.ly/13nMprq

India
India Should Not ‘Stir Up’ Border Trouble, Says PLA General Ahead Of Defense Minister Anthony’s Visit To China
On the day Defence Minister A.K. Antony arrived in China on a three-day visit, a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Major General warned India to not “provoke new problems” and “stir up” trouble through its plans to increase deployments along the border.

By Ananth Krishnan

From The Hindu http://bit.ly/13vn3H0

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