India to contribute $239 mn to build South Asian University

October 8th, 2009 LONDON - British and American varsities dominated a list of the worlds 100 best universities published Thursday but more institutions from southeast Asia made their way into it. The number of universities from southeast Asian countries - Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Singapore - increased from 14 to 16 in the QS/Times Higher Education rankings, with the University of Tokyo the highest ranked Asian institution at 22.

September 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India and Turkmenistan held discussions on a transnational pipeline project from the gas fields of the Central Asian nation, which has the fourth largest gas reserves in the world, as External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna wrapped up a two-day visit Saturday.

September 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Australia will improve its understanding of the Muslim world with the launch of Indian arm of the University of South Australia's International Centre for Muslim and Non-Muslim Understanding to leverage this country's experience in the area, visiting Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Wednesday. The goal was to "build a worldwide community of outstanding scholars with a commitment to understanding and exploring the cultural and sociological factors that influence Muslim and non-Muslim relationships," Gillard said at the launch of the centre Wednesday on the third day of her visit.

September 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Julia Gillard, today announced in New Delhi that the International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding, located at the University of South Australia, will step up its cooperation with Indian partners. Inspired by former Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, the new research centre was announced at the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2008 at a special ceremony attended by the former PM.

August 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Fiat India has set an ambitious target of exporting 7,000 cars this fiscal, up from just 800 in 2008-09. The company Wednesday said in a statement that it would focus more on South Asian countries as well as major automobile markets like South Africa to meet the target.

August 7th, 2009 South Korea, India sign free trade agreementSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and India signed an ambitious free trade agreement Friday that slashes tariffs, encourages investment and promotes exchange of skills in a bid to double fast-growing commerce between two of Asia's biggest economies over the next decade. South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma signed what the two sides formally called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, but which in reality is a free trade deal.

July 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Union Minister of State for Ministry of Railways K.H. Muniyappa on Thursday said that India has signed the Inter Governmental Agreement on the Trans Asian Railway Network in June 2007 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

July 21st, 2009 HYDERABAD - The University of Florida (UF) and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) have decided to establish a distance education centre in Patancheru near here. A letter of agreement was recently signed by ICRISAT Director General William D.

July 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Union Cabinet today approved payment of India's contribution of 239.930 million dollars to the South Asian University, which is around 79 percent of the total cost of the full establishment of the University until 2014. As part of India's asymmetric commitment to SAARC, India is ready to disburse the first tranche of its financial commitment of 9.464 million dollars to ensure that the University is operational in July-August 2010.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Reiterating its "deep commitment" to build stronger ties with India, the US Thursday said it looked forward to working with the new Indian government to make its vision of shaping the 21st century together a reality. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "have both expressed a deep commitment to build stronger ties with India, a commitment based on mutual respect and mutual interest", the new US pointman for South Asia told a panel of the House of Representatives.

June 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton turned to computer speak as she called for an "upgrade" in the US-India relationship to a new version she dubbed "US-India 3.0". Speaking before the US-India Business Council and an audience that included representatives from offshore outsourcing companies, Clinton said the US-India relationship needs an "upgrade." She dubbed this new version of their relationship "US-India 3.0" saying finally, "I want to put us in the solutions business." "We find ourselves at the beginning of a third era.

April 22nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah Wednesday backed India to host the 2018 Asian Games in Delhi. Delhi had narrowly lost the bid to hold the 2014 Asian Games to Incheon City, Korea.

April 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday US President Barack Obama had told him that he was keen to visit India early with his entire family and build on the improving relationship with this country. In his interaction with women journalists Friday, Manmohan Singh spoke about his meeting with the US president on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in London last week.

February 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India's rapid growth of merchandise exports made South Asia the fastest growing region in shipping out manufactured goods between 2000 and 2005, says a UN agency's annual report on industrial development. 'Manufactured exports from all developing regions, excepting Latin America, grew faster than the world average and faster than exports from developing countries,' said the report prepared by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).

February 17th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - South Asia's future can be bright if its youth can come together to share ideas and work together as young people remain largely unaffected by some of the animosities and conflicts between their countries, said students at a South Asian festival here. For the students gathered here for the South Asian Universities Youth Festival's (SAUYF) Synergy-2009 event, the fest was a unique meeting point of diametrically opposite cultures on a single platform.