Turkey may end help to India on Iran Oil Payments, report

Turkiye Halk Bankasi AS (HALKB) told Indian oil (IOCL) refiners it may no longer be able to be an intermediary for their purchases of Iranian crude, four people with knowledge of the matter said. (more…)

50,000 Indians deported from Saudi Arabia during amnesty

Around 50,000 Indian expatriates mainly unskilled labourers, were deported from Saudi Arabia until mid-September following an amnesty announced by the Saudi government, an Indian diplomat has said. (more…)

Syria’s activists urge South Africa, Brazil, India to back the UN resolution

A group of Syrian activists urged South Africa, Brazil, and India, which are current non-permanent UN Security Council members, to back a resolution condemning Damascus’ government’s violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests. (more…)

Syria lobbies India to prevent UN condemnation

Syria has called on India as chair of the United Nations Security Council not to give into “Western propaganda” about its crackdown on protests, as Italy recalled its ambassador.

Faisal Mekdad, Syria’s deputy foreign minister, on a three-day visit to India, said in television interviews that he had asked India to use its influence on the Security Council to thwart the West. (more…)

Germany’s Merkel lands in India after Iran blocks plane

Iran briefly refused to allow a plane carrying German Chancellor Angela Merkel to India to enter its airspace, forcing the government aircraft to circle over Turkey for almost two hours before giving clearance. (more…)

Is India’s $35 PC the Future of Computing?

The government of India has unveiled a prototype of a touchscreen, tablet computer which it expects to sell for $35 initially. As more companies migrate server applications and data storage to the cloud, a simple, Web-enabled platform such as this will replace the bloated desktop and laptop hardware architectures in use today.

The Indian prototype is impressive–especially at a $35 price point. (more…)

60 dead, 90 injured in India train crash

One speeding passenger train slammed into another stopped at a depot in eastern India early Monday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 90 others in the second major train disaster in the region in just over seven weeks. (more…)

7.5-magnitude quake stikes off India coast

A 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of India early Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A local tsunami watch has been issued for India, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. (more…)

Indian Maoists Kill at Least 73 Officers

India’s campaign against the country’s Maoist insurgency suffered a major setback on Tuesday when rebel fighters ambushed a paramilitary unit on patrol in an isolated forest region, killing at least 73 officers. (more…)

India Temple Stampede Kills 63, injures 100

At least 63 people were killed and 100 others injured Thursday in a stampede at a Hindu temple in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the latest in a string of disasters that highlights the terrifying frequency with which pilgrimages turn deadly when religious fervor collides with India’s appalling infrastructure. (more…)