Shifting Afghan drug trade threatens Central Asia
KABUL - A military surge in southern Afghanistan is pushing drug trafficking up into the north, where it could threaten stability in volatile neighbouring Central Asia republics, where Islamist militants also pose a threat.
Afghanistan produces around 90 percent of the world's opium used to make heroin in a thriving international trade worth an estimated ${esc.dollar}65 billion a year, according to the United Nations. It is also the world's major supplier of hashish, or cannabis resin.
- - - - -
U.S., Afghan agents ramp up war on drugs
KABUL - Narcotics cop Mohammad Wais quit his job in Afghanistan's poppy heartland of Kandahar after getting Taliban death threats; his friend Mohammad Tariq Aziz Hashimi, an intelligence officer, fled after an assault by traffickers.
Their decision to abandon their posts is a reminder of the challenges facing a newly ramped-up U.S. and Afghan bid to cut back a business that has helped fund three decades of conflict.
- - - - -
India minister signals opposition to c.bank rate hike
NEW DELHI - India's trade minister said on Tuesday monetary policy may not be the right tool to fight high food inflation, in a strong political signal against a rate hike in next week's central bank policy review.
In a letter written to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, which was released to the media, Trade Minister Anand Sharma also said a selective restriction on credit may be necessary to check inflationary pressures.
- - - - -
Literary festival shows India's global role
NEW DELHI - Asia's largest literary festival kicks off this weekend in a historic Indian city, a testament to the growing global influence of Indian literature and its appeal to both publishers and authors.
Regional language novelists and poets will rub shoulders with Nobel laureates and Booker Prize winners at the seventh annual Jaipur Literary Festival as organisers showcase works from India's array of states and dialects to thousands of book lovers. (Compiled by World Desk Asia, +65 6870-3815)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
