South Asian Business news and information

If you are a wild life lover then I suggest that you plan a tour in Sri Lanka. Why? Wild life researchers and eco-tourists have declared Sri Lanka as the top whale watching spot in the world. The blue whales and sperm whales are the two most spotted whale species around the south coast of Sri Lanka from January to April. Renowned marine biologist Charles Anderson opined that Sri Lanka could be a great whale destination spot. Anderson has been studying Indian Ocean whales for 24 years and so far he had a fantastic experience.

The Asian Development Bank has agreed to amend the conditions of its loan to the Sri Lankan government for building a new deep-water harbor near the Colombo port known as the South port. According to the ADB Country Director Richard Vokes, on the request of the Sri Lankan government, ADB agreed to give the loan first for the continuation of the harbor infrastructure construction work.

Nepalese people are now in a historical time. They had a peaceful election and there is a sense of optimism in Nepal that the future may be peaceful. Yes, peace has remained elusive for the country for many years. Now, the country has got the best opportunity for a better future. Nepal needs a lot of money to sustain its peace. The good thing is that World Bank has come forward to support Nepal with $50 million.

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has been in power since 1978. I wonder if there is any other president in Asia who is in power for such a long time. Until 2005, he ruled the country with a strong hand but he had to give in and allow the formation of other political parties. Now, an election is expected to take place in this August. Well, the opposition parties are not happy with election preparations.

Read More: Maldives gets ready for August polls

Peace really looks possible in Nepal now. In fact, for the last two years, the people of Nepal have experienced peaceful condition that remained so elusive for them for so many years. However, for ensuring peace, Nepal needs a lot of support from the international community.

After the recently concluded general election, the Maoists have emerged as the most powerful force in the new parliament. They did not win an outright majority but it is now almost certain that they will lead the new government. The Maoists have called for the removal of King Gyanendra and abolishing of monarchy. On the other hand, King Gyanendra is determined to stay in power.

In the world, there are more than 2 billion mobile phone subscribers. So, the figure 275,000 is indeed like a drop in the ocean. However, for Maldives and Dhiraagu, this is an amazing achievement because the total population of the country is a bit more than 300,000. This means that almost everyone in Maldives now has a mobile phone connection.