Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Home
Business
Business Home
Economy
Technology
Media
Small Business
Legal
Deals
Earnings
Social Pulse
Business Video
The Freeland File
Aerospace & Defense
Markets
Markets Home
U.S. Markets
European Markets
Asian Markets
Global Market Data
Indices
M&A
Stocks
Bonds
Currencies
Commodities
Futures
Funds
peHUB
World
World Home
U.S.
Brazil
China
Euro Zone
Japan
Mexico
Russia
India Insight
World Video
Reuters Investigates
Decoder
Politics
Politics Home
Election 2012
Campaign Polling
Tales from the Trail
Political Punchlines
Supreme Court
Politics Video
Tech
Technology Home
MediaFile
Science
Tech Video
Tech Tonic
Social Pulse
Opinion
Opinion Home
Chrystia Freeland
John Lloyd
Felix Salmon
Jack Shafer
David Rohde
Bernd Debusmann
Nader Mousavizadeh
Lucy P. Marcus
David Cay Johnston
Bethany McLean
Anatole Kaletsky
Edward Hadas
Hugo Dixon
Ian Bremmer
Lawrence Summers
Susan Glasser
The Great Debate
Steven Brill
Jack & Suzy Welch
Frederick Kempe
Christopher Papagianis
Mark Leonard
Breakingviews
Equities
Credit
Private Equity
M&A
Macro & Markets
Politics
Breakingviews Video
Money
Money Home
Tax Break
Lipper Awards 2012
Global Investing
MuniLand
Unstructured Finance
Linda Stern
Mark Miller
John Wasik
James Saft
Analyst Research
Alerts
Watchlist
Portfolio
Stock Screener
Fund Screener
Personal Finance Video
Money Clip
Investing 201
Life
Health
Sports
Olympics
Arts
Faithworld
Business Traveler
Entertainment
Oddly Enough
Lifestyle Video
Pictures
Pictures Home
Reuters Photographers
Full Focus
Video
Reuters TV
Reuters News
Article
Comments (0)
Full Focus
Editor's choice
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. See more
Images of June
Follow Reuters
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
YouTube
Read
Consumer agency fines Capital One for card marketing
18 Jul 2012
Obama, Putin talk as U.S. says Assad losing grip on Syria
18 Jul 2012
No sign of Assad after bomb kills kin, battles rage
|
3:01am EDT
San Bernardino, California, sets course for bankruptcy
1:06am EDT
Boxed in on taxes, Romney says Obama dislikes success
18 Jul 2012
Discussed
125
Obama allies tell Romney to ”quit whining” about Bain attacks
118
Syrian battles rage in capital, Russia pressed
86
World outrage at Syria ”massacre”, but no action
Watched
Tech bellwether IBM raises outlook
Wed, Jul 18 2012
Syrian rebels storm Damascus security post
Wed, Jul 18 2012
Mars landing not a crazy concept but risky: program director
Mon, Jul 16 2012
Pictures
Reuters Photojournalism
Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more | Photo caption
Inside the London Olympic Village
A look inside the Olympic Village, where athletes from around the world will live and play for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Slideshow
Religion in Mexico
Though Mexico has one of largest Christian populations in the world, the country still shares faiths with a host of other religions. Slideshow
India chooses president, reforms seen next on agenda
Tweet
Share this
Email
Print
Related News
Greek deputy minister resigns over bailout stance
Mon, Jul 9 2012
Myanmar poised for cabinet shake-up, MPs say
Wed, Jul 4 2012
Mexico's Pena Nieto to push for quick reforms
Mon, Jul 2 2012
Instant View: Mexico poised for change of government
Mon, Jul 2 2012
Mexico's old rulers return but without strong mandate
Mon, Jul 2 2012
Analysis & Opinion
India’s presidency and a daughter’s defiance ignored … for now
Bridge of Sighs
Related Topics
World »
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh casts his vote during an election for the mainly-ceremonial post of president in New Delhi July 19, 2012. Indian lawmakers voted for a new president on Thursday, ending weeks of wrangling and opening a much-hyped political window billed as the best chance for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to launch a wave of reforms and reverse an economic slowdown.
Credit: Reuters/Adnan Abidi
By Satarupa Bhattacharjya and Frank Jack Daniel
NEW DELHI |
Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:24am EDT
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian lawmakers voted for a new president on Thursday, ending weeks of wrangling and opening a much-hyped political window billed as the best chance for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to launch a wave of reforms and reverse an economic slowdown.
India's markets are anticipating quick action to relax investment rules and cut subsidies once the voting for the ceremonial post is out of the way. Stocks and the rupee outperformed other Asian markets this month after Singh suggested he will act after the election.
Analysts warn of a slump in investor confidence if anticipated measures do not materialize.
"This is a make or break situation for the government," said Rupa Rege Nitsure, chief economist at the Bank of Baroda, Mumbai.
"They have to come up with one or two really solid reforms first, otherwise they will be blamed for having been responsible for having triggered the lowering of India's credit rating to junk grade."
Singh assumed the additional role as acting finance minister in June, replacing Pranab Mukherjee, who resigned to run for president, a race he is almost certain to win after gaining support of allies. The president is elected by 4,896 lawmakers in state assemblies and the national parliament in Delhi and results will be announced on Sunday.
Mukherjee has only one opponent who does not have much support.
Mukherjee's strength signals a political victory for his Congress party after a string of reverses in state polls earlier this year, and could provide the bedrock for the ruling coalition to at least start its reform program.
Launching reforms is becoming increasingly crucial. Hampered by muddled policy and the global slowdown, India's economy grew at its slowest rate in nine years in the March quarter. Inflation is high and the rupee has slid some 20 percent against the dollar since last year as the current account deficit widened.
The government has indicated the period between the election and the start of parliament's monsoon session on August 8 is a good time to implement rules allowing foreign investment in supermarkets -- a policy Singh introduced last year but quickly abandoned after protests in parliament and on the street.
Trade Minister Anand Sharma was due to travel to the farming states of Haryana and Punjab on Thursday to rally support for the policy, which the government says will help restore investor confidence and fix food supply problems. Critics say it will hurt farmers and destroy small shop-keepers' livelihoods.
Opposition from West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the biggest partner in the Congress-led coalition, forced the U-turn on retail trade policy in December. But the government feels emboldened by the presidential vote and Singh may be less cowed this time round.
"The political environment right now is much more favorable," said a senior government official who works on economic policy.
One of India's leading businessmen, Ratan Tata, said in a Twitter message: "Now is the moment when our prime minister must break convention, restore government credibility, place the country on a growth path once again by implementing promised reforms."
OPPOSITION WITHIN THE PARTY
The official said the new retail policy was likely to be adopted either before the parliamentary session, or in September, which is considered another political window before state elections in the western industrial hub of Gujarat at the end of the year.
Singh is famed for opening up India's socialist economy when he was finance minister 20 years ago and ushering in an era of growth, but to repeat the performance now he must overcome opposition from partners in the ruling coalition and from within his own Congress party
Congress sources said some powerful leaders in the party, with an eye on upcoming state elections in Gujarat and the opposition-ruled northern state of Himachal Pradesh, do not back more liberalization they fear will cost jobs and raise prices.
A Congress party leader in Gujarat, which is ruled by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, told Reuters he would resist the entry of retailers like Walmart and Carrefour because the foreign supermarkets would take away business from local traders.
"The Congress Party is doing its best to support the government's reforms agenda," said Rashid Alvi, a party spokesman.
While retail reform would send a strong signal to investors, economists say the most urgent step is to lower subsidies for fuel because the government needs to cut the fiscal deficit. It is also the most unpopular, since Congress party support is largely drawn from farmers who rely on cheap diesel.
Government sources said this week the long-delayed cut might be pushed back further, despite the oil ministry suggesting last week it would happen soon.
Global ratings agencies Standard & Poor's and Fitch both cut their outlook to negative for India's sovereign debt this year -- raising the specter of Asia's third largest economy being the first BRIC nation to lose its investment grade rating.
Singh has already taken steps to try to calm investor fears about new rules aimed at cracking down on tax evasion.
He is expected to name a new permanent finance minister in the next two months. After casting his vote in the presidential vote on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, the scion of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty and the son of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, said he had decided to take a more prominent role in government, according to TV reports.
He did not say when or give more details but is considered unlikely to get a crucial portfolio like finance.
(Additional reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi and Swati Bhat in Mumbai; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
World
Related Quotes and News
Company
Price
Related News
Tweet this
Link this
Share this
Digg this
Email
Reprints
We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/
Comments (0)
Be the first to comment on reuters.com.
Add yours using the box above.
Edition:
U.S.
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
Back to top
Reuters.com
Business
Markets
World
Politics
Technology
Opinion
Money
Pictures
Videos
Site Index
Legal
Bankruptcy Law
California Legal
New York Legal
Securities Law
Support & Contact
Support
Corrections
Connect with Reuters
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
RSS
Podcast
Newsletters
Mobile
About
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
AdChoices
Copyright
Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider
An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution
A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance
Our next generation legal research platform
Our global tax workstation
Thomsonreuters.com
About Thomson Reuters
Investor Relations
Careers
Contact Us
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.