INDIA

Asian Stock markets ended flat Monday as the optimism over Europe's moves to tackle the region's debt crisis faded and lackluster data from China also weighed.

Most Asian markets rose Monday amid indications of improving business conditions in Japan and on continued optimism about the measures taken in the EU summit to alleviate the euro zone debt burden.

India's current account deficit deteriorated to a record high of 4.5 percent of the GDP or $21.7 billion - a level seen for the first time in 20 years - for the quarter ending March 2012, data released by the Reserve Bank of India show.

India's economic growth is faltering as a result of weak governance, policy paralysis and opposition to reforms by the present government. These have dragged down the investor confidence.

Most Asian markets rose this week as investor sentiment turned positive with the announcement of measures at the EU summit in Brussels aimed at alleviating the current debt crisis gripping the euro zone.

More than three decades after the death of Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-Tung, Maoist rebels remain active in more than one-third of India?s 600 districts, primarily along the eastern parts of the country.

The excessive rain has also severed road and rail transport across much of Assam.

India's BSE Sensex soared more than 430 points or 2.59 percent to a two-month high of 17448.48 Friday on positive global and domestic cues. The 30-share benchmark index opened at 17134.61 and reached a high of 17448.48 before closing down at 17429.98.

Reuters Market Eye - Morgan Stanley has upgraded Indian stocks to equalweight in its latest report after having rated them underweight since the first quarter of 2011.

A committee which was formed to give recommendations on the implementation of the controversial general anti-avoidance rules (GAAR) provisions in India released its draft guidelines Thursday night. The draft guidelines have clarified that the GAAR will not be applied retrospectively.

Asian stock markets rallied Friday as sentiment was buoyed after leaders at the European Union summit in Brussels agreed on important plans to tackle the region's debt crisis.

Most Asian markets rose Friday as investors remained hopeful that policymakers would reach an agreement on bold steps to save the euro zone at the EU summit.

In Nigeria, overpopulation is a definite problem. Cutting down on fertility rates would help, but the government must choose the right plan of attack.

Surjeet?s release from prison caused some confusion last week, when it was reported that another Indian prisoner in Pakistan with a similar name, Sarabjit Singh, was going to be freed from death row.

Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, may change the way iTunes works so that it?s more closely integrated with the iCloud file-storage service, news services said.

Pranab Mukherjee, ruling UPA party's nominee and former finance minister of India filed his nomination papers for the July 19 presidential elections on Thursday, in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi and other leaders.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh took charge of the finance ministry on Wednesday and has initiated action to set up a unified mechanism for the ministry. The prime minister held a meeting with his key advisors and officials in this regard on Wednesday, local media reports said.

Refugees from Myanmar's embattled state of Kachin are suffering from a lack of humanitarian aid in China's Yunnan Province, according to a Tuesday report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Beverages giant Coca Cola announced Tuesday that it would invest nearly double the amount of money, along with its bottling partners, to $5 billion by 2020. The investment of $5 billion is higher by $3 billion from the earlier announcement made in November 2011 for a five-year period.

Most Asian markets rose Wednesday but investors remained watchful about the the debt crisis looming over the euro zone.

In Pakistan, a case of mistaken identity has led to an embarrassing U-turn for administration officials.