The Taliban have demanded a hefty new "protection tax" from Afghan mobile phone companies, industry and militant sources told AFP, as the resurgent group tightens its stranglehold on a rare successful business in a slumping war economy.
According to the Times of India, the government of India plans to halve pending tax disputes as it looks to make the tax administration citizen-friendly.
A second round of four-country talks aimed at reviving peace negotiations with the Taliban was held in Kabul Monday, even as the insurgents wage an unprecedented winter campaign of violence across Afghanistan.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and powerful army chief General Raheel Sharif are set to embark on an important visit to Iran and Saudi Arabia on Monday to reduce tensions between the two rival Muslim nations, his office has said.
India is set to make a strong bid to host its first ever G20 meet, seven years after the group began to play an active role in shaping international economic policy following the 2008 financial crisis.
Chinese internet search giant Baidu has set its eyes on India. The Nasdaq-listed company, which has a market cap of nearly $60 billion, is looking to buy "strategic stakes" in local startups such as restaurant search service provider Zomato, online movie and event tickets seller Bookmyshow and food retailer Big Basket.
The India-Pakistan foreign secretary talks, scheduled in Islamabad on January 15, seem uncertain. Even as national security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval courted controversy by purportedly indicating that the talks may be called off, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif quickly set up an inter-agency investigation team to probe the leads India provided it regarding the perpetrators of the Pathankot attack.
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