New Delhi / Bloomberg Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi risks a political backlash among the middle class as he seeks to coax banks into lowering interest rates. Criticism is growing against his government’s move last week to slash interest rates on small savings programs used by as much as a third of India’s 1.3 billion people. Banks have long cited ...

CANBERRA / AP Australia’s prime minister on Wednesday distanced himself from the man he replaced by announcing a new fund to promote clean energy innovation as the country heads toward a likely early election in July. The announcement by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of the 1 billion Australian dollar ($760 million) Clean Energy Innovation Fund comes after his predecessor Tony ...

NEW DELHI / Reuters Indian oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan will push for state-run firms to win development rights for the vast Farzad B gas field in Iran during a visit to that country next month. India, the world’s third-biggest oil importer and fourth-biggest consumer, wants to increase dealings with Gulf countries that supply the bulk of its oil needs. Pradhan ...