All Blogs
Insurance Plan
Apr 29, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will take over ‘abandoned property’ of depositors in banks to start a mandatory deposit insurance scheme, the island’s central bank, which is the banking regulator, has said. The central bank said it had ‘temporary custody’ of 371 million rupees of ‘abandoned property’ unclaimed by depositors in licensed commercial […]
Migrant Abuse
KUALA LUMPUR, April 29, 2010 (AFP) – Middle East and Asian nations, which draw millions of foreign domestic workers, have failed to take action to tackle widespread abuse of the vulnerable women, Human Rights Watch said. “The reforms undertaken by Middle Eastern and Asian governments fall far short of the minimum protections needed to tackle […]
Accolade
Apr 29, 2010 (LBO) – Shree FM, a radio station run by Sri Lanka’s the E A P Edirisinghe group, has won a top US broadcasting award for a community service program which helped people in remote areas, the broadcaster said. NAB is the highest award presented to non-US radio and television stations to recognize […]
US approves first offshore wind farm
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2010 (AFP) – The first US offshore wind farm project won government approval Wednesday after nearly a decade of battles involving environmentalists, Indian tribes and others. The big Massachusetts project approved by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is seen as a giving a major boost to wind power in the United States even […]
Tobacco firms take aim at Bangladeshi, Asian women
DHAKA, April 29, 2010 (AFP) – Bangladeshi chest doctor Kazi Saifuddin Bennoor has seen many misleading cigarette advertisements, but the one that suggested smoking could make childbirth easier plumbed new depths. Advertisements telling smokers they are smarter, more energetic and better lovers than their non-smoking counterparts are a familiar sight across Bangladesh — something unimaginable […]
Aishwarya Abhishek together in new film
MUMBAI, April 29, 2010 (AFP) – Bollywood’s leading couple, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, are teaming up for their first film together in two years, hoping to harness the power of the Internet to make it a box office hit. “Raavan,” with music by Oscar-winning “Slumdog Millionaire” composer A.R. Rahman, is a modern-day take on […]
Emirates starts Amsterdam Sri Lanka run
Apr 29, 2010 (LBO) – Emirates airlines said it was starting flights to the Dutch capital of Amsterdam from Colombo first and business class passenger being given complementary stays in Dubai. From Colombo, Emirates operates 21 services a week to Dubai. “Sri Lanka and the Netherlands are linked by centuries of history and trade, said […]
Sri Lanka to get Courtaulds clothing plant
Apr 29, 2010 (LBO) – Courtaulds Clothing has signed an agreement with Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment to set up a plant to manufacture knitted fabric for the export market, the investment promotion agency said. Another investment is by Regnis Appliances worth 1.1 million dollars to manufacture and assemble home appliances. An investment agreement for […]
‘s house: politician
April 29, 2010 (AFP) – The ancestral home of Sri Lanka’s slain Tamil Tiger rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran has been demolished as it was becoming a tourist attraction, a Tamil politician said Thursday. M. K. Sivajilingam, secretary of the Tamil National Liberation Alliance, accused security forces of destroying the house a year after Prabhakaran was […]
South Asian leaders admit failing their region
THIMPHU, April 28, 2010 (AFP) – South Asian leaders admitted Wednesday a common failure to overcome their differences and tackle the key challenges in their conflict-ridden region, including poverty, climate change and terrorism. Opening a summit of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Bhutan, the host nation’s Prime Minister Jigme Thinley […]