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Sri Lanka plans new defence structure
June 06, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government said it wants to introduce a new defence structure, including a joint chiefs of staff committee, for the ‘higher defence management’, to ensure better joint planning and operations by the armed forces. New laws are to be drafted to create the structure under proposals prepared by […]
Sri Lanka Brandix is top apparel exporter
June 6, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s export promotion agency has named Brandix as the island’s top apparel exporter Friday, the group which employs more than 25,000 people, said. Brandix makes lingerie, casuals, sport wear, textiles, knitted fabrics, thread, accessories and hangers. It also has wet processing, finishing and fabric printing facilities. “The concluded year […]
Sri Lanka gets EU delegation to discuss trade concessions
June 6, 2006 (LBO) – A European Union delegation is due to visit Sri Lanka next week to discuss the renewal of trade concessions for exports, especially apparel, into the EU, a government minister said. The GSP Plus facility keeps over 350,000 people in direct employment in garment factories in Sri Lanka, Ambassador to the […]
Malaysia to halve foreigners in manufacturing, plantations by 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, June 6, 2008 (AFP) – Malaysia plans to almost halve the number of foreigners working in the plantation and manufacturing sectors by 2010 by reducing its yearly foreign intake by 400,000, a report said Friday.Human Resources Minister S. Subramaniam said the government wanted to reduce the imported labour force in the country from […]
Drug cheats with bans over six months to miss Games, says IOC
ATHENS, June 5, 2008 (AFP) – Drug cheats will be banned from future Olympics after Beijing 2008 if they are caught and sanctioned for over six months, the International Olympic Committee said on Thursday.“An athlete would not be deemed eligible to compete at an edition of the Olympic Games if he or she were caught […]
Court agrees flight attendants are too fat to fly: report
NEW DELHI, June 6, 2008 (AFP) – An Indian court has upheld the right of state-owned Air India to ground overweight flight attendants, a report said.Lawyers for the airline told the court the attendants were moved from flight duty to ground duty when they failed to meet minimum physical fitness standards, the Hindu newspaper reported. […]
” to tackle global warming
TOKYO, June 6, 2008 (AFP) – The world must spend one percent of its annual economic output to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the IEA said Friday, calling for an “energy technology revolution” to curb global warming. Unless governments take action now, carbon dioxide emissions will rise by 130 percent by the middle of […]
Hormone serotonin, impulsivity linked in British study
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2008 (AFP) – Serotonin plays a key role in regulating emotions such as aggression and impulsivity during decision making, according to British research appearing Thursday in the United States. Neurologists and psychiatrists have long linked serotonin, a hormone that transmits chemical messages between nerve cells, and social behavior, but its precise role […]
Legends of the Olympic Games
PARIS, June 5, 2008 (AFP) – With the 2008 Olympics getting under way in Beijing on August 8, AFP Sport presents a selection of the legends who have lit up the event down the years: Abebe Bikila (ETH) – Running barefoot, Bikila of Ethiopia won the marathon at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Despite undergoing an […]
Sliding Up
June 06, 2008 (LBO) – Chevron Lubricants Lanka has raised prices of its products following sharp increases in the prices of crude and base oil, a senior company official said Friday. “With rising petrol and diesel prices, people are finding it difficult to maintain their vehicles and so tend to postpone service decisions.” The two […]