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Sri Lankan Airlines produces technicians and engineers
May 21, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Airlines technical training has completed the training of over 40 foreign and local students in aircraft engineering and maintenance, the airline said. The technician’s course has 1,200 hours of theory and another 1,200 hours of practical training in workshops, base maintenance and line maintenance. A batch of students […]
Bollywood muscles in on Hollywood
CANNES, May 21, 2008 (AFP) – With India’s entertainment billionaires seemingly blessed with limitless pockets, Bollywood is flexing its movie muscle, taking on Hollywood in unexpected corners of the globe and buying up theatres worldwide.“Bollywood now has the muscle and (Indian) corporates have big money,” prominent Indian filmmaker Jagmohan Mundra told AFP. Mundra said Bollywood […]
‘s son quits ruling party
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21, 2008 (AFP) – Malaysian former premier Mahathir Mohamad’s son quit the ruling party Wednesday after his father called for mass resignations to force the ouster of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.. Businessman Mokhzani Mahathir warned the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was heading for “annihilation” unless Abdullah stepped down to take […]
US ethanol policy under siege in food-for-fuel debate
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2008 (AFP) – Amid a surge in food prices blamed in part on US expansion of corn-based ethanol production, lawmakers, experts and industry officials are urging the government to rethink a new law mandating alternative fuels. The United States is the world’s top producer of corn-based ethanol, which the administration of President […]
‘ pay packets
SYDNEY, May 21, 2008 (AFP) – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd urged company executives to rein in their salaries Wednesday, amid a furore over an 80 million dollar (76.8 million US) payout to the head of an investment bank. Speaking after it was revealed that outgoing Macquarie bank chief executive Allan Moss would receive a […]
‘s child obesity problem ballooning – study
GENEVA, May 21, 2008 (AFP) – Child obesity is ballooning into a big problem in China as ‘little emperors’ are increasingly getting an appetite for the Western couch-potato way of life, according to a study presented in Geneva.Almost one in five children under seven is overweight and more than seven percent are obese, according to […]
Sri Lanka lose seat on UN Human Rights Council
UNITED NATIONS, May 21, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka, under fire for its human rights record, was Wednesday denied a seat on the UN Human Rights Council while France and Britain edged out Spain to win re-election in a closely-watched contest in the UN General Assembly. Nineteen countries were vying for 15 coveted seats on […]
‘s southern tourism industry fights hard times
May 20, 2008 (LBO) – The tourism industry in southern Sri Lanka, badly hit by recent unrest, is fighting back by highlighting its best attractions and drawing local visitors, but they also want authorities to lobby harder against foreign travel advisories. Hotelier are desperate to revive an industry that offers plenty of attractions for visitors […]
Sri Lanka Tamil Tigers say unit commander dies of heart attack
May 20, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers said Tuesday that a high-ranking rebel leader died of a sudden heart attack in the guerrilla-held northern regions.Brigadier Balraj, a special commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), led the rebels’ conventional fighting unit that has carried out repeated attacks on Sri Lankan troops. […]
Marks and Spencer posts annual profit of one billion pounds
LONDON, May 20, 2008 (AFP) – British clothes to food retailer Marks and Spencer posted annual profits of more than one billion pounds (1.2 billion euros, 1.9 billion dollars) Tuesday, the company said. Pre-tax profits of 1.1 billion pounds for the financial year to March 29 were 4.3 percent ahead of the previous 12-month period […]