Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka bids for UN rights council seat despite opposition
UNITED NATIONS, May 20, 2008 (AFP) – Sparks are set to fly Wednesday when 15 seats on the UN Human Rights Council come up for election, with European nations vying for influence and NGOs warning some candidates are unfit to take part.All of the United Nations’ 192 members have a say in Wednesday’s vote at […]
Sri Lanka UN rights council bid comes under fire
May 20, 2008 (AFP) – UN members should reject Sri Lanka’s re-election bid to the world body’s Human Rights Council, a rights group said Tuesday as it accused Colombo of widespread abductions and “disappearances.” The coalition also noted that the armed separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have long been implicated in serious human rights […]
Google launches online medical records service
SAN FRANCISCO, May 19, 2008 (AFP) – Google on Monday launched Google Health, a long-anticipated medical records service letting US users store and manage their health care information online.The offering raises privacy concerns and draws yet another battle line between Internet search king Google and global software giant Microsoft, which began offering a similar HealthVault […]
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 […]
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. […]
‘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 […]
Afghanistan take first step towards cricket World Cup
KARACHI, May 19, 2008 (AFP) – Burgeoning cricket talent Afghanistan are confident as they prepare for the first step towards the 2011 World Cup, captain Norooz Khan Mangal was quoted as saying Monday. “The tour to Peshawar was a good one in which we won 13 out of 14 40-overs-a-side matches. In our domestic cricket, […]
Microsoft says mulling new Yahoo deal, without a takeover
WASHINGTON, May 18, 2008 (AFP) – Microsoft said Sunday it was considering some kind of new deal with Yahoo that would not involve a new takeover bid, two weeks after withdrawing its offer to acquire the struggling Internet pioneer.“In light of developments since the withdrawal of the Microsoft proposal to acquire Yahoo Inc., Microsoft announced […]
EU investment in India surges past China in 2007: Eurostat
BRUSSELS, May 19, 2008 (AFP) – The flow of European cash into Indian firms surged more than fourfold last year, far surpassing EU investments into Chinese companies, estimates from the bloc’s Eurostat data agency showed on Monday.Foreign direct investment from the 27-nation European Union into India jumped to 10.9 billion euros (17.0 billion dollars) last […]
Panel urges Japan to open up to foreign investment
TOKYO, May 19, 2008 (AFP) – An advisory panel called on Japan’s government Monday to help remove barriers to foreign investment amid calls overseas for the world’s second-largest economy to open up more.The panel of academics, business chiefs and other experts proposed Japan treat foreign and domestic investors equally and lower its corporate tax of […]
Sri Lanka fighting kills 50: ministry
May 19, 2008 (AFP) – At least 50 people have died in fresh fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels in northern Sri Lanka, the island’s defence ministry said Monday.The clashes, coinciding with a Buddhist holiday and nationwide religious services, left 40 guerillas dead and 13 soldiers killed or missing, the ministry said. The […]
Good Ideas
May 19, 2008 (LBO) – Two small charities in Sri Lanka have won 40,000 US dollars in grants to work on reducing discrimination and stigma associated with AIDS and HIV, the World Bank said. The grants came from the South Asia Development Marketplace initiative where 26 proposals from the region won grants from a million […]