Author: lbostgadmin
Malaysia warns jail for text-messaging behind the wheel
KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (AFP) – Malaysian motorists who read or send SMS text messages while behind the wheel face going to jail, authorities warned in a report Wednesday, saying texting is more dangerous than talking on the phone. Malaysia’s Road Transport Department last year nabbed 600 motorists for using text messaging services and is […]
Checking Numbers
May 3 (LBO) – A Chinese construction firm selected to design and build the Colombo-Katunayake expressway submitted their financial proposal last week after a two-month delay. A government appointed technical evaluation committee is now going through the proposal and hopes to have their report out as early as next week, secretary to the Highways Ministry, […]
Flying Easy
May 3 (LBO) — A new ticketing system for Sri Lanka that cuts the paper trail between airlines and travel agents took off Wednesday, with Emirates issuing the first tickets. Instead of individual ticket formats issued by airlines, travel agents are given a stock of Standard Traffic Documents (STD) to issue tickets for all airlines […]
Sri Lanka seeks truce talks despite bloodiest month
May 2 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has stepped up moves to revive talks with Tamil Tiger rebels as eight more guerrillas were reported killed Tuesday after the bloodiest month since a truce took effect in 2002, officials said.A breakaway faction of the Tamil Tigers attacked a base of the mainstream guerrillas in the northeastern port […]
Truce monitors climb down on Sri Lanka killings charge
May 2 (AFP) – Scandinavian truce monitors on Tuesday climbed down from an allegation that Sri Lankan government forces may have been responsible for extrajudicial killings. “The Sri Lankan government has conveyed to us that they are not aware of any such activities within their ranks,” the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said in a […]
Asian governments among the worst enemies of Internet freedom
BEIJING, May 2 (AFP) – Governments in Asia are considered among the world’s worst “enemies” of Internet freedom, as they increasingly censor websites and jail people who express views deemed dangerous online. Ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, experts say countries including China, Vietnam and Nepal are feeling more threatened by cyberspace than […]
Japanese “device art” brings technology to life
LAVAL, France, May 2 (AFP) – From virtual water that you stir in a real bowl to little digital dwarves to play with, the latest trend from Japan is making technology both fun and thought-provoking.The works of art along the Japanese aisle at the International Conference on Virtual Reality in Laval, western France this weekend […]
Asia Pacific Breweries expands into India
SINGAPORE, May 2 (AFP) – Singapore-listed Asia Pacific Breweries, which makes Tiger beer, said Tuesday it has acquired 76 percent of Indian brewer Aurangabad Breweries for 18 million US dollars. The company is a joint venture between the Fraser and Neave Group of companies and Heineken of Holland. The deal includes a provision for Asia […]
AirAsia records surge in passenger traffic for first three months of 2006
KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 (AFP) – Low-cost carrier AirAsia Tuesday announced a big increase in passenger traffic in the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2005.Figures released for AirAsia and its Asian associates showed 55.3 percent more passengers were carried from January to March 2006, the third quarter of […]
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PARIS, May 2 (AFP) – Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) is to mark international press freedom day Wednesday by naming five new “predators on the freedom of the press” to add to the 32 it has already identified.The names, made available Tuesday, are those of Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, armed Tamil […]
Cut Down
May 02 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings revised the outlook on Sri Lanka Telecom’s foreign currency debt to negative from stable, but said the rating of BB- remains unchanged. The revision followed a similar change in the outlook of the Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating. Both Fitch and S & P changed the outlook on Sri Lanka’s […]
Mixed Results
May 02 (LBO) – Indo-Lanka trade talks hit a roadblock last week with dialogue on trade in goods shelved for later this month, though talks on services made headway. “We could not complete the talks on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as scheduled. We were able to hold discussions on financial services and other […]