Category:
Agriculture minister quits
TOKYO, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) – Japan’s farm minister resigned Monday over a money scandal, a week after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe re-shuffled his cabinet in a bid to clean up the government’s image.Endo is the fifth person to leave Abe’s cabinet, besides those removed in the reshuffle, since Abe took the premier’s seat nearly […]
‘s mobile customers: Goose or eggs?
Sept 03, 2007 (LBO) – Taxes are necessary. The consistent theme of the “Choices” columns has been that choices have to be made; that one cannot have the cake and eat it too. The present administration got elected by promising to fight a war, give government employment to all graduates, give subsidies to all and sundry, […]
Sri Lanka lodges protest over vandalised Paris embassy
PARIS, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan embassy in Paris claimed Monday that Tamil Tiger rebels vandalised its flag ahead of a visit by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama later this week.In a statement denouncing “intimidatory tactics” by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the embassy said “LTTE agents” destroyed its flag pole and […]
” in Sri Lanka
Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) – At least 34 people have “disappeared” in Sri Lanka over the past three weeks, the Red Cross said Monday ahead of a United Nations meeting to discuss the island’s human rights record.More than 5,400 people have been killed in clashes since December 2005 in an ethnic conflict that has claimed […]
Sri Lanka blocks Tamil Tiger supply route
Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) – Troops in Sri Lanka have blocked a key supply route used by the Tamil Tigers in possible preparation for a delayed major assault on the rebels’ northern heartland, military experts said Monday. The military has been trying to break into the stronghold, the Wanni, for weeks but took some nearby […]
Sri Lanka floats the rupee; two way quotes return
Sept 03, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank has successfully floated the rupee after printing billions of rupees on an ill-fated intervention and sterilization adventure that nearly brought the national currency to its knees, analysts said. On August 23, the central bank stopped threatening dealers who were earlier labeled as being anti-national and heavy […]
Sri Lanka tea firms urged to grow own energy
Sept 1, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea plantations companies have been urged to grow their own fuel as a means of reducing costs at a time when fossil fuel prices are escalating. Growing crops like gliricidia would not only provide a cheap source of firewood to meet energy requirements but also nutrients for the […]
Worker Relations
September 02, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s employers and labour unions have set up a dispute settlement mechanism funded by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) with the aim of improving industrial relations. The Association for Dialogue and Conflict Resolution (ADCOR) is tasked with resolving employment related conflicts, making representations to authorities and conducting regular dialogue […]
Not Criminal
September 02, 2007 (LBO) – Prosecutors in the Philippines have sought to withdraw a criminal prosecution against Goldquest directors following appeals to higher courts, media reports from the country said. The case stemmed from a criminal complaint by former associates of Goldquest directors. Goldquest chief Vijayeswaran Vijayaratnam and several others were arrested in Jakarta but […]
Macau jackpot winner may lose multi-million dollar prize
HONG KONG, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) – A Hong Kong woman who won 43 million dollars in a Macau casino may not get her money because the slot machine was not working properly, the territory’s gaming inspector said Sunday. The machine showed the woman had won the equivalent of 5.5 million US dollars after putting […]
Twenty20 cricket opens new international era
NEW DELHI, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) – International cricket enters a new era of short, sharp entertainment from September 11 when the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship takes place in South Africa. Innovative strokeplay and a flurry of sixes and boundaries is the name of the 20-overs-a-side game designed for those looking for excitement, but don’t […]
Sri Lanka troops seize Tamil Tiger naval base
Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka said Sunday that troops captured a Tamil Tiger naval base during a weekend advance into rebel-held territory the guerrillas said nine civilians died.The two sides have been locked in combat since 1972, with the Tigers fighting for a separate state for minority Tamils. The 35-year-old ethnic conflict has […]