Category: Other
Stand Off
SYDNEY, July 25, 2014 (AFP) – A group of 157 asylum-seekers in custody on the high seas for weeks will be taken to Australia and held until consular officials confirm their nationalities, ending a long stand-off, authorities said Friday.The development follows lawyers acting for about one-third of those on board — thought to be mostly […]
Rape Probe
COLOMBO, July 22, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police were Tuesday investigating the gang-rape of an 11-year-old girl allegedly by seven sailors in the island’s former war zone, a spokesman said. The victim, who cannot be identified according to Sri Lankan laws, had been repeatedly raped by more than one man, police spokesman Ajith Rohana […]
Sentenced
COLOMBO, July 18, 2014 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan ruling party politician and three accomplices were Friday sentenced to 20 years in jai for murdering a British holidaymaker on Christmas Eve and raping his Russian partner. The case was initially heard in the southern town of Tangalle, the hometown of the main accused, but shifted […]
”’ budget reform
NEW DELHI, July 13, 2014 (AFP) – The maiden budget from India’s new right-wing government has promised a return to high growth — but disappointed some who hoped premier Narendra Modi might use his thumping mandate to unleash radical change. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government opted for small steps in last week’s budget, in […]
Boat People
GALLE, July 8, 2014 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan court Tuesday granted bail to 27 of 41 migrants who were returned to the country by Australia after a controversial mid-sea transfer, with one of them slamming Canberra for its lack of human rights.As anxious relatives waited outside the colonial-era court building in the southern city […]
Australian Nationalism
SYDNEY, July 8, 2014 (AFP) – Australian government lawyers said Tuesday 153 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers were in custody on the high seas and agreed to give three days’ notice before handing any back to Colombo, as criticism mounted. A late-night interim injunction Monday temporarily halted the transfer of the would-be refugees from the boat, whose […]
Arrested
KUALA LUMPUR, July 4, 2014 (AFP) – Malaysian police on Friday said they have arrested four more suspected Tamil Tiger separatists, including a man allegedly involved in the attempted assassination of a former Sri Lankan president. In May, the agency said it was “deeply concerned” that three men registered with the agency were deported to […]
Paradise Isle: Fast police bikes, faster legs
July 4, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s police acquired its largest fleet of high-speed patrol motorcycles this week, but even before they could be unleashed to tame errant motorists, traffic police demonstrated their skills in…err running. Hopefully, there will be very little wear and tear because there aren’t many roads where a Yamaha 600 cc […]
Bombay Stock Exchange shut after network outage
MUMBAI, July 3, 2014 (AFP) – The Bombay Stock Exchange, India’s second-biggest financial market, shut down during morning trade Thursday owing to computer network problems, a spokesman said. “Due to a network outage being currently faced, BSE has decided to close all markets,” spokesman Yatin Padia said in a message to AFP, after trading stopped […]
France first in New Delhi as West courts Modi
NEW DELHI, June 30, 2014 (AFP) – France Monday became the first Western power to hold talks in India with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius arrived to push defence deals and trade.The reform-minded Modi has been widely courted by Western governments since his election in May, with his […]
Nationalist Looters
COLOMBO, June 28, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s police arrested key suspects involved in fuelling religious riots and looting, an official said Saturday as minority Muslims expressed fears of more unrest ahead of Ramadan.Muslims as well as a majority of moderate Buddhists have pressed for action against the Buddhist Force, or BBS, which is seen […]
‘s power sector losses seen at $27bn by World Bank
NEW DELHI, June 24, 2014 (AFP) – Annual losses in India’s dysfunctional power sector are forecast to rise to billion in 2017 unless the government enacts sweeping reforms in the face of rising demand, a World Bank study said Tuesday.India has one of the world’s lowest per capita electricity consumption rates, with the average person […]