Category: Other
Q&’s mammoth election
NEW DELHI, April 4, 2014 (AFP) – India’s marathon nine-phase election kicks off Monday and will end on May 12 when hundreds of millions will have cast their ballots.AFP explains how it works and what is at stake. Q. Why will it take so long? Almost 814 million adult Indians are eligible to vote, making […]
Morning light could be secret to healthy weight
WASHINGTON, April 2, 2014 (AFP) – Being slimmer could be as simple as waking up early for some morning sunshine, US researchers suggested on Wednesday. Morning light was found to have an influence on body mass, regardless of a person’s physical activity level, caloric intake, sleep timing, age or the season. The study found morning […]
‘s Musharraf survives assassination bomb attempt: police
ISLAMABAD, April 3, 2014 (AFP) – Pakistan’s former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who is on trial for treason, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt as a bomb went off shortly before his convoy was due to pass early Thursday, police said. The bomb was planted on his route from an army hospital where he has been […]
‘s female kingmakers
PONDICHERRY, April 2, 2014 (AFP) – The makeup of India’s next government could lie in the hands of a trio of women who command a massive following in their regional heartlands, including a populist former movie star known as “Mother” to supporters.“Definitely their image, their fighting spirit, their charisma, and their administrative skills to a […]
‘s IPCC issues dire warnings amid 15-year pause in global warming
Mar 31, 2014 (LBO) – A UN panel on climate change has warned of dire consequences ranging from hunger to war from climate change amid a 15 year plus ‘pause’ in global warming that scientists are struggling to explain. “Increasing magnitudes of warming increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive, and irreversible impacts,” AFP a news […]
Sri Lanka tea production drops 10-pct in February
Mar 31, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea production has dropped 10 percent to 22.4 million kilograms in February 2014 from a year earlier, and the March crop is also expected to be fall amid a drought, a tea brokerage has said. In 2014 tea prices have been firmer. The national sales average rose to […]
Sri Lanka monk demands capture of wild elephants for temples
COLOMBO, March 26, 2014 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan Buddhist monk led a procession of elephants Wednesday, demanding authorities capture wild pachyderms from the jungle to boost the dwindling number of the animals in temples.Asian elephant expert Jayantha Jayewardene noted many Sri Lankans wanted to own elephants as a symbol of wealth. “It is prestige. […]
India minister asks people to vote twice
NEW DELHI, March 24, 2014 (AFP) – An Indian cabinet minister found himself at the centre of a vote-rigging row Monday, after he asked supporters to vote twice for his party in elections which begin next month.Speaking at a rally on Sunday, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar urged voters to wash off the ink which would […]
‘s party set for coalition rule
MALÉ, March 23, 2014 (AFP) – Maldives President Abdulla Yameen’s party is poised to win control of parliament with the support of a key ally, early projections in the Indian Ocean nation showed Sunday. President Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) was leading in 34 out of the 85 constituencies after Saturday’s polls while his […]
Sri Lanka to curb use of weedicide linked to killer kidney disease: report
Mar 24, 2014 (LBO) – A widely used weedicide linked to a killer kidney disease in Sri Lanka will only be curbed in areas where the disease is prevalent, and there will be no blanket ban, a media report said.Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times newspaper said a decision on a blanket ban has been changed following […]
Maldives to go ahead with polls, says commission
MALÉ, March 21, 2014 (AFP) – The Maldivian elections commission said Friday it planned to go ahead with this weekend’s parliamentary polls despite the islands’ new president expressing doubts over whether the vote can be conducted.President Abdulla Yameen told a public rally in the capital island Male on Thursday night that a depleted Elections Commission […]
‘s homing trick stuns scientists
PARIS, March 19, 2014 (AFP) – The Burmese python has a built-in compass that allows it to slither home in a near-straight line even if released dozens of kilometres away, researchers said Wednesday.Capable of growing over five metres (16 feet) long, pythons are among the world’s largest snakes.Although native to South and Southeast Asia, the […]