Category: Other
Sri Lanka rubber growers hit by plunging prices
Apr 17, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s rubber growers are being hit by falling world prices with production volumes also dropping due to a drought within the country, an industry association said.Deputy Chairman Planters™ Association of Ceylon (PA) and CRTA Vice Chairman S. S. Poholiyadde said in a statement that rubber prices have halved over […]
‘s elections
NEW DELHI, April 15, 2014 (AFP) – A war of words erupted among the “first family” of Indian politics on Tuesday as a new poll pointed to a sweeping election win for the Hindu nationalist opposition.Priyanka Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi who is leading the ruling Congress party’s campaign, called the bitterly fought election contest […]
Indian opposition alliance to win majority: poll
NEW DELHI, April 15, 2014 (AFP) – India’s Hindu nationalist opposition party and its allies are on course to win an overall parliamentary majority in the world’s biggest election currently underway, according to a new poll.Another potential partner, a Tamil Nadu-based party led by former actress Jayalalithaa Jayaram, is slated to get 22 seats. The […]
Cricket stars among team owners in new India football league
NEW DELHI, April 13, 2014 (AFP) – Cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly and leading Spanish club Atletico Madrid are among the owners of teams in a new India football league set to start this year, organisers said Sunday.The Indian Super League, featuring foreign and Indian talent in teams based in eight cities, is […]
” Modi admits he is married
AHMEDABAD, April 10, 2014 (AFP) – Election frontrunner Narendra Modi has acknowledged for the first time that he is married, solving one of the biggest mysteries about the private life of the man tipped to be India’s next prime minister.The 63-year-old is routinely described as a bachelor and is thought to have lived alone in […]
Arrested
COLOMBO, April 10, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police have arrested 60 people accused of trying to revive a separatist group behind a civil war that left tens of thousands dead, a spokesman said on Thursday.The suspects, including 10 women, were detained in a crackdown over the past month and were being questioned about attempts […]
‘s would-be PM Modi
NEW DELHI, April 8, 2014 (AFP) – For a politician running on a platform of clean government, having a key aide facing murder and extortion charges could be seen as a liability — but not by the man tipped to be India’s next prime minister.Narendra Modi, the hardline Hindu nationalist leading the opposition Bharatiya Janata […]
‘s biggest election
DIBRUGARH, April 7, 2014 (AFP) – Indians began voting in the world’s biggest election Monday which is set to sweep the Hindu nationalist opposition to power at a time of low growth, anger about corruption and warnings about religious unrest. India’s 814-million-strong electorate are forecast to inflict a heavy defeat on the ruling Congress party, […]
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 […]