Category: Other
Indian shares, rupee rally after opposition party victory
MUMBAI, December 9, 2013 (AFP) – Indian shares hit a record high while the rupee and bonds rallied on Monday after the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, widely seen as business friendly, recorded a string of victories in state elections. The party’s success has raised hopes among investors that it could come to power with […]
Nationalism
Dec 09, 2013 (LBO) I feel being honoured by the invitation by the PIM Alumni Association to deliver the Professor Sudatta Ranasinghe Memorial Oration 2013 which is the first in its series.I specifically consider it as a privilege that I have got to do the honours for my long-standing friend for more than four and […]
‘s Ratan Tata sees brighter future for upmarket Nano
NEW DELHI, November 30, 2013 (AFP) – India’s struggling Tata Nano, billed as the world’s cheapest car, could still have a strong future with a more upmarket image, says Tata group tycoon Ratan Tata, as the company looks to give the hatchback a new start. Tata told US business channel CNBC late Friday he still […]
Sri Lanka avoids EU fishing sanctions
Nov 26, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has been named as a country that made progress over curbing illegal fishing by the European Commission, allowing the country to export to the European Union at least until next March. Sri Lanka was previously hit with a yellow card earlier, and fisheries minister Rajitha Senaratne has lobbied […]
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GENEVA, November 26, 2013 (AFP) – The giraffe-like Okapi and the White-winged Flufftail, one of Africa’s rarest birds, are on the verge of extinction, conversation body the IUCN warned on Tuesday. But it has been given a helping hand by the US National Park Service, via captive breeding, reintroduction, vaccination against canine diseases and relocation […]
US senators press Walmart on Bangladesh unions
WASHINGTON, November 22, 2013 (AFP) – A US Senate report on Friday urged Walmart, Gap and other retailers to respect labor unions in Bangladesh, saying workers desperately needed greater rights after hundreds died in fires.“They should also collectively develop and implement a policy of zero-tolerance for suppliers who consistently engage in anti-union activity,” it said. […]
Bangladesh cracks down on unions after wage unrest
DHAKA, November 20, 2013 (AFP) – Bangladesh police have arrested three union leaders over deadly protests against a new minimum wage for garment workers that have forced hundreds of factories to shut, an officer said Wednesday. Police arrested the trio over their roles in the protests which have left two people dead in key industrial […]
Yameen takes power in Maldives after vote turmoil
MALÉ, November 17, 2013 (AFP) – Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen was inaugurated Sunday, a day after his shock election victory that ended nearly two years of turmoil that threatened to turn the honeymoon islands into an international pariah.Yameen, the half-brother of the islands’ long-time strongman ruler, was sworn in by the chief justice at a […]
Yameen to be sworn in as Maldives leader after shock win
MALÉ, November 16, 2013 (AFP) – Abdulla Yameen was to be sworn in as the Maldives new president Sunday after his shock win over former leader Mohamed Nasheed, drawing a line under a bout of turmoil on the paradise islands. Yameen secured 51.3 percent of the popular vote compared to 48.6 percent for ex-president Nasheed […]
Crisis-hit Maldives vote again
MALÉ, November 16, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldives Saturday began voting in a run-off presidential election held under intense international pressure to elect a new leader and end months of political unrest.Polling booths across the Indian Ocean archipelago opened at 7:30am (0230 GMT) with the 239,000 electorate given eight and a half hours to choose […]
Maldives hopes for new leader after scuttled votes
MALÉ, November 16, 2013 (AFP) – Organisers of a troubled presidential election in the Maldives said they hoped to name a winner of a run-off contest Saturday after previous attempts were scuttled.Chief Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek told reporters that he hoped they will be able to declare a final winner in an election where former […]
Maldives president leaves country on eve of crucial polls
NEW DELHI, November 15, 2013 (AFP) – The president of the Maldives has left the country on the eve of national elections that have been delayed three times, his spokesman said Friday, leaving a leadership void amid a constitutional crisis.Mohamed Waheed, who took office after a contested transfer of power last February, left for Hong […]