Category: Other
Sri Lanka spice exports up 40-pct
Dec 17, 2013 (LBO) – Export revenues of spices from Sri Lanka have risen 40 percent from a year earlier to 274 million US dollars in the first 10 months of 2013, an industry body said. Two centuries ago spices and areca nut were Sri Lanka’s key exports contributing to thje majority of government revenues. […]
Neanderthals cared for elder, burial site shows
WASHINGTON, December 17, 2013 (AFP) – New findings at an old Neanderthal burial ground in France have bolstered the notion that cavemen cared for their elders, researchers said Monday.The research is based on excavations around the skeleton of an elderly Neanderthal man who could barely walk and had lost his teeth, and who was painstakingly […]
Pakistan textile sector eys boost from EU export deal
KARACHI, December 13, 2013 (AFP) – Pakistan’s textile sector Friday welcomed a European Union’s move to cut duties on the country’s exports, saying it would add billions to the economy, but it warned an energy crisis could prevent firms from benefiting from the windfall.The EU on Thursday signed a law granting Pakistan generalised system of […]
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 […]
Air pollution in Europe kills even at guideline levels
PARIS, December 9, 2013 (AFP) – Europeans with long-term exposure to particulate pollution from road traffic or industry run a higher risk of premature death, even if air quality meets EU standards, a study said on Monday.Published in The Lancet, the paper pointed the finger at fine particles of soot and dust, emissions of which […]
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 […]
‘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 […]