Category: Other
Sri Lanka Watawala Plantations stake upped by parent
August 02, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Watawala Plantations Plc, which farms tea, rubber and oil palm said its parent Estate Management Services has upped its stake to 74.6 percent. Watawala profits fell sharply in the June quarter as rains hit output and labour costs rose and commodity prices softened. The parent bought 49.3 million […]
Suspects
LONDON, July 30, 2013 (AFP) – Almost 100 foreign suspected war criminals were found to be living in Britain last year after applying for citizenship or asylum, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.“That, in turn, requires more political will and commitment at the higher level.” British police in May arrested five men wanted in Rwanda […]
No Probe
July 30, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s finance ministry was not probing an allegation of pay-offs in a land deal with India’s Krrish group because there was no complaint by the investor, top officials aid.Krrish in a statement last week, denied that any pay-offs had been made for the land deal. Finance secretary P B […]
Property Rights
HANOI, July 31, 2013 (AFP) – A Vietnamese fish farmer who became a folk hero after he used homemade weapons to resist forced eviction has lost his appeal against a five-year jail term for attempted murder, a court clerk said Wednesday. Doan Van Vuon and his family rose to prominence when they armed themselves with […]
”’: report
MUMBAI, July 31, 2013 (AFP) – India’s central bank governor has decided to “move on” and a hunt for his successor is underway, the country’s finance minister was quoted saying Wednesday.The government’s chief economic advisor, Raghuram Rajan, India’s economic affairs secretary Arvind Mayaram and Planning Commission member Saumitra Chaudhary are contenders to succeed Subbarao, the […]
India panel clears Jet-Etihad deal: official
NEW DELHI, July 29, 2013 (AFP) – India’s foreign investment panel Monday approved a plan for Abu Dhabi-based Etihad to buy a stake in Indian airline Jet, but the pact still faces other hurdles. “It (the agreement) has been cleared” by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), a senior finance ministry official told AFP. “But […]
Detentions
JAKARTA, July 27, 2013 (AFP) – Police detained four Indonesians allegedly involved in arranging an Australian-bound refugee boat which sank earlier this week, killing at least 15 people, a local police official said Saturday.The four men were arrested on Wednesday and Thursday in two nearby cities after the boat sank off the southwestern coast of […]
Sri Lanka urban waste to be made into fertilizer: IWMI
July 26, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI) said it is partnering with island’s environmental authority to turn urban waste, a major water pollutant into organic fertilizer. Sri Lanka’s urban waste has a high volume of moist organic matter which is not economical to burn and generate power, experts have said. […]
Boat-people
SYDNEY, July 26, 2013 (AFP) – The United Nations on Friday said it was “troubled” by Australia’s decision to send asylum-seekers arriving by boat to Papua New Guinea given conditions there failed to adequately protect refugees. In it’s first assessment of the hardline policy announced a week ago by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the United […]
Sri Lanka tea production down in June
July 23, 2013 (LBO) – Tea production was down 4.29 percent to 24.69 million kilograms in June 2013 from a year earlier, Sri Lanka Tea Board data showed, amid warnings from tea companies that heavy rains were reducing output.The sharpest drop was seen in high grown elevations with production down 19 percent to 4.56 million […]
Biden arrives in India for four-day visit
NEW DELHI, July 22, 2013 (AFP) – US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in India Monday at the start of a four-day visit designed to revive momentum in flagging diplomatic ties and fire up bilateral trade.Biden, the first US vice president to visit India in three decades, landed in New Delhi shortly after 5pm (1130 […]
Indian investment moves marred by steel pullouts
MUMBAI, July 21, 2013 (AFP) – India may be trying to lure foreign investors to revive its ailing economy, but the axing of two mega steel projects underlines obstacles even industry giants face, analysts say. Although industrialisation is championed as a way to pull tens of millions of Indians out of poverty, many farmers complain […]