Category: Other
Maldivian foreign minister dies in Singapore hospital
COLOMBO, August 25, 2013 (AFP) – Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdul Samad Abdullah died Sunday while undergoing treatment for kidney and heart disease in a Singapore hospital, the government said.He was 67. Abdullah was a key ally of President Mohamed Waheed who is seeking re-election in September 7 elections in the Indian Ocean atoll nation. Waheed […]
Not Us
August 25, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s army Sunday denied involvement in an armed robbery at the home of a journalist who has been critical of the government.Media rights groups have said Sri Lanka remains a dangerous place for journalists despite the end of a decades-long war between the military and Tamil separatist rebels in […]
Separate
August 23, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president has bowed to international pressure and relinquished the defence ministry’s authority over the police department, an official said Friday. President Mahinda Rajapakse has created a new ministry for law and order, and placed it in charge of the 80,000-strong police which had been overseen by the defence […]
Threatened
COLOMBO, August 24, 2013 (AFP) – Five armed men held a Sri Lankan newspaper editor at knifepoint as they searched her home on Saturday before police burst in and shot one of the intruders dead, officials said.The latest incident came a day ahead of a fact-finding mission to the island by the UN’s human rights […]
India rupee slide takes breather, dollar up against yen
TOKYO, August 23, 2013 (AFP) – The dollar’s surge against the Indian rupee took a breather on Friday after hitting record highs for most of the week, although upbeat manufacturing data from around the world helped the greenback against the yen. — Dow Jones Newswires contributed to this article — However, traders remain on edge […]
Puzzle over African coins reveals Aboriginal rock art
SYDNEY, August 22, 2013 (AFP) – Solving the mystery of how 900-year-old African coins ended up in remote Australia could not only recast the history of foreign contact Down Under, but shed light on Aboriginal rock art.What the researchers did uncover was the Aboriginal rock art and some potential evidence of shipwrecks — a not […]
Maldives court quashes flogging of rape victim
MALÉ, August 22, 2013 (AFP) – The Maldivian High Court has overturned a public flogging sentence for a 15-year-old rape victim whose conviction sparked outrage among rights groups and focused attention on the island nation’s treatment of women.The High Court issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the girl, whose step-father is on trial for […]
‘s Tata rebrands “‘s cheapest car” to boost sales
MUMBAI, Aug 22, 2013 (AFP) – India’s top vehicle maker Tata Motors says it plans to reposition the Nano as a “smart city car” after its marketing pitch as the world’s cheapest auto resulted in disappointing sales.The Nano was launched in 2009 as a budget solution for millions of aspirational lower-middle class Indian families wanting […]
” after injecting billions of rupee reserves to banks
NEW DELHI, August 22, 2013 (AFP) – India’s finance minister said Thursday that intense selling pressure on the rupee was exaggerated and that the currency market “panic” was unnecessary.The rupee, which has hit record lows for five straight trading days, slumped to 65.56 to the dollar on Thursday as uncertainty about the future of the […]
New alarmist IPCC report leaked as skepticism grows
WASHINGTON, August 21, 2013 (AFP) – Human activity is almost certainly the cause of climate change and global sea levels could rise by several feet by the end of the century, according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report leaked to media on Tuesday.The draft summary of the report all but dismissed recent […]
‘s RBI to sterilize interventions with long-bond purchases
MUMBAI, August 21, 2013 (AFP) – India’s shares opened higher and bond yields eased Wednesday but its currency remained under pressure after the central bank announced moves to inject 80 billion rupees into the banking system. Banking stocks jumped on the new measures, pushing Indian shares 1.22 percent higher to 18,468.55 points, after falling nearly […]
Jumpy Vietnamese caterpillar shies the Sun: study
PARIS, August 20, 2013 (AFP) – The larva of a Vietnamese moth has devised a unique form of transport — constructing a leaf cone and thrashing about inside to make it jump, a study showed Wednesday.Even more remarkably, the tiny caterpillar manages to steer its leafy vehicle in a clear direction along the forest floor […]