Category: Other
Indian minister says lives lost in submarine blast
NEW DELHI, August 14, 2013 (AFP) – India’s defence minister said Wednesday there were fatalities when a diesel-powered submarine exploded and sank at a dock in Mumbai. . “I feel sad about those navy personnel who have lost their lives in service of the country,” A.K Antony told reporters in New Delhi. The minister did […]
Missing Probe
August 14, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president Wednesday ordered a new investigation into the disappearance of thousands of people in the island’s northeast during an ethnic war which ended four years ago.The announcement comes just days before UN human rights chief Navi Pillay is due to visit the island, amid international criticism of Colombo’s […]
‘s Balangoda Plantations profits plunge 56-pct
Aug 14, 2013 (LBO) – Balangoda Plantations Plc, a tea farming company in Sri Lanka’s Stassen group said profits fell 56 percent to 45.7 million rupees in the June 2013 quarter from a year earlier. Sri Lanka’s tea companies have been facing higher wage costs and from around mid year production disruption due to heavy […]
World-first study tracks dwarf minke whales
SYDNEY, August 14, 2013 (AFP) – Dwarf minke whales have been tagged and tracked in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in a world-first pilot study which hopes to solve the mystery of where they spend the summer. Scientists at James Cook University in Queensland state are taking part in the project, also involving researchers from Alaska, […]
‘s rupee slips state proposes Mercantilist solutions
MUMBAI, August 13, 2013 (AFP) – India’s rupee fell in early trade on Tuesday despite the government announcing new measures aimed at narrowing the current account deficit and aiding the ailing local currency.Overseas funds have pulled out a combined .49 billion in equities and debt from India’s markets since June 1 on concerns about the […]
India car sales slide for ninth straight month
NEW DELHI, August 12, 2013 (AFP) – India’s car sales slid by over seven percent in July, marking a record ninth straight month of decline, industry data showed Monday, as an economic slump and high borrowing costs discouraged buyers. Carmakers sold 131,163 cars in India last month, down 7.4 percent from the same month in […]
First Indian nuclear submarine set for open sea trials
NEW DELHI, August 10, 2013 (AFP) – India announced Saturday that its first indigenously-built nuclear submarine is ready for sea trials, a step before it becomes fully operational, and called it a “giant stride” for the nation.It will ply the seas alongside the former Russian aircraft carrier “Admiral Gorshkov”, now the “INS Vikramaditya”, due to […]
Probe Call
WASHINGTON, August 9, 2013 (AFP) – The United States on Friday urged Sri Lanka to investigate a deadly army crackdown on a village environmental protest and to prosecute those responsible.The military on August 1 opened fire on thousands of unarmed villagers at Weliweriya near Colombo as they protested contamination of their ground water, allegedly due […]
‘s rupee hits record low against dollar
MUMBAI, August 6, 2013 (AFP) – India’s rupee plunged to a fresh record low against the dollar Tuesday over concerns that foreign capital could flow back to the United States as the American economy picks up.The rupee, Asia’s worst-performing major currency this year, hit 61.35 against the greenback in morning trade, below its previous low […]
Bangladesh denies plan to take over Grameen
DHAKA, August 6, 2013 (AFP) – Bangladesh denied on Tuesday that it plans to take control of pioneering microlender Grameen Bank which has lifted millions of people out of poverty. The statement by a government spokesman came ahead of the release of a report by a commission expected to recommend that the government increase its […]
Killing Probe
COLOMBO, Aug 6, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s opposition Tuesday demanded an international investigation into a deadly army crackdown on villagers who were demonstrating against contaminated water supplies.The United National Party (UNP) criticised the army’s plans for an internal military probe into the death of three civilians and wounding of 50 others during a protest […]
‘s Talawakale Tea profits in the red
Aug 06, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Talawakele Tea Estates Plc said it made a loss of 3.0 million rupees in the June 2013 quarter down from a profit of 26 million rupee a year earlier. The firm reported a loss of 13 cents per share. In the six months to June the firm reported […]