Category: Other
New flame-headed bird species found in Cambodia capital
PHNOM PENH, June 26, 2013 (AFP) – A new species of bird with a distinctive orange-red coloured tuft of feathers on its head has been found in Cambodia’s populous capital city, conservationists said on Wednesday. The remarkable discovery of the Cambodian tailorbird, or orthotomus chaktomuk, in Phnom Penh — and several other locations including a […]
Media Policy
June 23, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president has scrapped a contentious code of conduct for journalists after editors and rights groups condemned it as a further blow to press freedom, government and media sources said Sunday.President Mahinda Rajapakse ordered his information ministry not to proceed with the proposed code of conduct bill, but instead […]
Bond Deterrent
June 24, 2013 (LBO) – A pilot scheme to charge a 3,000 sterling immigration bond from visitors in five countries including Sri Lanka will only apply to the “highest risk applicants”, the British High Commission in Colombo said. The pilot will be evaluated to make it permanent, the statement said. Children under 18-year will be […]
”s Agadez among new UNESCO sites
PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Japan’s Mount Fuji, a series of ancient terraced rice paddies China, and the desert city of Agardaz in Niger were among the cultural jewels granted World Heritage status by UNESCO at its annual meeting on Saturday. On Saturday, UNESCO also inscribed the landscapes of terraced rice fields of Honghe Hani, south […]
Rescuers race against time as India monsoon toll nears 600
DEHRADUN, June 22, 2013 (AFP) – Relief teams were racing against time Saturday to rescue tens of thousands of stranded people in rain-ravaged northern India as the death toll from flash floods and landslides neared 600.Rescue workers who managed to reach those stranded were racing to cut down trees and clear vegetation to allow military […]
Casino Watch
June 21, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will look into the possibility of setting up a casino regulator, a government minister said responding to a call by a legislator of the island’s main opposition.“We respect that idea,” information minister Keheliya Rambukwelle told reporters Thursday at a weekly news briefing to announce cabinet decisions. “Let’s see […]
‘s Elpitiya Plantations boost tea yields, diversifies crop
June 21, 2013 (LBO) – Elpitiya Plantations Plc, a unit of Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence group said it had boosted tea yields and diversified into cinnamon oil palm and oil milling, allowing it to boost profits.In the year to March 2013, 11 percent of its 2.8 billion rupees in revenues came from palm oil as […]
Work Practices
June 20, 2013 (LBO) – A minimum age for employment may be raised to 16 years from 14 if proposals in a national policy on youth are adopted, officials said. Sri Lankan children however have had problems, especially in the past, where school-going age children in poor families were taken out of school and sent […]
Sri Lanka former war-zone agri produce on show
June 19, 2013 (LBO) – Farmers in Sri Lanka’s former war zones in the North and East are cultivating more land but need modern technology to improve yields, officials who are organizing a trade show to link them to buyers said.Under tariff protection, where prices are higher than the rest of the world, there is […]
Sri Lanka fishermen will be safer with vessel monitoring system: minister
June 14, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is expecting to have a vessel monitoring system operating within five months which will provide up to date weather information to fishermen and reduce loss of life, fisheries minister Rajitha Senaratne said.But warnings will be disseminated through the ‘Sayura’ a fishermen’s radio channel and other media, Senaratne said. […]
‘s inflation cools but rate cut unlikely
NEW DELHI, June 14, 2013 (AFP) – India’s inflation cooled to a more than three-year low in May, data showed Friday, but the rupee’s plunge will likely stall any interest rate cut to kickstart the ailing economy.The Wholesale Price Index, India’s most most closely watched inflation gauge, dropped to 4.7 percent in May on an […]
Sri Lanka mulls safety rules on fishermen as monsoon kills 54
June 11, 2013 (AFP) – The death toll in Sri Lanka from strong monsoon winds and heavy rains rose to 54, as the government announced on Tuesday new safety requirements for small fishing boats.The minister said small boats which usually go out to sea at night and return at dawn were not regulated and did […]