Category: Other
Indian economy grows at slowest rate in a decade
NEW DELHI, May 31, 2013 (AFP) – India’s economy grew by 5.0 percent in 2012/2013, its slowest annual rate in a decade, in another blow to the corruption-hit government ahead of national elections due by next year, data showed Friday.India’s wholesale inflation, its most widely watched measure, cooled last month to a surprise 41-month low […]
‘s Malwatte Valley Plantations ups spice, fruit crop
May 28, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Malwatte Valley Plantations Plc, a tea and rubber growing company said it was expanding commercial spice and fruit cultivation.. Chairman Willem Bogtstra told shareholders in an annual review that the firm is focusing on pepper, cardamoms, rambutan, avocado, mango and mandarin, using currently uncultivated land. “During the review […]
‘s Watawala Plantations in profits with palm oil
May 23, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Watawala Plantations Plc reported profits of 124 million rupees in the March 2013 quarter down 54 percent from a year earlier, as commodity prices eased, with palm oil continuing to perform well.The firm reported earnings of 53 cents per share for the quarter, in accounts filed with the […]
Australia set to cull 10,000 wild horses
SYDNEY, May 22, 2013 (AFP) – A controversial cull of up to 10,000 wild horses in Australia’s harsh Outback reportedly began Wednesday in a bid to control the feral animals which officials say are destroying the land. The Central Land Council said animals — including horses, donkeys and camels — were dying in their thousands […]
Visiting Chinese PM vows to build trust with India
NEW DELHI, May 20, 2013 (AFP) – Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged Monday to build trust with India and declared that ties between the Asian giants were key to world peace as he visited New Delhi only weeks after a border spat.Speaking alongside his counterpart Manmohan Singh, Li said China wanted to increase cooperation with […]
‘s troubled garment hub
DHAKA, May 20, 2013 (AFP) – Bangladeshi police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of garment workers Monday as they demanded a wage hike at a protest in a manufacturing hub outside the capital Dhaka.Police said they reacted after workers blocked a key highway in the Ashulia industrial area, home to hundreds of […]
S&P warns India could face junk status
NEW DELHI, May 18, 2013 (AFP) – India faces at least “a one-in-three” chance of losing its prized sovereign grade rating, global ratings agency Standard and Poor’s has warned, in another blow to the scandal-tainted Congress government.The agency said it may also cut India’s ratings if it concludes that Asia’s third-largest economy will not revert […]
Sri Lanka sexes up image for tea
KANDANA, Sri Lanka,(AFP) – A hot cup of Ceylon tea is better known as being soothing and relaxing, but Sri Lanka is now marketing its most profitable export as a luxury boost for the libido.The tea industry is increasingly plugging Ceylon’s supposed aphrodisiac qualities in a bid to radically change perceptions of the brew, which […]
Seven killed in floods, mudslides in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, May 15, 2013 (AFP) – At least seven people have been killed and two are missing in floods and mudslides following heavy rain across Sri Lanka, the disaster management centre said Wednesday.Sri Lanka depends on monsoon rains for irrigation and power generation, but the seasonal downpours frequently cause deaths along with damage to property.A […]
Sri Lanka in aquaculture drive with Vietnam
May 15, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is embarking on an aquaculture drive with technical support from Vietnam starting with culturing sea cucumber, seaweed and lobster fattening and also help devise a master plan, officials said.A team from Vietnam’s Research Institute for Aquaculture Number 3 began working with Sri Lanka’s National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) […]
Indian poaching in Sri Lanka waters reduced: fisheries minister
May 09, 2013 (LBO) – Poaching by Indian fishing vessels in Sri Lanka’s northern waters is now much reduced, fishermen in the island have been warned not to go into other territories, fisheries minister Rajitha Senaratne said.“In the north fishermen are now much happier,” Senaratne told reporters in Colombo. “They had two problems. They earlier […]
Sri Lanka floods hit 90,000 people, no cyclone threat
May 08, 2013 (LBO) – Heavy rains have left 90,000 people hit by floods in Sri Lanka’s Western province around the capital Colombo, but there was no cyclone threat, authorities said.However general public has been advised to be vigilant about heavy rain, lightning activities and localized strong winds during thundershowers. Torrential rains over the past […]