Category: Other
Lawlessness
Oct 02, 2011 (LBO) – Five police officers have been arrested in Sri Lanka after thousands of angry citizens surrounded a police station seeking justice, where a suspect had died in custody, a media report said. Sri Lanka’s The Sunday Times newspaper said an estimated 3,000 civilians had surrounded a police station in Dompe in […]
Sri Lanka volunteers combat rabies
Oct 01, 2011 (LBO) – Volunteers in Sri Lanka are teaming up to combat rabies spread with free vaccinations which can save lives and also make a dent in 500 million rupees spent each year to treat dog bite victims. Dozens of volunteers teamed up on a hot Sunday afternoon to offer free rabies vaccination […]
Zany scientists honored in alternative Nobels
NEW YORK, September 29, 2011 (AFP) – In the ultimate accolade for the world’s mad scientists, spoof Nobel prizes were awarded Thursday for studies into beetle sex, yawning, the desperation of people dying to urinate, and other daffy investigations. The annual Ig Nobel prizes, now in their 21st year, were given out at Harvard University […]
Sri Lanka tea estates still making heavy losses
Sept 30, 2011 (LBO) – Tea estates in Sri Lanka’s central hills have had no respite from a market downturn and continue to incur losses of 150 rupees a kilo owing to lower prices and crops, a broker said. However, despite lower crops in recent months, an anticipated recovery in production in the last quarter […]
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NEW DELHI, September 30, 2011 (AFP) – India’s workaholic Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not taken a holiday since he took the top job in 2004, according to a new in-depth profile published this week. The 12,000-word study in current affairs journal The Caravan of 79-year-old Singh, under fire for a series of debilitating scandals […]
Sri Lanka waters among most dangerous for sea turtles: study
MANILA, September 29, 2011 (AFP) – The waters around India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are home to the world’s most endangered sea turtles, according to a study released Thursday aimed at setting a blueprint for global conservation. While it was well known that almost all sea turtle species face extinction, the study by 30 scientists […]
Japan tsunami was wake-up call for S. Asia: expert
SEOUL, September 29, 2011 (AFP) – Japan’s March tsunami was a wake-up call for Indian Ocean nations still restoring their coastlines after a massive wave struck in December 2004, an expert said Thursday. “This year’s tsunami heightened awareness among all MFF countries that they are still vulnerable,” said Donald Macintosh, senior adviser to a group […]
Criminal Trial
THE HAGUE (AFP) – Dutch prosecutors Tuesday asked for jail sentences between 10 to 16 years against five suspected Tamil Tigers for aiding the Sri Lankan rebel movement from the Netherlands, including collecting funds. Prosecutors said by extension, the men were responsible for the LTTE’s actions like the recruitment of child soldiers and murder. Arrested […]
Europe threatens to break off India free-trade talks
BRUSSELS, September 27, 2011 (AFP) – European governments are threatening to break off negotiations with India on a free-trade deal the EU had hoped would be worth 175 billion euros a year, an EU report revealed on Tuesday. Four years after talks began with New Delhi, frustrated European Union trade ministers have taken the decision […]
Rare pre-historic footprints found in Mexico
MEXICO CITY, September 27, 2011 (AFP) – Footprints from early humans that are between 4,500 and 25,000 years old have been discovered in a remote area of northern Mexico, researchers said Monday. The five footprints set in stone “are among the few impressions of the first inhabitants in the American continent found in Mexico,” the […]
Insider Dealing
Sept 28, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Securities and Exchange Commission said five employees of SMB Leasing, will be charged for insider dealing on the firm’s stock. The SEC said the employees had bought shares ahead of a rights and warrant issue by the company. Information on the rights issue had been made public on […]
” needed on India trade deal
BRUSSELS, September 26, 2011 (AFP) – European Union trade commissioner Karel De Gucht warned Monday that a long-planned free-trade agreement between Europe and India is in trouble failing more “flexibility” from both sides. “We remain fully engaged on these negotiations,” the Belgian said after talks in Brussels among the EU’s 27 trade ministers. “But I […]