Category: Other
BlackBerry says Indian security fears answered
NEW DELHI, January 13, 2011 (AFP) – The Canadian maker of BlackBerry said Thursday it had found a way out of an ongoing standoff in India over allowing security agencies access to the smartphone’s encrypted messaging service. However, the solution did not include providing access to corporate e-mail services, Research In Motion (RIM) said in […]
‘s capital cools to a 2-year low
Jan 13, 2011 (LBO) – A combination of a cloudy sky and a cold stream from Himalayas pushed temperature at Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo to a two year low of 18. 8 degrees on the Celsius scale on Thursday, the meteorological office said. “The average temperature for Colombo in the past 30 years has been […]
Floods force a million Sri Lankans from homes
January 13, 2011 (AFP) – Flooding in Sri Lanka has forced more than one million people out of their homes, the government said Thursday as it began distributing emergency food, clothing and bedding. At least 23 people have died during a week of monsoon floods, with the centre and east of the island worst hit […]
Sweeping Raids
GENEVA, January 11, 2011 (AFP) – Swiss police Tuesday raided several properties and arrested ten Tamil Tiger rebels, accusing them of involvement in a criminal group as well as money laundering, the attorney-general’s office said. “To disguise the true origin of the funds, they were invested in companies with connections to the LTTE conducting legal […]
Normal Rule
January 12, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s opposition Wednesday demanded an end to emergency law ahead of local elections in March, saying there was no reason for restrictions two years after the end of the island’s conflict. More than 300 municipal, urban and village councils will be elected in March for the first time since […]
Sri Lanka floods worsen, toll hits 12
January 10, 2011 (AFP) – Heavy rains lashed Sri Lanka’s central and eastern regions Monday with the death toll from mudslides rising to 12 and 900,000 people driven out of their flooded homes, officials said. The island’s two main monsoon seasons run from May to September and December to February. Military helicopters were deployed to […]
Toyota unveils family of Prius hybrids
DETROIT, January 10, 2011 (AFP) – Toyota unveiled new siblings for its popular Prius hybrid Monday, introducing a brand new midsized wagon, a plug-in, and a compact Prius at the Detroit auto show. The family was launched as Toyota struggles to rebuild its once-stellar reputation after it was rocked by a series of mass recalls […]
Sri Lanka floods kill seven, leave 750,000 homeless
January 9, 2011 (AFP) – At least seven people, including two children, were killed in mudslides in Sri Lanka where more than 750,000 people have been driven out of their homes by floods, officials said Sunday. The island’s two main monsoon seasons run from May to September and December to February. A six-year-old boy and […]
Thousands rally over blasphemy law in Pakistan: police
KARACHI, January 9, 2011 (AFP) – More than 20,000 people rallied in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi on Sunday, police said, against proposed amendment to blasphemy laws that were recently used to sentence a Christian woman to death. The protest follows Tuesday’s assassination of the governor of Punjab province, Salman Taseer, by one of his […]
Rule of Law
January 9, 2011 (AFP) – A media rights group on Sunday marked the second anniversary of the assassination in Sri Lanka of an anti-government editor by calling for a fresh search for his killers. Government soldiers defeated the Tigers in May 2009 after decades of fighting. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) accused the government of blocking […]
Sri Lanka floods kill two, 600,000 homeless
January 9, 2011 (AFP) – Two children were buried alive in mudslides on Sunday in Sri Lanka where more than 600,000 people have been driven out of their homes by floods, officials said. A six-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl were killed in separate incidents in the district of Badulla. Heavy rains have caused flooding […]
India stocks dive on interest rate concerns
MUMBAI, January 7, 2011 (AFP) – Indian stocks slumped for the fourth day running on Friday, shedding 2.44 percent on mounting fears that interest rates will be raised sooner than expected to curb the spiralling cost of food. The benchmark 30-share Sensex index ended 492.93 points lower at 19,691.81, a three-week low. Surging vegetable prices, […]