Category: Other
‘s corals hit by mass die-out
SYDNEY, October 19, 2010 (AFP) – Coral reefs in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean are dying from the worst bleaching effect in more than a decade, Australian marine scientists said Tuesday. The bleaching, triggered by a large pool of warm water which swept into the Indian Ocean in May, has caused corals from Indonesia […]
Boycott
NEW YORK, October 14, 2010 (AFP) – International human rights groups declined Thursday to appear before a Sri Lankan probe into the end of the country’s civil war, saying the procedure was flawed and lacked credibility. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW), London-based Amnesty International and Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) snubbed an invitation to […]
Sri Lanka plantations look to extend productivity link
Oct 15, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s plantations industry is looking to extend a productivity linked pay scheme when talks on renewing a wage deal with labour unions begin early next year, an official said. Lalith Obeysekere, chairman of the Planters’ Association, which represents regional plantations corporations, said the industry is satisfied with gains from […]
Sri Lanka Cargills adds northern farmers to network
Oct 13, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Cargills, the island’s largest retail chain said it had added farmers from the former war-torn north to its country wide network that keeps its outlets supplied with fruits and vegetables. “We have added 1,600 farmers from the North,” Cargills chief Ranjith Page told the annual annual sessions of […]
Bangladesh stock market boom fuels dire warnings
DHAKA, October 12, 2010 (AFP) – A flurry of cooling measures has failed to end a record-breaking bull run at Bangladesh’s main stock market, with regulators now warning of an imminent crash that could devastate the broader economy. The main Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) general index has hit new highs nearly every day for the […]
‘s largest cuppa
Oct 09, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka, a top exporter of tea, has made the world’s largest cup of the brew in a ten foot high thousand gallon cup breaking a Guinness record previously held by the United States. An official from Guinness in London was in Colombo to monitor the event, the organizers said. […]
Over 60 percent of Afghans suffer mental health problems
KABUL, October 10, 2010 (AFP) – Scarred by decades of war, social problems and poverty, more than 60 percent of Afghans suffer from stress disorders and mental health problems, officials warned Sunday. The population of Afghanistan is estimated at roughly 28 million. “This is a major problem,” Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan’s acting public health minister, told […]
India jets order boosts ailing Russian defence industry
MOSCOW, October 9, 2010 (AFP) – Russia’s ailing defence industry has received one of its biggest boosts in years with a huge fighter jet deal with India, but much of the sector remains stuck in a Soviet-era time warp, analysts said. Moscow is in the race for a contract to supply New Delhi with 126 […]
Sri Lanka govt to import chicken, eggs
Oct 08, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is to import chicken and eggs during the traditional festive seasons in November-December and the traditional new year in April, according to a Cabinet decision. The import programme is to be reviewed monthly. Sri Lanka imposed price controls on chicken and also pushed up import duties […]
Sad State
KUWAIT CITY, October 6, 2010 (AFP) – Abuse of domestic workers in Kuwait is rising, and maids in the Gulf emirate face prosecution when they try to escape, Human Rights Watch said on Wednesday. The New York-based rights group said migrant domestic workers have minimal protection from employers who withhold salaries, force them to work […]
Arrest Move
October 6, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police said Wednesday they were seeking the arrest of men and women who had starred in locally-made pornographic movies and would soon publish headshots in the newspapers. The Children’s and Women’s Bureau of the police said it planned to send photographs of the local porn stars to the […]
” mystery
WASHINGTON, October 6, 2010 (AFP) – The US space agency NASA announced Tuesday it has given the green light to a mission to Mars aimed at investigating the mystery of how the “red planet” lost its atmosphere. NASA gave the approval Monday for “the development and 2013 launch of the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution […]