Category: Other
Imposed Rule
June 28, 2010 (LBO) – In the past four decades, whenever a political party or alliance secured a substantial majority of seats in parliament, that group of politicians has claimed the right to foist a new constitution on the people of this country. Constitution-making is not the prerogative, or indeed a legitimate function, of a […]
Sri Lanka to encourage rubber production for tires
June 28, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to encourage small farmers to produce more of a rubber grade suitable for tire manufacture which is in demand, officials said. Plantations industries minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said a policy decision was taken recently aimed at increasing production of the RSS 3 type rubber grade. Although most people […]
Pakistan and India to fight terrorism together
ISLAMABAD, June 26, 2010 (AFP) – Pakistan and India announced Saturday they would fight terrorism together and cooperate on the 2008 Mumbai attacks as India urged Pakistan to put more suspects on trial for the atrocity. Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik have concluded two meetings in Islamabad with a […]
India deregulates petrol prices
NEW DELHI, June 25, 2010 (AFP) – India’s government decided to deregulate petrol prices Friday in a bold economic reform that risks a popular backlash as the country struggles with double-digit inflation. The step, which will mean an increase in fuel prices, is part of efforts by the left-leaning Congress-led government to reduce a gaping […]
Bharti to invest 150 million dollars in Zain Zambia
LUSAKA, June 24, 2010 (AFP) – India’s mobile phone company Bharti Airtel plans to invest 150 million dollars in Zain Zambia, chief executive officer Manoj Kohli said on Thursday. It has also acquired the operations of Zain Zambia’s parent company, Zain Africa in 15 African countries, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville and Democratic Republic […]
Sri Lanka tea output up in May
June 23, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka™s tea production in May 2010 rose 12.9 percent to almost 30.3 million kilos as production continued to recover from a downturn the year before, Tea Board data showed. The annual production in 2008 hit a record high of 318 million kilos. Corrected – annual production figure Tea production […]
India eyes double-digit economic growth by 2013
MADRID, June 21, 2010 (AFP) – The Indian economy, Asia’s largest after Japan and China, is accelerating and could reach double-digit growth by 2013, Indian Trade Minister Anand Sharma said Monday during a visit to Spain. “We hope to grow at a rate of between 8.5 percent to 9.0 percent this year and we are […]
Sri Lanka tea trade calls for limit on new factories
June 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea trade has called for a stop to the setting up of new factories unless they are supported by cultivated tea lands to prevent ‘excess capacity’ and competition for green leaf. Avi de Silva, chairman of the Colombo Tea Traders’ Association, said they were concerned about the proliferation […]
‘s Reliance Broadcast signs TV deal with CBS for South Asia
NEW DELHI, June 20, 2010 (AFP) – India’s Reliance Broadcast Network, part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group, has signed a deal with the US-based CBS network to launch TV channels across south Asia, the company said Sunday. The two companies will first launch English-language entertainment channels and at a later stage explore channels in […]
Sri Lanka trade talks mull market access for migrant labour
June 21, 2010 (LBO) – Opening up labour markets in developed countries for migrant workers from South Asian countries like Sri Lanka is of critical importance for the region at world trade talks, an economist said. Many South Asians are working abroad in construction, nursing and health care, and in personal care as domestic assistants. […]
Cricket-mad Indian touted as next Deutsche Bank CEO
BERLIN, June 20, 2010 (AFP) – Anshu Jain already captains Deutsche Bank’s cricket team, and a boardroom reshuffle last week means that the Indian big-hitter is now seen as a prime candidate to be chief executive too. Jain, 47, has just been appointed sole head of the German lender’s most powerful division, its corporate and […]
Arsenic in water poisoned 77 million Bangladeshis: report
DHAKA, June 20, 2010 (AFP) – Up to 77 million Bangladeshis have been exposed to toxic levels of arsenic from contaminated drinking water, and even low-level exposure to the poison is not risk-free, The Lancet medical journal reported. Over the past decade, more than 20 percent of deaths recorded in a study that monitored nearly […]