Category: Other
‘s immigration open, but not for one French family
MONTREAL, June 8, 2010 (AFP) – Looking to swell its population with an influx of up to 250,000 immigrants annually, Canada is arguably among the world’s most welcoming nations, but its doors are not open to all. A French couple, Sophie and David Barlagne, recently experienced bitter rejection by a still selective immigration policy. They […]
Mumbai plans 117-storey apartment block
MUMBAI, June 8, 2010 (AFP) – An Indian property group was due Tuesday to unveil plans to build one of the world’s tallest residential towers in Mumbai, the booming financial capital of the fast developing country. Lodha Developers intends the tower to be 117 storeys high, and it will be designed by New York-based architects […]
Sri Lanka tea prices seen bottoming out
June 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices recovered this week after falling sharply in recent Colombo auctions prompting brokers to say the market appears to have bottomed out. Fears that heavy rains could reduce crops in the southern cultivation areas which produce the bulk of national output have also subsided as rains have […]
Obama sets trip to India, pledges ties
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2010 (AFP) – US President Barack Obama set a visit to India in November as he pledged Thursday to push forward ties between the world’s two largest democracies as part of his busy diplomatic agenda. The United States also offered full support for India’s role in Afghanistan after high-level talks in Washington, […]
Sri Lanka and India can get economically closer: president
June 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and India has an opportunity to move towards closer economic ties as the end of a 30-year war opened up new opportunities, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. “We have a common heritage in trading with each other and the rest of the world,” President Rajapaksa told a business forum […]
India, Indonesia worst for red tape in Asia: survey
SINGAPORE, June 2, 2010 (AFP) – India, Indonesia and the Philippines have Asia’s most inefficient bureaucracies, with red tape a constant blight to citizens and deterrent to foreign investment, a survey said Wednesday. Regional financial centres Singapore and Hong Kong have the most efficient bureaucracies, according to the survey of expatriate business executives by the […]
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NEW DELHI, May 30, 2010 (AFP) – Sanjay Malhotra, the owner of an Indian travel company, knows his target market — so he seeks out and recruits gay-friendly guides, taxi drivers and hotel managers. “Nobody who works for me laughs or passes a silly remark if two men are obviously partners. They treat gays as […]
Standard Chartered raises 530 million dollars in India
MUMBAI, May 30, 2010 (AFP) – British bank Standard Chartered on Sunday said it had raised 530 million dollars through a first-of-a-kind sale of shares in India. The lender, which makes most of its profits in Asia, will issue 240 million Indian Depository Receipts (IDRs) at a price of 104 rupees each, the bank said […]
Sri Lanka conservationists in push to restore mangrove eco-system
May 29, 2010 (LBO) – Large swathes of abandoned shrimp farms in a coastal lagoon in Sri Lanka’s western coast could be returned to its former glory as a mangrove eco-systems if an ambitious plan by a conservation charity succeeds, officials said. “When people realized that this is a profitable activity they started, looking for […]
‘s northeastern coastline
SINGAPORE, May 29, 2010 (AFP) – An oil slick from a damaged tanker has spread from beaches on Singapore’s southeastern coastline to a marine nature reserve and other beaches, environment officials said Saturday. “Definitely, where we’re talking about Changi Beach and Chek Jawa, these areas have a high level of biodiversity,” said Louis Ng, executive […]
Australia to start legal action against Japan over whaling
SYDNEY, May 28, 2010 (AFP) – Australia will start legal action to stop Japan hunting whales next week, officials said on Friday, following years of tensions over the annual slaughter in waters near Antarctica. Documents will be submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague “early next week”, after repeated threats of proceedings […]
Boat People
KUALA LUMPUR, May 27, 2010 (AFP) – Sixty-one Sri Lankan asylum seekers held in a Malaysian immigration depot Thursday entered day three of a hunger strike in a desperate effort to win freedom and settlement in a third country. Immigration authorities could not be reached for comment. Activists say Malaysia is often used as a […]