Category: Other
Sri Lanka tea prices rise on supply uncertainty
Sept 10, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices rose sharply at this week™s auctions, driven by supply uncertainty, with labour unions preventing teas leaving hill country estates, possibly creating shortages at future sales, brokers said. Asia Siyaka Commodities said there was more general demand in the catalogues from estates with buyers paying up for […]
Menswear comes of age with first India fashion week
NEW DELHI, September 10, 2009 (AFP) – India is set to host its inaugural men’s fashion week from Friday, which observers say is a long overdue nod to a growing and lucrative market often overshadowed by women’s clothes.The event in the capital New Delhi hopes to capture the interest of India’s millions of young males, […]
Sri Lanka plantations firms, unions in more wage talks
Sept 09, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan regional plantations companies (RPCs) and labour unions are to hold another round of talks on a wage hike Thursday to resolve differences that have disrupted production and transport of tea, officials said. Obeysekere said workers continued to disrupt work on estates, disrupting supplies of water and electricity, apart […]
Sri Lanka plantations wage talks fail, unions say
Sept 08, 2009 (LBO) – Talks between Sri Lanka regional plantations companies (RPCs) and estate labour unions on a wage hike have failed, resulting in uncertainty about production and exports, officials said.The two-year collective wage agreement between the unions and RPCs expired in March. Labour unions will meet today to decide their future course of […]
‘ money
MALE, September 7, 2009 (AFP) – The Maldives, whose fight against rising sea levels has become a cause celebre for environmentalists, said Monday it would have to skip UN climate change talks in Copenhagen this year to save money.Some campaigners said the negotiations would be weakened if the Maldives were missing, given their vocal campaigning […]
India promises 10-billion-dollar bond purchase: IMF
WASHINGTON, September 5, 2009 (AFP) – The International Monetary Fund on Saturday hailed India’s pledge to buy 10 billion dollars worth of IMF bonds, as top emerging economies pressed for a greater say in running the global economy.“I welcome the announcement by India of its intention to support the Fund’s lending capacity through the purchase […]
‘s budget airlines leave rivals in vapour stream
MUMBAI, September 6, 2009 (AFP) – India’s low-cost airlines are set to go from strength to strength as they grab market share from ailing premier carriers such as Air India, whose debts and losses continue to pile up, experts say.Big airlines such as Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India are being hit by falling revenues […]
Suzuki Motor to build new auto plant in India: report
TOKYO, September 5, 2009 (AFP) – Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp.plans to build a new plant in India in 2011 in a bid to meet growing demand for cars in the country, a newspaper reported on Saturday. The manufacturer of small cars and motorcycles plans to invest about 30 billion yen (323 million dollars) in construction […]
”’ adjusts to life in the IT sector
KATHMANDU, September 3, 2009 (AFP) – As a child, she was worshipped as a “living goddess” in Nepal after she proved her bravery in an ancient ritual by not crying at the sight of a sacrificed buffalo.But now Rashmila Shakya, 29, meets friends in cafes, listens to Bollywood music — and is building a promising […]
Jailed Journalist
OTTAWA, September 2, 2009 (AFP) – Canada is “deeply concerned” by Sri Lanka’s sentencing of a journalist to 20 years of hard labor, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Wednesday. “The government of Canada is deeply concerned by the sentencing of J.S. Tissainayagam to 20 years in prison for violating Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism […]
Sri Lanka tea trade warns labour action will hit exports
Sept 03, 2009 (LBO) – Action by labour unions on Sri Lanka’s tea estates to disrupt the movement of teas could hamper exports and threatens the industry and entire economy, the Colombo Tea Traders™ Association (CTTA) warned. It would also worsen the current cash-flow problems of plantation companies, the CTTA warned and result in serious […]
‘s Maruti Suzuki posts record exports
MUMBAI, September 1, 2009 (AFP) – India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India, majority-owned by Japan’s Suzuki Motor, announced record exports Tuesday in August, led by strong sales across European markets.Maruti’s exports nearly tripled to 14,847 vehicles during the month, from 5,795 a year earlier, helped by its A-star hatchback launched last November. “Data showed the […]