Category: Other
‘s independents take stock after election drubbing
MUMBAI, May 19, 2009 (AFP) – A new wave of reform-minded candidates are taking stock after the Indian general election, following high-profile campaigns that failed to translate into votes at the ballot box. “This is going to take some time to change,” he told AFP.“People are definitely talking about better people in parliament, not only […]
UN chief announces Sri Lanka trip
GENEVA, May 19, 2009 (AFP) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he will visit Sri Lanka on Friday and called for immediate progress on reconciliation following the government’s declaration of victory over Tamil Tiger rebels.“We urgently need to treat the wounds of a war that has alienated the communities in the island for almost […]
Sri Lanka Carson unit says palm oil market stabilised
May 18, 2009 (LBO) – Palm oil prices have stabilised after last year’s collapse and demand should grow in future, according to Good Hope, a subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s Carson Cumber batch group with plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia.“Further, sustained economic growth in largely populated countries like China and India and increased effect of urbanization […]
‘s triumphant Congress prepares for government
NEW DELHI, May 17, 2009 (AFP) – India’s Congress Party began the task of forming a government Sunday after steering its ruling alliance to a second term in office with a resounding win over its Hindu nationalist rivals.Senior alliance leaders met to formulate strategy and to choose which parties it might approach about securing a […]
‘s Bharti Airtel sees 100-million mobile subscribers
NEW DELHI, May 15, 2009 (AFP) – India’s top mobile phone company Bharti Airtel announced Friday it had crossed the 100-million subscriber mark and expected to double that number within the next three years. The New Delhi-based company announced a 26 percent jump in net profit for last year to 84.69 billion rupees (1.68 billion […]
Congress set to return to power in India
NEW DELHI, May 16, 2009 (AFP) – India’s ruling Congress-led alliance was set to return to power after taking a clear and commanding lead Saturday in vote counting from the country’s marathon general elections.Congress spokeswoman Ambika Soni said party leaders and their allies would meet later in the day to discuss how they would go […]
Sri Lanka tea prices fall as crop increases
May 15, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices fell at the Colombo auctions this week but brokers said there was better demand for the increased volumes on offer.They said that despite the generally lower prices some well-made teas fetched record prices. Tea industry officials said production had recovered from the effects of drought earlier […]
Sri Lanka Kelani Valley Plantations in the red
May 14, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Kelani Valley Plantations, part of the Hayleys group, said it made a 46 million rupee loss in the March quarter compared with a net profit of 157 million rupees a year ago. It said in a stock exchange filing that sales fell 43 percent to 490 million rupees […]
Sri Lanka rubber meeting told to brace for fall in demand
May 13, 2009 (LBO) – Demand for natural rubber and rubber products will fall this year with the decline in sales of tyres and vehicles, a rubber expert told an international conference in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. But demand will recover next year or the year after as the global economy recovers although at […]
‘s election marathon at the finishing line
NEW DELHI, May 12, 2009 (AFP) – Millions of voters cast their final ballots Wednesday in India’s marathon election, with analysts predicting the emergence of a shaky coalition government that will struggle to survive a full term.The fifth and final phase of voting in seven states wraps up the world’s largest democratic exercise that began […]
‘s vote marathon ends
NEW DELHI, May 13, 2009 (AFP) – Voting in India’s marathon elections ended Wednesday, with exit polls giving the ruling Congress party and its allies a slight edge over the opposition bloc led by the Hindu nationalist BJP. Neither grouping was seen as getting close to the 272 seats required to secure a parliamentary majority. […]
UN says more than 100 children dead in Sri Lanka conflict
May 11, 2009 (AFP) – The UN condemned on Monday the killing of civilians in Sri Lanka at the weekend as a “bloodbath” in which more than 100 children died, as the government and rebels traded blame for the attacks. Sri Lanka’s government believes its soldiers are on the verge of defeating the Liberation Tigers […]