Category: Other
Oil price danger looms over OPEC meeting
VIENNA, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) – OPEC oil ministers arrive in Vienna on Monday, under pressure to help combat high crude prices, which have surged to near-record highs and loom as a new risk for the global economy.The outcome is uncertain of a formal meeting on Tuesday, when the group will decide whether to raise […]
WHO says time to get tough with tobacco giants
JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) – A top World Health Organisation official on Monday urged the world to get tough with tobacco companies, saying smoking deaths are an international scandal. “The deaths and misery caused by smoking continue to be one of the greatest scandals of our time,” said Shigeru Omi, WHO […]
‘s economy shrinks, adding to global concerns
TOKYO, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) – Japan’s economy contracted in the second quarter of 2007 as firms cut spending on new factories and equipment, the government said Monday, adding to jitters over the global economic climate. Past GDP estimates were also revised, showing the economy shrank by 0.1 percent in the third quarter of 2006, […]
Prison Life
Sept 10, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan teenager Rizana Nafeek who is on death row is being treated well by her jailors and was hoping an appeal of her sentence will succeed, media reports said. Sometimes prisoners are kept on death row for years, before suddenly being taken and beheaded. “Rizana was so confident […]
Central bankers warn sub-prime crisis could hit whole US economy
BASEL, Switzerland, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) – The crisis in the US housing market risks spreading to the whole of the nation’s economy, European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet said Monday on behalf of world central bankers.Trichet was speaking in his capacity as head of the G10 group of central bankers from industrialised and emerging […]
Contempt Order
Sept 10, 2007 (LBO) – The head of Sri Lanka’s consumer authority has been ordered to resign by the Supreme Court over the implementation of a previous order on cooking gas pricing. . Updated Consumer Authority Chairman Sarath Wijesinghe was told he was not fit to take up any government post, an official said. Witnesses […]
Britain sued over colonial rule and mistreatment of Indians in Malaysia
WASHINGTON, Sept 8, 2007 (AFP) – A Malaysian human rights lawyer has filed a four trillion dollar lawsuit against Britain for alleged atrocities suffered by Indians whose forefathers were brought as indentured laborers to Malaysia during colonial rule. Among them were South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji and Mauritius, he said. […]
Asia-Pacific summit pumps up brothel business
SYDNEY, Sept 9, 2007 (AFP) – Sydney brothels have had to import prostitutes from other states to get over a demand hump caused by security agents and delegates attending an Asia-Pacific summit, an industry spokesman said Sunday. APEC groups Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua […]
Sly Workers
Sept 9, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan authorities have launched a crackdown on Indian nationals who arrive as tourists and stay on to work, an immigration official said Sunday.Eight Indian men were arrested Friday in the south of the island, where they had been employed as farm workers, the official said, adding that all had […]
Zimbabwe allows another price hike of goods, services
HARARE, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) – The Zimbabwean government has authorised all retailers to raise prices by 20 percent, in a bid to to ease widespread shortages, reports said Friday.The price hike comes two weeks after government allowed retailers and manufacturers to increase prices on basic commodities such as sugar, cooking oil, chicken and soap. […]
US says Indian Ocean wargames not aimed at China, Iran
ON BOARD THE USS KITTY HAWK, Sept 7, 2007 (AFP) – A top US navy commander involved in Indian Ocean wargames said Friday the exercises were not aimed at sending a message to either China or Iran.“We are flexible enough to learn the different ways from the international navies and it is easy for us […]
Bunker Battle
Sept 08, 2007 (LBO) – A rival bunker supplier has joined the court action challenging the sale of Sri Lanka’s then-bunkering monopoly, Lanka Marine Services, which has now emerged as one of John Keells Holdings main money-spinners. Reza in the affidavit also said that the company believes the LMS privatization was fraudulent and not done […]