Category: Other
Clean Sweep
Feb 26 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s trade ministry is looking at appointing a liquidator to close a state trading firm that went bankrupt in a failed privatization attempt, an official said. Sathosa Retail, incorporated to take-over the supermarket operations of the Co-operative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) is estimated to owe more than 800 million rupees to […]
Indian chases world chili record
GUWAHATI, India, Feb 25, 2007 (AFP) – Spurred by a Guinness World Records nod to the local “ghost chili,” a woman from India’s northeast hopes to set a new record by eating a massive quantity of the world’s hottest pepper.Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old mother, is headed from Assam to London at the invitation of […]
Nissan joins 900 million dollar Indian car venture with Renault
CHENNAI, India, Feb 26, 2007 (AFP) – Japanese automaker Nissan on Monday tied up with French partner Renault’s Indian venture to build a 902 million dollar plant, joining a race with rivals Toyota and Honda for a slice of the South Asian nation’s expanding car market.For decades after independence India’s roads were dominated by two […]
Summoned
February 23 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s foreign minister has summoned the Saudi envoy in Colombo over the beheading and ‘crucifixion’ of four Sri Lankans, including a man who was told he was serving a prison term, the foreign affairs ministry said Friday, . Four Sri Lankans Victor Corea, Ranjith Silva, Sanath Pushpakumara and Sharmila Sangeeth […]
Blood Money
RIYADH, Feb 24, 2007 (AFP) – A 97-year-old Saudi man waiting to be beheaded for murder has launched an appeal for donations of blood money in order to spare him from the death sentence, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.H. al-Zahrani, who has been imprisoned for several years, made his plea to raise 2.6 million […]
From holidays to yoga pants: luxury freebies for Oscars stars
LOS ANGELES, Feb 22, 2007 (AFP) – The US tax man has helped put a stop to the 100,000-dollar goodie bags, but celebrities will still be showered with an eye-popping array of lavish gifts at this year’s Oscars.“This is just a thanks for making great movies.These are the people who help put a smile on […]
Crucified
February 21 (LBO) – Saudi Arabia has ‘crucified’ four Sri Lankans after beheading them, including a man who was told he was only serving a prison-term, media reports from the desert kingdom said. In 2006 consumer inflation in Sri Lanka rose by 19.3 percent and the rupee fell to 109 to the dollar after the […]
Imminent Act
February, 21 (LBO) – Every attempt is being made to bring the new companies act into effect from next financial year starting from April 02 making it easier to set up and operate firms, an official said. An advisory committee charged with giving effect to the act met this week to iron out remaining stumbling […]
State media praise money printing president on birthday as people burn from inflation
HARARE, Feb 21, 2007 (AFP) – Zimbabwe’s state-run media lavished praise on veteran President Robert Mugabe on the 83rd birthday of Africa’s oldest-serving leader Wednesday, while stores in the capital Harare ran out of bread.“President an unparalled visionary,” read the headline of The Herald newspaper, which dedicated 16 pages to pictures and congratulatory messages to […]
Executed
RIYADH, Feb 19, 2007 (AFP) – Four Sri Lankans convicted of armed robbery were beheaded by the sword in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh on Monday, the interior ministry said. Victor Korea, Ranjith De Silva, Santhosh Kumar and Sharmila Sangeeth Kumar were executed for robbing a number of businesses at gunpoint, the ministry said in […]
Summary Justice
January 19 (LBO) – Saudi Arabia has beheaded four Sri Lankans by the sword including a man serving a jail sentence, reports from the desert kingdom said, bringing an abrupt end to a three year struggle by rights organizations and the prisoners themselves for clemency. An AFP news agency report quoting the Saudi Press Agency […]
Police unearth over 400 baby bones in India
BHOPAL, India, Feb 19, 2007 (AFP) – Police were investigating Monday a hospital’s involvement in illegal female foeticide after 437 baby bones were dug up close by the complex, a state government said Monday.Police began unearthing the bones on Saturday from Christian Medical Hospital, in central Madhya Pradesh state, after a tip-off that medical staff […]