Category: Other
Bangladesh hikes fuel prices 21 percent in line with global rates
DHAKA, April 2, 2007 (AFP) – Bangladesh’s military-backed interim government said Monday that it raised the price of fuels used for transport and cooking by as much as 21 percent in the face of sharply rising global oil prices.The prices of diesel and kerosene were hiked by 21 percent to 40 taka (27.80 US cents) […]
Malaysian anti-corruption chief dumped amid graft allegations: report
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31, 2007 (AFP) – Malaysia’s top anti-corruption official, who is facing a police investigation into graft allegations against him, will not have his contract renewed, a report said Saturday.Malaysians believe their country has an “acute” corruption problem, international monitor Transparency International said recently, warning the issue could drive away foreign investors.Zulkipli Mat […]
Sri Lanka tea exports recover in February
March 22, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea exports grew six percent in February while higher prices also pushed earnings higher, commodities broker Asia Siyaka said. Sri Lanka exported 26.5 million kilograms of tea in February (24.9 mn kg in 2005) but was unable to fully recover losses in January when production plummeted as estates recovered […]
Safe Flow
March 21 (LBO) – An investment protection agreement between Sri Lanka and Australia has come into effect from March this year with Australia, which can increase investment flows to the island, the foreign ministry said. Sri Lanka had completed its internal legal requirements in February 2006. “The Agreement sets out the State to State guarantees […]
Gender Wars
March 21 (LBO) – In Sri Lanka, women already outnumber men at 52 women for every 48 men and activists are warning that the proportion would increase if the war continues. However, in the workplace prospects are not all that rosy for Sri Lanka’s ladies. Women are still a minority among Sri Lanka’s parliamentarians and […]
Airbus A380 superjumbo wows crowds on historic US debut
LOS ANGELES, March 19, 2007 (AFP) – The giant Airbus A380 superjumbo landed on US soil for the first time Monday, dazzling large crowds gathered in Los Angeles and New York to catch a glimpse of the world’s biggest passenger plane. The 555-seat double-decker behemoth with a wingspan the size of a football pitch descended […]
Bangladesh gets second private passenger airline
DHAKA, March 20, 2007 (AFP) – A Kuwait-based company has joined Bangladesh’s leading air-cargo operator to launch the country’s second private passenger airline, a company official said Tuesday.Biman reported a record loss of 120 million dollars in the year to June last year. Aqeeq Aviation Holding has bought a 49 percent stake in Best Aviation […]
Malaysia issues WiMAX licences to four companies
KUALA LUMPUR, March 16, 2007 (AFP) – Malaysia on Friday issued licences to four telecommunication operators to provide fourth generation (4G) wireless high speed Internet services nationwide this year.The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the winning bidders are Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd, MIB Comm Sdn Bhd, Redtone-CNX Broadband Sdn Bhd and Asiaspace Dotcom […]
LBR-LBO WiE Forum
March 16 (LBO) – Allowing employers and female workers to negotiate a work-family balance is far more effective in practice than laws, Sri Lankan women in business told a forum this week. In 2005, 7.52 million of Sri lanka’s labour force was employed of which 30.9 percent were females, statistics show, which was half the […]
Ocean Lines
Mar 15, 2007 (LBO) –Sri Lanka is to soon begin a survey to re-draw its continental shelf boundary with the help of a British survey company, a top official said Thursday. (1 nautical mile = 1.852 kilometers) Geophysical survey company Geotechnical Engineering and Marine Surveys (GEMS) of the UK is to conduct the two-month study, […]
Asian stocks down sharply as Wall St nerves hit home
HONG KONG, March 14, 2007 (AFP) – Asian stock markets closed sharply lower Wednesday, hit by a fresh round of turmoil after Wall Street tumbled overnight on figures showed growing problems in the US housing market, dealers said.They said investors were already wary following their battering earlier this month when a dramatic sell-off in Chinese […]
Petro Law
March 14 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to develop an oil exploration laws and establish a regulatory system with funding from the United States, the US embassy in Colombo said Wednesday.The Ministry of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development is getting a 51 million rupee grant from the US Trade and Development Agency to develop oil […]