Category: Other
Oil prices slide under 53 dollars
LONDON, Jan 11, 2007 (AFP) – World oil prices sank below 53 dollars per barrel on Thursday to mid-2005 low points on healthy US energy stockpiles and warm weather in the northern hemisphere. The latest sharp falls have sparked speculation that the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries could soon hold an emergency production meeting. London’s […]
Irish banknotes massively tainted with cocaine
DUBLIN, Jan 11, 2007 (AFP) – Irish researchers found traces of cocaine on every single banknote contained in a random sample tested in a study of drug contamination of currency, Dublin City University (DCU) said on Thursday. Researchers voiced suprise at the 100 percent figure, which compares for example to a recent US study which […]
‘s National Stock Exchange
NEW DELHI, Jan 10, 2007 (AFP) – The New York Stock Exchange and investment bank Goldman Sachs are among investors who plan to buy an unspecified stake in India’s National Stock Exchange, a report said Wednesday.The Economic Times business daily said that two Indian financial firms, ILandFS and IFCI, plan to sell to overseas investors […]
Zimbabwe inflation hits new record high
HARARE, Jan 10, 2007 (AFP) – Inflation in Zimbabwe hit a new record high of 1,281 percent on Thursday, puncturing government hopes of reining in the galloping rate which has left households struggling to make ends meet. Figures released by the central statistics office (CSO) showed that the year-on-year inflation rate had risen by 182 […]
Milk destroys health benefits of tea, says study
PARIS, Jan 9, 2007 (AFP) – Bad news for Britons: adding milk to tea ruins the health benefits of the drink, according to a Germany study published on Tuesday.Tea has complex compounds called polyphenols which are believed to help the arteries to relax or dilate, thus enabling a smoother flow of blood.Scientists led at the […]
World Economic Forum joins web fantasy in bid for openness
GENEVA, Jan 9, 2007 (AFP) – The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos this month will enter the virtual reality of web-based Second Life in a bid to open up the elite meeting of political and business leaders, the organisers said Tuesday. After being televised, webcast and podcast […]
Behaviour Code
January 05, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s securities regulator will include a revised corporate governance code into the Colombo bourse’ listing requirements, making it mandatory for quoted companies to adopt the rules from April onwards. Drawn up by the Securities a& Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka (SEC), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka […]
Sri Lanka heads for record tea export growth despite estate worker strikes
January 4, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka shipped a record 28 million kilos of tea in November 2006, amidst weeks’ long trade union action that cost over a billion rupees, commodity brokers Asia Siyaka said Thursday. Despite strike action by unions demanding a wage to cope with a soaring costs of living Sri Lanka exported a […]
Prayers, tears mark tsunami anniversary from Sri Lanka to Indonesia
BAN NAM KHEM, Thailand, Dec 26 (AFP) – With prayers and flowers and tears, from Thailand’s beaches to the islands of India, mourners paid tribute to their loved ones Tuesday on the second anniversary of the Asian tsunami. Emotional ceremonies across the region recalled the day when giant waves killed 220,000 people in a sweep […]
German freezes aid pledges to Sri Lanka to push peace talks
BERLIN, Dec 24, 2006 (AFP) – Germany said Sunday it will not offer the Sri Lankan government new aid until the peace process in the country advances and called on other nations to increase the pressure on Colombo. Overseas Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul told Berlin’s daily Tagesspiegel that Germany had been frustrated that its aid […]
‘s economy to boom more slowly in 2007: analysts
MUMBAI, Dec 23, 2006 (AFP) – India’s economy will continue to boom in 2007 but analysts say demand will slow as its central bank hikes interest rates to curtail consumer spending and higher prices. India’s one-billion-plus population are buying more cars, phones, homes and goods than ever before and its companies have expanded quickly to […]
Report paints grim picture of Asian rights abuses
HONG KONG, Dec 22, 2006 (AFP) – Malfunctioning democracies and legal systems are the main causes of violations of human rights and the rule of law in many countries around Asia, a new rights report says. The study said respect for human rights had worsened in most countries in the region and that people had […]