Category: Other
Euro bills in Germany mysteriously disintegrating: report
BERLIN, Nov 2, 2006 (AFP) – Euro bills in Germany have begun mysteriously disintegrating, leading police to suspect a prank using sulfuric acid, the top-selling daily Bild reported Thursday.The state crime offices in Berlin and the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate have opened investigations after a number of bills began self-destructing across the country. The first […]
‘s Tiger Airways eyes six new South Asian routes in 2007: report
SINGAPORE, Nov 2, 2006 (AFP) – Singapore’s Tiger Airways has applied to India and Sri Lanka to fly to six destinations as part of a bid to ramp up its South Asian network, its chief executive said in remarks published Thursday. The Singapore-based budget carrier hopes to get the nod to fly next year to […]
Estate worker unions expect quick close to wage talks; tea production hits new highs
Nov 02 (LBO) – Sri Lanka posted record tea production in September, as estate worker trade unions thrash out a wage increase for over 250,000 plantation workers. Wage Talks Meanwhile, estate worker trade unions say they expect a quick closure in wage talks, with union officials downplaying strike action on some estates in Hatton over the […]
Bordeaux winemakers downplay impact of rise in fakes
BORDEAUX, France, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) – Winemakers in France’s prime Bordeaux wine region have shrugged off warnings by experts over a rise in counterfeiting of top wines potentially worth millions of euros (dollars).While most top chateaux in Bordeaux, in France’s southwest, have introduced measures to protect their wines against the fakes, they insist the […]
Egypt trembles as cheap Chinese pharaohs rule the souk
CAIRO, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) – Figurines of King Tut, Ramses and Queen Nefertiti in Cairo’s famous Khan Khalili bazaar all bear the hallmarks of pharaonic regalia, from the goat-hair beards to the golden sceptre. But the slanting eyes framed by the ancient Egypian rulers’ trademark kohl lining betrays the statuettes’ Chinese origins. While Egypt […]
Trade unions create ITUC: world labour front against globalisation
VIENNA, Nov 1, 2006 (AFP) – Trade unions from around the world set up a new labour giant, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), here on Wednesday to end decades of internal feuding and strengthen their hand against globalisation. “I declare the creation of the ITUC, encompassing 306 national unions in 154 countries and representing […]
India central bank warns of overheating economy
MUMBAI, Oct 31, 2006 (AFP) – India’s central bank warned Tuesday of overheating in one of the world’s fastest growing economies as it juggled interest rates in a mid-term policy review aimed at keeping prices in check. The Reserve Bank of India raised the cost for banks to borrow by a quarter percentage point to […]
Kenya tea production up, but still recovering from drought
NAIROBI, Oct 30, 2006 (AFP) – Kenya’s tea production surged eight percent in the third quarter of this year from last but remains below the 2005 cumulative total due to the lingering effects of a killer drought, officials said Monday. Production shot up between July and September to 75 million kilos (165 million pounds million […]
‘s tuk-tuks go global as popularity wanes at home
BANGKOK, Oct 29, 2006 (AFP) – London has its black cabs, Venice its gondolas, and Bangkok its tuk-tuks, but Thailand’s iconic three-wheeled taxis are going global as foreigners scramble to pick up a piece of Thai culture.The smoke-belching motorized rickshaws can now be seen plying Britain’s seaside towns, Canada’s golf courses and Tokyo’s neon-lit streets, […]
” in Oslo exhibition
OSLO, Oct 28, 2006 (AFP) – Giraffes mounting, aroused whales mating and dragonflies copulating — perfectly normal, tender scenes — although perhaps not for all, as in this case these animals are of the same sex.Breaking what is taboo for some, the Oslo Natural History Museum is currently showing an exhibition on homosexuality in the […]
The day that raised London as global financial centre
LONDON, Oct 27, 2006 (AFP) – The City of London marked on Friday 20 years since the so-called “Big Bang” which broke down staid old practices with a wave of deregulation, credited now with giving London the edge as a global financial centre in Europe. The “Bang” has been a central factor propelling the ‘Square […]
India, US to hold talks to bridge WTO differences
NEW YORK, Oct 26, 2006 (AFP) – India and the United States have agreed to meet in a bid to iron out differences over achieving a global trade accord, Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said Thursday. The agreement was reached at a high level New York meeting between American and Indian government and private sector […]