Category: Other
‘s economic woes
HARARE, Aug 22, 2006 (AFP) – Zimbabwe converted to a new currency Tuesday in a move aimed at stemming runaway inflation but analysts said it would do little to halt a downward spiral in the southern African country’s economy.The Reserve Bank slashed three zeros from its currency on July 31 and set a 21-day ultimatum […]
Sri Lanka rubber prices fall behind India, Thailand
August 22, 2006 (LBO) – Rubber prices in Sri Lanka have been dropping since July, following stiff competition from regional producers like Thailand and India. “Thailand being one of the biggest suppliers of rubber in the region has had better volumes from their crops, resulting in a drop in Sri Lanka’s rubber price,” Damitha Perera, […]
Ancient Indian port with links to Roman Empire faces extinction
PATTANAM, India, Aug 21, 2006 (AFP) – Pottery shards, beads, Roman copper coins and ancient wine bottles litter the strata beneath this small seaside village in India’s southern Kerala state.The 250 families, mostly agricultural labourers, who live in Pattanam, 260 kilometers (161 miles) north of Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, find the objects pretty, but would rather […]
Singapore launches drive to attract immigrants amid baby shortage
SINGAPORE, Aug 21, 2006 (AFP) – Singapore will launch a more aggressive drive to attract immigrants to avert a serious population shortage, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, again urging citizens to produce more babies.Raising the population issue as one of his priorities, Lee said the government would establish a new “citizenship and population unit” […]
Panda blog opens in China
BEIJING, Aug 21, 2006 (AFP) – A week-old giant panda cub has received her own blog as China seeks to raise public awareness about protecting the endangered animal, state media said Monday. The blog, named “Baby Panda Home”, has debuted on the Sina website. It features photos, regular updates on the panda’s growth and discussions […]
Chaos as Zimbabwe switches to new currency
HARARE, Aug 22, 2006 (AFP) – Zimbabweans struggled to offload soon-to-be worthless cash on Monday as chaos and confusion prevailed ahead of a midnight deadline to convert to a new currency aimed at combating galloping inflation.Banks extended their working hours to cater to crowds who came to dispose of their old notes while others went […]
India takes Coca-Cola to court alleging high pesticide levels
BANGALORE, India, Aug 19 (AFP) – India’s southern state of Karnataka has filed a case against US soft drinks giant Coca-Cola, accusing it of selling products with unacceptably high pesticide levels, a minister said Saturday.The case was filed August 12 after state health department-supervised laboratory tests showed excessive amounts of pesticide in Coca-Cola product samples, […]
‘s answer to Wal-Mart
NEW DELHI, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) – India’s biggest private company Reliance Industries said Friday it aims to launch its first store next month as part of a plan to build an Indian version of Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retail chain. Reliance, whose main business is oil and petrochemicals, has said it plans to invest […]
Crude oil slumps, dragging most commodities lower
LONDON, Aug 18, 2006 (AFP) – Crude futures plunged this week, in line with many commodity prices, amid evidence of an economic slowdown in the United States and a lowering of tensions in the Middle East, analysts said. But nickel prices hit a fresh historic record on keen demand, while coffee soared on concerns over […]
Fate of ancient brothel hangs in the balance in China
BEIJING, Aug 17 (AFP) – A city in central China is agonizing over whether it should preserve an ancient building that once housed a brothel in case it is seen as promoting prostitution, state media said Thursday. The problem is that if the authorities at Jinggang in Hunan province decide not to save the structure, […]
Japan proposes 16-nation Asian trade bloc: officials
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (AFP) – Japanese officials on Thursday proposed a sprawling 16-nation free-trade grouping with China, South Korea, Australia, India, New Zealand and the 10-nation Southeast Asian bloc, officials said. The 16 last year formed the East Asia Summit — seen as a precursor of a giant free-trade community embracing half the world’s […]
Japan ups tea imports from Sri Lanka
August 16 (LBO) – Japan has upped its purchase of black tea from Sri Lanka in recent months, as quality of local tea improves and exporters comply with tougher standards. Exports to Japan were up 32.28 percent to as at end April this year to 3558 kilos of black tea, just behind China as top tea […]