Category: Other
‘s “third-rudest” status
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21, 2006 (AFP) – Malaysia on Wednesday hotly disputed a global survey that found its capital Kuala Lumpur was the third rudest in the world, saying it was renowned for its friendly people.Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the widely publicised Reader’s Digest magazine survey of politeness levels in 35 cities could […]
Govt talks to Russia for lower cost fertiliser imports
June 20 (LBO) – The government is in talks with Russia to source the country’s fertiliser needs at lower cost, bypassing local agents for international fertilizer companies. Direct buying would save the government money, Athuluwage said. The state owned Lanka Fertiliser Company usually calls for tenders for local supplies of fertiliser, with needs usually met through […]
How the UN’s new Human Rights Council works
GENEVA, June 19, 2006 (AFP) – The new UN Human Rights Council, which started its first-ever session here Monday, is made up of 47 nations who pledged before they were elected to respect international human rights standards.The body aims to be more effective than the widely-criticised UN Commission on Human Rights, which was disolved in […]
Bangladesh garment workers to stage fresh protests for wage hikes
DHAKA, June 19, 2006 (AFP) – Bangladesh garment workers will stage a series of mass protests this week to demand a 30 percent salary hike amid continuing unrest, officials said Monday. The planned demonstrations follow rioting last month in which 16 factories were torched and hundreds ransacked by employees. At least two people were killed […]
Bald Spot
June 19, 2006 (LBO) – A new securities law giving legal muscle to companies who raise debt by securitising the assets are likely to come through this year as part of a government lending agreement with the Asian Development Bank. Securitisation process which uses future cashflows to back a debt instrument, has been carried out […]
‘s new Human Rights Council works
GENEVA, June 19, 2006 (AFP) – The new UN Human Rights Council, which started its first-ever session here Monday, is made up of 47 nations who pledged before they were elected to respect international human rights standards.The body aims to be more effective than the widely-criticised UN Commission on Human Rights, which was disolved in […]
Namunukula Plantations sub-leases estates for a tea bottling project
June 15 (LBO) – Namunukula Plantations said Thursday that it had subleased its Uva range of estates to Tusker Bottling Company for 50 million rupees.With the sub-lease, TBCL also took over borrowings of 350 million rupees from Namunukula, the company said in a statement to the Colombo Stock Exchange.The up-country estates were handed over to […]
Indian state says ‘no sir’ to nursery rhymes
NEW DELHI, June 14, 2006 (AFP) – An Indian state has decided to drop popular nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep” from text books for first-graders for being too Western, reports said Wednesday.“We want our children to have value education in local color,” newspapers reported Narottam Mishra, minister of […]
Gulf bloggers: a new breed of Arab activists
DUBAI, June 14, 2006 (AFP) – Internet blogs are giving rise to a new breed of Arab activist as ordinary residents increasingly use them to press for more political rights and civil liberties in conservative Gulf states. Typical was a recent posting by a 33-year-old Saudi man. “Are we destined to just listen to the […]
” for online selling tips
SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, 2006 (AFP) – Using a technology once the domain of nerds, US auction website eBay is collecting the wisdom of millions of users in a how-to guide for buying and selling online. Any of eBay’s estimated 185 million users can contribute insights to an eBay “wiki,” a website that allows visitors […]
Paris Club at 50 faces era of new wealthy nations
PARIS, June 14, 2006 (AFP) – The Paris Club of the world’s richest lending nations marks its golden anniversary Wednesday, facing questions over its role in a new era of growing wealth in many debtor nations.Created in 1956 during a meeting in Paris of creditor nations for Argentina, the 19 Paris Club members, covering the […]
” to nursery rhymes
NEW DELHI, June 14, 2006 (AFP) – An Indian state has decided to drop popular nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep” from text books for first-graders for being too Western, reports said Wednesday.“We want our children to have value education in local color,” newspapers reported Narottam Mishra, minister of […]