Category: Other
India test-fires anti-ballistic missile
NEW DELHI, April 27, 2014 (AFP) – India successfully test-fired a new anti-ballistic missile on Sunday in a step towards developing a missile defence system which only an elite club of countries has built.India, which shares borders with arch-rival Pakistan and giant China, both of whom are nuclear-armed, is developing the system that aims to […]
Sri Lanka pick Atapattu as interim coach
COLOMBO, April 25, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Cricket on Friday named former captain Marvan Atapattu as interim head coach, making him the island nation’s seventh coach in the last four years.Atapattu, 43, was appointed for the tour of England and Scotland starting next month and the subsequent home series against South Africa in July, […]
Rights Call
DUBAI, April 22, 2014 (AFP) – Amnesty International accused authorities in gas-rich Qatar on Wednesday of failing to protect domestic workers, citing cases of abuse, sexual violence and “forced labour”.As she lay injured on the ground, her attacker sexually assaulted her before finally calling an ambulance. Six months later, she was still using a wheelchair, […]
”’s media
ISLAMABAD, April 23, 2014 (AFP) – The shooting of one of Pakistan’s most famous TV presenters has highlighted the climate of “extreme fear” facing the country’s media, journalists say, as hardliners of different stripes seek to silence dissenting voices. Hamid Mir, host of Capital Talk, a primetime current affairs show on the Geo channel, was […]
”’ statement
NEW DELHI, April 22, 2014 (AFP) – Indian election frontrunner Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemned virulent anti-Muslim remarks by a one-time associate as he sought to keep attention on his core message of development and corruption-free administration.The BJP, last in power from 1990 to 2004, is widely forecast to emerge as the biggest party in […]
Ex-Apple chief plans mobile phone for India Origin: India
NEW DELHI, April 19, 2014 (AFP) – Former Apple chief executive John Sculley, whose marketing skills helped bring the personal computer to desktops worldwide, says he plans to launch a mobile phone in India to exploit its still largely untapped smartphone market.Inflexionpoint, an information technology supply company co-founded by Sculley, will start selling the smartphones […]
Preglacial landscape found deep under Greenland ice
WASHINGTON, April 18, 2014 (AFP) – US geologists said Thursday they have uncovered a preglacial tundra landscape preserved for 2.7 million years far below the Greenland ice sheet. They then sampled a rare form of the element beryllium, the beryllium-10 isotope formed by cosmic rays. The research, backed by National Science Foundation funding, found that […]
Sri Lanka rubber growers hit by plunging prices
Apr 17, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s rubber growers are being hit by falling world prices with production volumes also dropping due to a drought within the country, an industry association said.Deputy Chairman Planters™ Association of Ceylon (PA) and CRTA Vice Chairman S. S. Poholiyadde said in a statement that rubber prices have halved over […]
‘s elections
NEW DELHI, April 15, 2014 (AFP) – A war of words erupted among the “first family” of Indian politics on Tuesday as a new poll pointed to a sweeping election win for the Hindu nationalist opposition.Priyanka Gandhi, sister of Rahul Gandhi who is leading the ruling Congress party’s campaign, called the bitterly fought election contest […]
Indian opposition alliance to win majority: poll
NEW DELHI, April 15, 2014 (AFP) – India’s Hindu nationalist opposition party and its allies are on course to win an overall parliamentary majority in the world’s biggest election currently underway, according to a new poll.Another potential partner, a Tamil Nadu-based party led by former actress Jayalalithaa Jayaram, is slated to get 22 seats. The […]
Cricket stars among team owners in new India football league
NEW DELHI, April 13, 2014 (AFP) – Cricket stars Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly and leading Spanish club Atletico Madrid are among the owners of teams in a new India football league set to start this year, organisers said Sunday.The Indian Super League, featuring foreign and Indian talent in teams based in eight cities, is […]
Arrested
COLOMBO, April 10, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police have arrested 60 people accused of trying to revive a separatist group behind a civil war that left tens of thousands dead, a spokesman said on Thursday.The suspects, including 10 women, were detained in a crackdown over the past month and were being questioned about attempts […]