Category: Other
Grave Affair
COLOMBO, March 8, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lankan authorities halted excavations after recovering 81 skeletal remains from an unmarked mass grave atop an old burial ground in the island’s former war zone, an official said Saturday.Judicial medical officer Dhananjaya Waidyaratne said digging at a depth of about two metres (6.7 feet) led to the old […]
E-cigarette use linked to higher smoking odds
WASHINGTON, March 6, 2014 (AFP) – E-cigarette use among US youths doubled in just one year, and those who tried the unregulated devices were more likely to smoke conventional cigarettes as well, a study said Thursday. Commonly sold at convenience stores and gas stations, e-cigarettes are battery powered gadgets that deliver nicotine through a vapor […]
‘s farmland returns to the wild
CAMPANARIOS DE AZABA, March 6, 2014 (AFP) – In an oak wood spanning the border of Spain and Portugal, an ancient sight unfolds: wild horses, not saddled or shoed, but roaming free as they did centuries ago.Farming has declined in Spain, leaving the countryside deserted, conservationists say. Now the wild things are coming back: wolves, […]
Los Angeles bans e-cigarettes in public places
LOS ANGELES, March 5, 2014 (AFP) – Los Angeles lawmakers voted Tuesday to ban e-cigarette use in public places where tobacco smoking is prohibited, including work places, restaurants and bars.The LA City Council agreed by 14-0 to outlaw their use in indoor workplaces, outdoor dining areas, parks, recreational areas, beaches, bars and nightclubs where lighting […]
Sri Lanka killer kidney disease linked to Monsanto weedicide, phosphate fertilizer: study
Mar 02, 2014 (LBO) – A herbicide developed by US-based Monsanto and contaminated fertilizer may be behind an epidemic of mystery kidney disease in Sri Lanka and South America where rice and sugarcane is grown, a research study has suggested.The paper by Channa Jayasumana (Rajarata University, Sri Lanka), Sarath Gunatilake (California State University, USA) and […]
Memorial
Feb 28, 2014 (LBO) A Thanksgiving Mass will be held Friday in memory of Mel Gunasekera, senior business journalist, at the All Saints Church, Borella.The service is due to start at 6.30 pm and the family has invited friends and well wishers to join them in celebrating the life of Mel whose death sparked grief […]
Shrieking pet parrot tips off police to India murder
AGRA, February 27, 2014 (AFP) – A pet parrot in India has been credited with helping catch the man who murdered its owner, a relative said Thursday. The owner, a 55-year-old woman, was stabbed to death and her jewellery stolen at her home in the northern city of Agra on February 20. The woman’s relatives […]
Mass Grave
COLOMBO, February 25, 2014 (AFP) – Forensic experts have found more bodies in an unmarked mass grave in Sri Lanka’s northern former war zone, taking the total number to 80, an official said Tuesday.Judicial medical officer Dhananjaya Waidyaratne said excavations resumed on Monday after a short break at the grave site discovered by construction workers […]
” India, says FDA chief
WASHINGTON, February 21, 2014 (AFP) – US regulators are not targeting India, despite a series of import restrictions on drugs from the major US trading partner, the Food and Drug Administration chief said Friday.India’s generics industry is a major supplier of lifesaving drugs, including antiretrovirals for HIV, to the United States and over 200 other […]
Queries
Feb 21, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition has charged that a multi-billion dollar sea reclamation deal has been given to a Chinese company blacklisted by the World Bank for corruption, threatening to cancel the deal if they come to power.Opposition legislator Harsha de Silva alleged that China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) which had […]
Waiting Game
Feb 21, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Tobacco Company, a unit of British American Tobacco said it will sell packs without graphic labels until a court decision in May, despite parliament passing health ministry regulations this week.CTC said the court of appeal is expected to issue its judgment on May 12, and the Supreme […]
Released
NEW DELHI, February 19, 2014 (AFP) – The chief minister of an Indian state Wednesday ordered the release of all seven people jailed for plotting the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, meaning they could walk free in three days.J. Jayalalithaa, chief minister of Tamil Nadu, announced the decision one day after the country’s […]