Category: Other
‘s Commonwealth Games face monsoon test
NEW DELHI, June 13, 2010 (AFP) – New Delhi residents can’t wait for the onset of the monsoon to bring relief from the summer heat, but the impending rains could spell further trouble for Commonwealth Games organisers. “There is no doubt everything will be ready on time, whatever anyone may say,” organising committee secretary-general Lalit […]
Bangladesh fans on rampage as power blackout cuts World Cup
DHAKA, June 13, 2010 (AFP) – Thousands of Bangladeshi football fans went on the rampage after power cuts blacked out television coverage of an eagerly-awaited World Cup match. He urged fans to understand the dire state of the Bangladeshi national grid meant shortages were inevitable. “The reality is that the country does not produce enough […]
‘s ISI and Taliban
LONDON, June 13, 2010 (AFP) – Pakistan’s ISI intelligence agency provides funding, training and sanctuary to the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to a study Sunday which claimed to have the strongest evidence yet of their links. However the report for the London School of Economics (LSE) was dismissed by the Pakistani military as “malicious and […]
Sri Lanka Carsons groups palm oil estates under Singapore unit
June 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Carsons group has brought all its South East Asian oil palm plantations under its Singapore subsidiary with the transfer of stakes in Indonesian and Malaysian units, a stock exchange filing said. “With the transfer of the assets the plantations land bank and the asset base of GAHL will […]
‘s Carsons group 2010 profits up 84-pct
June 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Carsons group profits rose 84 percent to 3.2 billion rupees due to a reversal of an impairment cost from last year and lower finance costs, while revenues grew at a faster rate than operational expenses, its annual report showed. “Brewery capacity would expand by 30 percent within the […]
Sri Lanka biodiversity seen under threat
June 09, 2010 (LBO) – Increasing population pressure and human activity are threatening the rich biodiversity in Sri Lanka and a greater focus on habitat protection and conservation is needed, scientists said. Sri Lanka has been recognized as a global biodiversity ‘hotspot’ because of the high number of fauna and flora which are endemic or […]
India car sales rise 30.5 percent in May
MUMBAI, June 9, 2010 (AFP) – Car sales in India jumped 30. 5 percent year-on-year in May, industry data showed on Wednesday, as new launches boosted demand. A total of 148,481 vehicles were sold in May, up from 113,810 a year earlier, data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) showed. Market leader Maruti […]
‘s immigration open, but not for one French family
MONTREAL, June 8, 2010 (AFP) – Looking to swell its population with an influx of up to 250,000 immigrants annually, Canada is arguably among the world’s most welcoming nations, but its doors are not open to all. A French couple, Sophie and David Barlagne, recently experienced bitter rejection by a still selective immigration policy. They […]
Mumbai plans 117-storey apartment block
MUMBAI, June 8, 2010 (AFP) – An Indian property group was due Tuesday to unveil plans to build one of the world’s tallest residential towers in Mumbai, the booming financial capital of the fast developing country. Lodha Developers intends the tower to be 117 storeys high, and it will be designed by New York-based architects […]
Obama sets trip to India, pledges ties
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2010 (AFP) – US President Barack Obama set a visit to India in November as he pledged Thursday to push forward ties between the world’s two largest democracies as part of his busy diplomatic agenda. The United States also offered full support for India’s role in Afghanistan after high-level talks in Washington, […]
Sri Lanka and India can get economically closer: president
June 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and India has an opportunity to move towards closer economic ties as the end of a 30-year war opened up new opportunities, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. “We have a common heritage in trading with each other and the rest of the world,” President Rajapaksa told a business forum […]
Sri Lanka tea prices seen bottoming out
June 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices recovered this week after falling sharply in recent Colombo auctions prompting brokers to say the market appears to have bottomed out. Fears that heavy rains could reduce crops in the southern cultivation areas which produce the bulk of national output have also subsided as rains have […]