Category: Other
Broad Sweep
June 27, 2007 (AFP) – About 300 people were detained in Sri Lanka’s capital Wednesday in connection with a foiled bomb attack by suspected Tamil rebels on an oil storage depot, police said.Heavily armed police raided the area in the capital where a 20-kilogram (44-pound) bomb was found on Tuesday inside the fuel tank of […]
Iran petrol rationing spark riot
TEHRAN, June 26, 2007 (AFP) – Angry Iranian youths attacked a petrol station in the capital Tehran on Tuesday, burning a car and pumps after the government announced it was going to begin rationing fuel, witnesses said.However, problems in distributing the cards have delayed implementation of the rest of the plan. Pumping gas into the […]
‘s new economic law: buy now or pay double later
HARARE, June 27, 2007 (AFP) – Accountant Shawn Kureva was left cursing his decision to delay buying cement at a Harare hardware store until he had compared prices elsewhere in inflation-ravaged Zimbabwe. “(The) Chronicle can reveal that the British and United States goverments, after failing to incite public revolt against the government of Zimbabwe are […]
Blair era ends, Brown takes over in Britain
LONDON, June 27, 2007 (AFP) – Prime Minister Tony Blair resigned Wednesday, after a decade in power, handing over power to party rival Gordon Brown who has vowed to impose his own style on Britain. “I spoke to him about this on Friday night when he told me that he was going to take it […]
Sri Lanka drops controversial new tea export tax
June 26 (LBO) – A proposal to increase a tax on Sri Lankan tea exports to fund subsidies has been dropped after opposition from producers and exporters, a top official said.The government proposed increasing the export cess by two rupees to six rupees per kilo in response to demands from small holders to subsidise fertiliser […]
Different Jump
June 26, 2007 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan athletics coach participating in an international training programme has disappeared in Italy, a senior official said Tuesday in Colombo.Gayan Malika, a triple jump coach, went missing after flying to Italy for an athletics meet as part of a training programme sponsored by the International Olympic Council, the […]
” ties
WASHINGTON, June 25, 2007 (AFP) – The US Securities and Exchange Commission watchdog has added a link to its website listing dozens of mostly foreign companies it said Monday had disclosed interests in “countries known to sponsor terrorism.” The list of international companies includes Australian, British, German, French and Japanese groups including HSBC Holdings, Unilever […]
China shipping firm jumps 83 percent on Shanghai trading debut
SHANGHAI, June 26, 2007 (AFP) – China’s flagship shipping firm, COSCO Holding, jumped 83 percent on its trading debut in Shanghai Tuesday after raising net proceeds of 14.88 billion yuan (1.96 billion dollars). COSCO shares opened at 15.52 yuan on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, in line with broker estimates, against its initial public offering (IPO) […]
Asia needs to innovate to compete with the globe
SINGAPORE, June 25, 2007 (AFP) – From China to Singapore, Asia must nurture a culture of innovation if the region is to emerge as a formidable global player, the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia was told Monday. With the Cold War over, nations around the world are now in a race for knowledge, […]
Poverty, education must remain on Asian agenda: WEF
SINGAPORE, June 25, 2007 (AFP) – Poverty and education must remain on Asia’s agenda even as it forges ahead with high economic growth and focusses on tackling climate change, delegates to a regional economic forum heard Monday… While Asia is on a much stronger footing than it was during the economic crisis of a decade […]
Cheap cars allow Indians to jump off motorcycles
MUMBAI, June 24, 2007 (AFP) – Trading a motorcycle for a car in India has long been too expensive for many, but manufacturers plan to offer models at 3,000 dollars or less to attract new buyers, analysts say.The push by Nissan Renault, Tata Motors and Global Automobiles — a subsidiary of the Kolkata-based Xenitis group […]
Fishermen who caught submarine cables in police net
HANOI, June 24, 2007 (AFP) – Vietnam has made two more arrests after fishermen dragged up seafloor fibre-optic cables, threatening to sever the country’s global telecommunication links, a news report said Sunday.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has warned that the cable theft “directly affects Vietnam’s socio-economic development, national security and the country’s prestige in the […]