Category: Other
Gender Wars
March 21 (LBO) – In Sri Lanka, women already outnumber men at 52 women for every 48 men and activists are warning that the proportion would increase if the war continues. However, in the workplace prospects are not all that rosy for Sri Lanka’s ladies. Women are still a minority among Sri Lanka’s parliamentarians and […]
Airbus A380 superjumbo wows crowds on historic US debut
LOS ANGELES, March 19, 2007 (AFP) – The giant Airbus A380 superjumbo landed on US soil for the first time Monday, dazzling large crowds gathered in Los Angeles and New York to catch a glimpse of the world’s biggest passenger plane. The 555-seat double-decker behemoth with a wingspan the size of a football pitch descended […]
Bangladesh gets second private passenger airline
DHAKA, March 20, 2007 (AFP) – A Kuwait-based company has joined Bangladesh’s leading air-cargo operator to launch the country’s second private passenger airline, a company official said Tuesday.Biman reported a record loss of 120 million dollars in the year to June last year. Aqeeq Aviation Holding has bought a 49 percent stake in Best Aviation […]
LBR-LBO WiE Forum
March 16 (LBO) – Allowing employers and female workers to negotiate a work-family balance is far more effective in practice than laws, Sri Lankan women in business told a forum this week. In 2005, 7.52 million of Sri lanka’s labour force was employed of which 30.9 percent were females, statistics show, which was half the […]
Malaysia issues WiMAX licences to four companies
KUALA LUMPUR, March 16, 2007 (AFP) – Malaysia on Friday issued licences to four telecommunication operators to provide fourth generation (4G) wireless high speed Internet services nationwide this year.The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the winning bidders are Bizsurf (M) Sdn Bhd, MIB Comm Sdn Bhd, Redtone-CNX Broadband Sdn Bhd and Asiaspace Dotcom […]
Ocean Lines
Mar 15, 2007 (LBO) –Sri Lanka is to soon begin a survey to re-draw its continental shelf boundary with the help of a British survey company, a top official said Thursday. (1 nautical mile = 1.852 kilometers) Geophysical survey company Geotechnical Engineering and Marine Surveys (GEMS) of the UK is to conduct the two-month study, […]
Petro Law
March 14 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to develop an oil exploration laws and establish a regulatory system with funding from the United States, the US embassy in Colombo said Wednesday.The Ministry of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development is getting a 51 million rupee grant from the US Trade and Development Agency to develop oil […]
Asian stocks down sharply as Wall St nerves hit home
HONG KONG, March 14, 2007 (AFP) – Asian stock markets closed sharply lower Wednesday, hit by a fresh round of turmoil after Wall Street tumbled overnight on figures showed growing problems in the US housing market, dealers said.They said investors were already wary following their battering earlier this month when a dramatic sell-off in Chinese […]
‘s interest
SEOUL, March 13, 2007 (AFP) – South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun said Tuesday his government could scrap free trade talks with Washington if Seoul’s economic interests are not properly reflected in a final deal. Roh instructed his cabinet to consider “real economic benefits” in forging a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, saying […]
Armed police sent in to tackle latest Chinese riot
BEIJING, March 13, 2007 (AFP) – Police poured into a central Chinese city to quell riots sparked by rising bus fees, residents said Tuesday, in the latest incident to highlight rising social pressures in the fast-changing country. Detachments from the People’s Armed Police joined local security forces in Yongzhou city in Hunan province overnight Monday, […]
Strong rubber prices in Sri Lanka gives bounce to Kelani Valley
March 11 (LBO) – Robust rubber prices have boosted after tax profits of Kelani Valley Plantations (KVPL) by 66 percent in 2006, while turnover grew by 21 percent, the company said. Kelani Valley Plantations Limited (KVPL), a subsidiary of Dipped Products Limited (DPL) says turnover grew to 2,330 million in 2006, with increases of 11 […]
Sri Lanka tea replanting, promotions hit due to withheld industry funds
March 10 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s smallholders are not getting promised incentives for replanting and the national promotional budget for tea has also been hit because industry funds are being held by the state, officials said. Local tea exporters currently pay a four-rupee cess on every kilogram of tea sold, netting in over a billion rupees […]