All Blogs
Economic Migrants
SYDNEY, August 4, 2014 (AFP) – Asylum-seekers held on an Australian customs vessel at sea for weeks were given lifeboats and told to make their own way back to India, a lawyer for the group said Monday.The boatload of 157, who lawyer Hugh de Kretser said were mostly Christian Tamils fleeing persecution in Sri Lanka, […]
Cricket: Sri Lanka, Pakistan gear for Jayawardene finale
GALLE, August 4, 2014 (AFP) – Hosts Sri Lanka hope to give retiring former captain Mahela Jayawardene a winning farewell when they take on Pakistan for a sixth Test series in as many years from Wednesday.The elegant right-hander, sixth in the all-time scorers’ list with 11,671 runs in 147 Tests since his debut in 1997, […]
Astrology as technology thrust in Sri Lanka: What happens when politicians decide research priorities
Aug 04, 2014 (LBO) I agree with the Minister of Technology and Research that we need a lot more discussion about economic strategy. I’ve been pleading for this for several years: in English, in this column, since at least 2006. An example: Choices: Geography or ideology? But one could say these things should be discussed […]
China-India energy rivalry in spotlight as Modi visits Nepal
KATHMANDU, August 2, 2014 (AFP) – Energy will be high on the agenda when India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Nepal on Sunday, eager to claw back lost ground in the race for resources with China. “It makes more sense for Delhi and Beijing to work together — whether it’s a case of using […]
UN slams Sri Lanka over deportation of asylum seekers
COLOMBO, August 2, 2014 (AFP) – The UN refugee agency accused Sri Lanka on Saturday of failing to respect international law by deporting Afghan and Pakistan refugees before their asylum claims could be assessed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Sri Lankan authorities arrested 214 Afghan and Pakistani nationals in an operation […]
Nationalist Move
SYDNEY, August 2, 2014 (AFP) – Some 157 asylum-seekers who were detained at sea for weeks by Australia have been sent to the Pacific island of Nauru after rejecting a return to India, officials said Saturday.The group, thought to be mostly ethnic Tamils from Sri Lanka and including 50 children, left the Indian port of […]
Sri Lanka apologises to Indian PM over caricature
COLOMBO, August 1, 2014 (AFP) – Sri Lanka extended an “unqualified apology” to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday over an article and uncomplimentary illustration of the leader and a regional Tamil politician published on a government website. The Sri Lankan defence ministry said it had taken down the offending caricature of Modi and the […]
‘s UDA to sell Rs30bn listed debt
Aug 01, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Urban Development Authority is planning to sell up to 30 billion rupees of Treasury guarantee listed debt in three tranches, Chairman Nimal Perera said.The cash will used to build 30,000 houses he said. The sale will be managed by state-run People’s Bank. The agency wants to first sell […]
Sri Lanka stocks close lower
Aug 01, 2014 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s stocks closed 0.06 percent lower with Ceylon Tobacco Company losing ground amid net foreign selling, brokers said. The Colombo benchmark All Share Price Index closed 3.77 points lower at 6,810.13, down 0.06 percent. The S&P SL20 closed 13.09 points lower at 3,759.42, down 0.35 percent. Turnover was 775.04 […]
Growth Path
Aug 01, 2014 (LBO) – Profits at Sri Lanka’s National Development Bank rose 5.6 percent from a year earlier to 843 million rupees, helped by higher net interest income, amid falling interest expenses, interim accounts showed. The bank reported earnings of 10.50 rupees per share. In the half year to June the group reported earnings […]