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Survivors tell of miracle escape from Indian air crash
BANGALORE, May 22, 2010 (AFP) – Some of the seven survivors who crawled or were carried from the burning remains of a plane that crashed in India on Saturday told of their escape amid scenes of horror and death. At least 159 people died after the plane overshot the runaway and plunged down a steep […]
Controversial umpire review system gets World Cup nod
LONDON, May 21, 2010 (AFP) – Cricket’s controversial umpire decision review system (DRS) will be used at the 2011 World Cup despite the technology causing splits amongst players. The International Cricket Council (ICC), meeting at Lord’s on Friday, also decided that the DRS should be introduced as soon as possible in all Test series. “The […]
Fiscal discipline urged to cure market ills
BERLIN, May 22, 2010 (AFP) – The head of Europe’s central bank and Pope Benedict XVI Saturday laid into governments for a lack of financial rigour, after investors battered the euro over fears of unsustainable debts. With the euro having plunged to a four-year low against the dollar in the past week, ECB chief Jean-Claude […]
Sri Lanka IMF program back on track
May 22, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s deal with the International Monetary Fund was back on track with a review mission being ready to hammer out a new deal with fresh targets to rein in its runaway fiscal deficit on the basis of a budget due in June. In 2009 Sri Lanka’s rulers busted a […]
Sri Lanka EPF contributors fall 300,000 in 2010
May 22, 2010 (LBO) – Active contributors to Sri Lanka’s Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) of private sector workers dropped by 300,000 in 2009, a year in which the country went through an economic downturn, official data showed. EPF’s active accounts dropped 12 percent to 2.0 million from 2.3 million a year earlier. Contributing companies and […]
Sri Lanka stocks close down 0.30-pct on profit taking
May 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed down Friday as retail investors took profits ahead of a possible technical correction in future, while heavy interest on John Keells Holdings (JKH) and Hayleys boosted turnover, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 4,235. 69, down 12.68 points, while the Milanka index of […]
Foreign Remittance
May 21, 2010 (LBO) – Inward remittances handled by Sri Lanka’s Bank of Ceylon (BOC) rose 22.7 percent in April 2010 despite other private commercial banks eating into its market share, a senior official said. “We see that our inward remittances are growing because people are sending hard currencies for savings and investments,” Gamini Wickramasinghe, […]
Sri Lankan tea prices fall
May 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices fell sharply at this week’s Colombo auctions with a larger weight on sale, lower quality and reduced demand, brokers said. “Auction quantities were substantially higher this week and totalled 8.0 million kilos,” Forbes & Walker Tea Brokers said in a report. “There was less demand and […]
Sri Lanka palm oil firm sees demand growing
May 21, 2010 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan business group with palm oil plantations in east Asia has said demand for the edible oil is likely to grow, driven mainly by China and India, with prices having stabilized at more realistic levels. The Carson Cumberbatch group controls palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia through […]
‘s Dilshan to lead in Zimbabwe
May 20, 2010 (AFP) – Batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has been appointed to lead the squad to Zimbabwe for a tri-nation one-day international series that also involves India, Sri Lanka Cricket said Thursday. Several senior players including captain Kumar Sangakkara, former skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and Sanath Jayasuriya, who had a dismal World Twenty20 tournament […]