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Sri Lanka tourist arrivals fall 20-pct in September
Oct 22, 2008 (LBO) – Foreign visitors to Sri Lanka fell 20 percent in September with generating markets in Western Europe and India recording steep falls, the latest data from the island’s tourist promotion office said. In the 10 months to September arrivals were down 9.5 percent to 317,500 from 350,779. In period Western European […]
Sri Lanka agro firm warns price controls are hurting quality
Oct 22, 2008 (LBO) – A top Sri Lankan agro enterprise has warned that state controls of prices would block quality gains of agricultural produce with government slapping price ceilings on rice in the wake of a global bubble in April. “In the question of price control of rice what has happened is that you […]
Debt Consultant
Oct 22, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Securities and Exchange Commission has issued a statement on a consultant Toshihisa Iida, the spouse of the head of the World Bank country office, Naoko Ishii. The statement is reproduced below: We refer to an article which appeared on a Sunday newspaper pertaining to Mr. Toshihisa Iida, Consultant […]
French workers made sick by Indian radioactive lift buttons
GRENOBLE, October 22, 2008 (AFP) – French factory workers were exposed to excessive levels of radiation as they handled luminous lift buttons made using unsafe material from India, officials said. France’s Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) classed the incident at “Level Two” on a scale of seven because of the exposure of more than 10 people […]
World oil prices extend losses with dollar strength
SINGAPORE, October 22, 2008 (AFP) – World oil prices weakened in Asian trade Wednesday on renewed worries about energy demand in the face of slowing global growth, dealers said. New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for December delivery, fell 2.72 dollars to 69.46 dollars a barrel from its close of 72.18 dollars in the […]
Dollar gains against Sterling to five-year high
LONDON, October 22, 2008 (AFP) – The British pound fell Wednesday to a five-year low point against the dollar after Bank of England governor Mervyn King indicated that Britain was “likely” entering a recession. Sterling sank to 1.6203 against the dollar shortly before 0600 GMT, which was its lowest level against the greenback since September […]
Australia considers amending deposit guarantee: Treasurer
SYDNEY, October 22, 2008 (AFP) – Australia is considering changing its multi-billion-dollar bank deposit guarantee scheme by charging savers who have more than one million dollars in the bank, Treasurer Wayne Swan said Wednesday. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on October 12 an unlimited three-year guarantee on all deposits in institutions such as banks, credit […]
Fed rolls out new 540-bln-dollar aid to financial sector
WASHINGTON, October 22, 2008 (AFP) – The US Federal Reserve reached deeper into the troubled financial system on Tuesday, offering up to 540 billion dollars of help to money market mutual funds in its latest response to the credit crunch. Under a new program, the Fed offered the funds to back a private sector initiative […]
” over Sri Lanka conflict: minister
NEW DELHI, October 22, 2008 (AFP) – India voiced concern Wednesday over the conflict in Sri Lanka as Tamil MPs in parliament clashed over charges of “genocidal attacks” on the Tamil minority in the troubled island nation. Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament that New Delhi had conveyed its worries to Colombo over the safety […]
Sri Lanka stocks slide gathers momentum
Oct 21, 2008 (LBO) – The slide in Sri Lankan shares deepened Tuesday with sharp falls in blue chips and trading volumes increasing, brokers said.Dialog Telekom closed flat at eight rupees Bartleet Mallory Stockbrokers said price losers significantly outdid price gainers by 118 to 11 in Tuesday’s trading. They said in their market report that […]