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Sri Lanka says at least 29 killed in fresh fighting
June 23, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels across Sri Lanka’s northern regions left at least 29 combatants dead, the defence ministry said on Monday.At least 23 rebels and six government soldiers were killed as troops exchanged artillery fire and smashed through guerrilla bunkers in the district of Mannar […]
Sri Lanka power engineers say talks successful
June 23, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s power engineers are to formally decide on ending their work-to-rule campaign Monday following successful talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday, an official said. The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) started trade union action last week, seeking the removal of chairman Udayasri Kariyawasam and duty-slashed car concessions. A […]
Eurozone business activity contracts: survey
BRUSSELS, June 23, 2008 (AFP) – Business activity in the 15 countries sharing the euro contracted in June for the first time for almost five years, according to a widely watched survey on Monday.The eurozone’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI), compiled by data and research group Markit, slid to 49.5 points in June, from 51.1 in […]
Oil prices rise after Jeddah summit
SINGAPORE, June 23, 2008 (AFP) – World oil prices rose in Asian trading on Monday after Saudi Arabia said at a weekend summit that it had raised output, and said speculators were partly to blame for higher prices.New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for August delivery, was 29 cents higher at 135.65 […]
Zimbabwe opposition chief quits run-off, handing win to Mugabe
HARARE, June 23, 2008 (AFP) – Zimbabweans faced an uncertain future Monday after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai abandoned a run-off election saying violence had made a fair vote impossible, in a move that virtually hands victory to President Robert Mugabe. “We will no longer participate in the violent illegitimate sham of an election process,” Tsvangirai, […]
Buy One
June 22, 2008 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan car dealer is taking a buy-one-get-one-free strategy to sell off luxury vehicles, borrowing a strategy used by fast moving consumer goods makers to sell soap, cosmetics and cereal. In Sri Lanka inflation is at the highest level in its history touching 30 percent and interest rates are […]
Roadside blast kills two police commandos in Sri Lanka: military
June 22, 2008 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels on Sunday set off a roadside mine killing two police commandos in eastern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said. The fragmentation mine was placed on a parked bicycle in the district of Batticaloa and targeted the Special Task Force police commandos, the ministry said. Fighting meanwhile continued […]
Sri Lanka in drive to arrest thousands of army deserters
June 22, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military has launched a campaign to track down and arrest up to 12,000 army deserters who failed to take advantage of a government amnesty, a spokesman said Sunday. “About 5,000 responded to the general amnesty we had from May 2 to the 30th,” Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. “We […]
‘s Switzerland for millionaires
SINGAPORE, June 22, 2008 (AFP) – Got at least five million US dollars? A private banker is at your service in Singapore, which is fast gaining a reputation as the Switzerland of Asia for the world’s growing ranks of multi-millionaires.The tiny, tropical island-state, Southeast Asia’s most advanced economy, has emerged as a centre for the […]
” at oil price summit
JEDDAH, June 22, 2008 (AFP) – Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah launched an offensive against oil “speculators” on Sunday as he opened a summit on the soaring price of crude which exposed OPEC divisions over whether to increase production.The king announced that Saudi production had now risen to 9.7 million barrels a day, the highest figure […]