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Australian PM wants EU-style regional group for Asia-Pacific
SYDNEY, June 5, 2008 (AFP) – Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called on Asia-Pacific countries Thursday to form a European Union-style grouping that he said would enhance regional security and prosperity.Rudd said an Asia-Pacific Community — a potential economic powerhouse including China, India, the United States and Japan — could be established by 2020. “The […]
Piracy on the rise, but terrorism link not seen: study
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2008 (AFP) – Incidents of piracy have spiked across the world since 2000 but there is no evidence to support fears of extremist groups linking up with pirates for their operations, a new study finds.It attributed the rise to the expansion of the global sea trade, congested chokepoints, corrupt officials, shifting spending […]
Oil Block
June 5, 2008 (LBO) – Cairn India Limited, a unit of Cairn Energy plc of the UK, has won an offshore exploration block in Sri Lanka’s Mannar basin beating two other players, the island’s petroleum minister A H M Fowzie said. The firm has made more than 30 oil and gas discoveries in India during […]
” 9.6-pct in May
June 05, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank said its ‘core inflation’ index from which a number of items such as food had been dropped was 9.6 percent in May 2008 against ‘headline’ inflation of 26.2 percent. In May the ‘core’ index had grown 0.3 percent against 0.9 percent in April. The moving average […]
Sri Lanka stocks drop 1.14 pct on earnings fears
June 4, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka stocks shed over one percent Wednesday with investors taking profits with corporate earnings are seen under pressure from high inflation and interest rates, analysts said. The All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed 1.14 percent (28.75 points) lower at 2,491.68 points while the Milanka Index shed 1.77 percent (53.79 […]
Sri Lanka blast damaged hotel gets state help
June 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist promotion office had given a million rupees to re-build an old tourist hotel that was damaged in a Tamil Tiger bomb blast, the ministry of tourism said. The board of directors of Sri Lanka’s tourism promotion bureau had recently approved the request to help Hotel Nippon, the […]
Sri Lanka leader says arable land sown with terrorist mines
June 04, 2008 (FAO) Food production in Sri Lanka has been affected not only by high oil prices, bad weather and storage and distribution problem but by terrorism as well, the island’s president Mahinda Rajapaksa has said.Addressing the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) conference on food security in Rome, Rajapaksa called on the UN organisation […]
Sri Lanka police seek help to track train bomb suspect
June 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan police Wednesday said they were hunting for a 29-year-old man suspected to be involved in a bomb attack on an early morning commuter train on the coastal track near to the capital Colombo that wounded 18 people. Nine people were killed and 84 wounded by a bomb blast […]
Sri Lanka police hunts rail bomber
June 04, 2008 (LBO) – A bomb exploded on a rail track as a train bound for the island’s capital Colombo was passing through a southern suburb of the city, injuring more than a dozen people Wednesday, authorities and eyewitnesses said. Police spokesman Ranjith Gunesekera said a hunt was on for the suspect. An explosion […]
Sri Lanka rail blast injures 17
June 4, 2008 (LBO) – A blast ripped through a suburban rail track in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo in the early morning rush hour Wednesday, injuring at least 17, authorities and eyewitnesses said. Military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said the explosion had gone off on a rail track near Wasala Road in Dehiwela, south of Colombo. […]