‘s Reliance Communications up 46.8 percent

MUMBAI, April 30, 2008 (AFP) – India’s second-biggest telecoms firm Reliance Communications reported Wednesday its fourth quarter net profit rose 46.8 percent on revenue growth across its businesses.The company showed a net profit of 15.03 billion rupees (374 million dollars) for the three months ended March 31, up from 10.24 billion rupees a year earlier. […]

‘s top four: study

PARIS, April 30, 2008 (AFP) – Three Chinese institutions were among the world’s top four banks at the end of 2007 at a time when the market capitalisation of Western banks was suffering from a global financial crisis, a study showed Wednesday.The number one spot in the rankings, compiled by the Boston Consulting Group, was […]

UNITED NATIONS, April 30, 2008 (AFP) – India, the Philippines, Mexico and Colombia — all democracies — were cited Wednesday among 13 countries with the poorest records of prosecuting murders of journalists, in a list released by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The CPJ noted that while Iraq, Sierra Leone and Somalia, all four […]

Sri Lanka gets Dutch aid to build big fisheries harbour

May 01, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has signed a deal with the Netherlands government to get eight billion rupees (44.9 million euro) in aid to build a fisheries harbour to accommodate deep sea trawlers and develop the island’s fishing industry. The port will be built in Dikowita on the western coast, fisheries minister Felix […]

Sri Lanka signs up more money to broaden highway

May 01, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has signed up additional funds to augment a highway to the south of the island which is jointly financed by the Asian Development Bank and the Japan, the finance ministry said. The 90 million dollar supplementary loan will finance a 29.3 kilometre stretch on the Southern Highway starting […]

Sri Lankan shares flat; Dockyard, Lanka Cement draw interest

April 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed virtually flat Wednesday with some interest in Colombo Dockyard and Lanka Cement, brokers said.The All Share Price Index was barely changed, up just 1.95 points (0.07 percent) to 2,632.96 while the more liquid Milanka index fell 2.35 points (0.07 percent) to 3,237.28. Turnover was 212 million […]

Record Numbers

April 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s inflation hit an all-time high of 25.0 percent in the 12-months to April 2008 on a new index to measure consumer prices in Colombo, while an older index showed an increase of 29.9 percent, the government’s statistics office said. . The new Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI-N) grew […]

Sri Lankan Airlines to give cut price tickets to state workers

April 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Airlines is giving a 25 percent discount for state-workers and their families who go abroad, the state-run national carrier said “This offer is valid year round for government servants, their spouses and dependent children under 21 years of age,” the airline said in a statement. Sri Lankan Airlines […]

Mekong nations to form OPEC-style rice cartel: Thai PM

BANGKOK, April 30, 2008 (AFP) – Thailand’s prime minister said Wednesday his country had agreed in principle to form a rice price-fixing cartel with Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia as costs of the staple grain rocket. The grouping of Mekong nations would be similar to the oil cartel OPEC, and would be called the Organisation […]

Dollar pauses in Asia ahead of Fed rate decision

April 30, 2008 (AFP) – The dollar was little changed in Asian trade on Wednesday as investors sat on their hands ahead of a Federal Reserve interest rate decision and a US economic growth report, dealers said.A decision by Japan’s central bank to leave its key interest rate unchanged at 0.5 percent had little impact. […]

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