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Sri Lanka coconut palms hit by deadly yellowing disease
Feb 20, 2008 (LBO) – A bacteria spreading the lethal yellowing disease on coconut palms has entered Sri Lanka destroying more than 200,000 trees in the southern coast of the island, coconut experts say. The bacteria known as ˜phytoplasma™ came through a shipment of ornamental palms that were not quarantined before entering the island, Salinda […]
Oil hits record 100.10 dollars
NEW YORK, Feb 19, 2008 (AFP) – The price of oil in New York spiked to a record 100.10 dollars a barrel Tuesday on supply concerns. The price for a barrel of light, sweet crude, eclipsed the record set in January of 100.09 dollars a barrel. The market rallied amid speculation that the Organization of […]
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HAVANA, Feb 19, 2008 (AFP) – Parliament Chief Ricardo Alarcon, one of Cuba’s top leaders, called on all Cubans Tuesday to “stay united” and uphold “the dignity of this homeland,” following President Fidel Castro’s announcement he is withdrawing from power.“We have to promise him (Castro) that all of us together, now and forever, will be […]
‘s Dhoni US$1.5mn, Sri Lanka Murali, US$600,000 at cricket auction
MUMBAI, Feb 20, 2008 (AFP) – India one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni went for a huge 1.5 million dollars on Wednesday as some of the world’s best players were auctioned off for the Twenty20 Indian Premier League (IPL). . Chennai paid nearly four times the wicketkeeper-batsman’s base price of 400,000 dollars in the opening round […]
Sri Lankan Tigers kill three soldiers in south
Feb 20, 2008 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger separatists on Wednesday shot dead three government soldiers in Sri Lanka’s restive south, the military said. Gunmen from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired at troops guarding a road in Buttala, an area that has recently experienced several attacks, military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said. “Three […]
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Feb 20, 2008 (AFP) – Heavy fighting erupted in northern Sri Lanka Wednesday with troops and Tamil Tiger rebels trading artillery fire that left scores of combatants dead or wounded, the island’s defence ministry said.The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) launched a major attack against military positions in the district of Mannar and […]
Sri Lanka treasuries yields fall sharply
Feb 19, 2008 (LBO) — Sri Lanka’s 12-month Treasury bill yield fell 33 basis points to 19.10 percent while the popular three month bills fell 38 basis points to 18.59 percent at a an auction Tuesday, the government’s debt office said. The less liquid 6-month bills fell 27 basis points to 19.00 percent. The government […]
Sri Lanka plans draconian new laws to curb coconut farmers; new disease threatens crop
Feb 19, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is planning draconian new laws to limit the rights of coconut farmers to put land to alternative uses and cut import duty on coconut oil as prices soared and a new pest hit groves in the island. Disease and clearance of coconut land for development have helped reduce […]
Talent Gap
Feb 19, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms have called for more investment to improve English standards and reduce education costs to get the required number of qualified people for the growing sector. “There’s got to be an opportunity for Sri Lanka there.” “If we tackle English, we may have a […]
Money Launder
Feb 19, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank says it has strengthened an anti-money laundering and warns the public against engaging in illegal transactions. “The Central Bank warns the public to be aware of the dangers of getting involved in unlawful financial transactions that are detrimental to public or national interest and the country’s […]