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Human rights violations increase in high inflation Zimbabwe: Amnesty
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 14, 2007 (AFP) – Violence and torture by Zimbabwe’s police against rights activists and opposition members are on the increase despite ongoing mediation efforts, Amnesty International said on Friday. “Organised police violence and torture has continued during the SADC mediation — in fact, the severity of beatings and torture has been increasing,” said […]
Sri Lanka eye cricket second spot behind Australia
GALLE, Sri Lanka, Dec 15, 2007 (AFP) – Mahela Jayawardene’s Sri Lanka will leapfrog from world number five to second behind Australia if they win the third and final Test against England starting here on Tuesday. A win would give the hosts a 2-0 series success and lift Jayawardene’s men past India, South Africa and […]
Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger arms dealer jailed in U.S.
Dec 15, 2007 (LBO) – A United States federal court has jailed an Indonesian arms dealer who sought weapons for Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers, U.S. media reports said Saturday. Haniffa Bin Osmana, described as a representative for the Tamil Tigers was convicted of arms dealing in federal court in Baltimore. He had wanted grenade launchers […]
‘s inflation rockets to 24.1-pct amidst record money printing
Dec 15, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s country-wide inflation hit a record 24.1 percent in October 2007, following one of the worst bouts of money printing seen since the island’s central bank was created five decades ago. The Sri Lanka Consumer Price Index (SLCPI) devised a decade ago to reflect the modern spending patterns of […]
Sri Lanka stocks close lower, rupee steady
Dec 14, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka stocks slid 0.2 percent lower Friday in wafer-thin trading ahead of a crucial budget vote and the rupee was steady against the greenback at 109.98/109.00, dealers said. The All Share Index lost 5.96 points while the Milanka index of liquid stocks fell back 0.34 percent amidst thin trading […]
Fast Cash
Dec 14, 2007 (LBO) – Western Union has rapidly expanded its money transfer network in Sri Lanka through its tie up with Aitken Spence and is eyeing a bigger share of the three billion dollar foreign remittance market. Company officials said they also want to tap the estimated two billion dollars sent to the island […]
Indian inflation up to 3.75-pct; warnings on money supply
NEW DELHI, Dec 14, 2007 (AFP) – India’s annual inflation rate jumped unexpectedly nearly three-quarters of a point to 3.75 percent on rising fuel and food prices, official data on Friday showed.Inflation rose to 3.75 percent for the week ended December 1 from 3.01 percent the previous week, according to the wholesale price index, India’s […]
New Aussie govt. promises fiscal discipline to curb inflation
SYDNEY, Dec 14, 2007 (AFP) – Australia faces an extended battle against inflation as China and India fuel an unprecedented economic boom in a period of global uncertainty, the country’s new Treasurer Wayne Swan warned Friday.The treasurer outlined plans to combat price rises by launching an era of strict fiscal discipline to slash “wasteful spending” […]
Germany unhappy at 3.1-pct inflation in November
BERLIN, Dec 14, 2007 (AFP) – Inflation hit 3.1 percent in Germany, the biggest eurozone economy, last month, final figures released Friday by the national statistics office showed.Consumer prices rose by more than an initially estimated 3.0 percent, to reach their highest increase since January 1994, the Destatis office said. On Thursday, European Central Bank […]
Shareholders OK Murdoch takeover of Dow Jones, WSJ
NEW YORK, Dec 13, 2007 (AFP) – Rupert Murdoch completed his hard-fought takeover of The Wall Street Journal and its parent company Thursday as Dow Jones & Co. shareholders formally approved a takeover by Murdoch’s News Corp. The vote formalized a victory for Murdoch in his bid to wrest control of the Journal, the prestigious […]