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High Stakes II
Oct 17, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence conglomerate Wednesday defended its claim to have made the highest bid for Colombo port’s new container terminal in partnership with PSA Corp. An Aitken Spence spokesman said a statement by rival bidder Hutchison Port Holdings (HPH) was misleading and an attempt to change the rules for […]
New Products
Oct 17, 2007 (LBO) – Software and IT educational institute OpenArc released products for business and management sectors of companies in Sri Lanka, following its 15 year anniversary celebrations. ‘Open Arc SkyBank’, is an enhanced web-based solution to enhance efficiency of merchant banks and finance companies which use online real time Integrated General Ledgers, OpenArc […]
‘s dollar millionaires are getting richer: report
HONG KONG, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) – The number of dollar millionaires in Asia has swelled by 8.6 percent, with Japan home to more than 1.47 million, a report published Wednesday found. Japan has 43.7 percent of the region’s High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI) — those with assets of more than one million dollars excluding […]
Zimbabwe inflation surges to 7,892 percent
HARARE, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) – Zimbabwe’s inflation rate, already the highest in the world, rose to a new peak of nearly 8,000 percent last month, figures released by the central statistics bureau showed on Wednesday.“The year-on-year inflation rate in September 2007 was 7,892.1 percent, gaining 1,389.3 percentage points on the August rate of 6,592.8 […]
Indian shares plunge 9.15 percent on offshore buying restrictions
MUMBAI, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) – Indian share prices plunged more than nine percent Wednesday, forcing a trading halt, after the market watchdog proposed restrictions on purchases by overseas investors, dealers said.They said the plunge followed a notice by the Securities and Exchange Board of India saying it would consider curbs on the use of […]
Study highlights financial links between doctors, industry
WASHINGTON, Oct 16, 2007 (AFP) – Nearly two-thirds of US medical school department chairs maintain some form of personal or financial links to the private sector, according to a study published Tuesday.The study, published in the October 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, also urges greater transparency and “underscore the need […]
Oil eases in Asia above 87 dollars
SINGAPORE, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) – Oil prices eased slightly in Asia on Wednesday but remained above 87 dollars a barrel in a market worried over a potential Turkish incursion into northern Iraq. New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, was 18 cents lower in early morning trade at […]
Sri Lanka plays host to anti-terrorism meet
Oct 17, 2007 (LBO) –Experts on combatting terrorism are due to meet in Sri Lanka to share their experience on how democratically elected governments can face future challenges, a senior minister said Wednesday. The three-day meeting, which opens on Thursday, will also discuss how governments could counter international terror networks, foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama said. […]
Sri Lanka delays opening of wildlife park after killings
Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has put off re-opening its most popular wildlife sanctuary by another week after Tamil Tiger rebels overran an army post inside the park, officials said Wednesday.The Yala National Park, a popular tourist destination in the island’s southeast and home to leopards, elephants and migratory birds, will open after […]
Sri Lanka at bottom of world media freedom index
Oct 17, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has been ranked at the bottom of a world media freedom index prepared by Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based international non-governmental organization that advocates media freedom. The island is ranked 156th, ahead of Iraq and behind Libya, among 169 countries covered in the Worldwide Press Freedom Index 2007. […]