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Learning Lessons
June 25, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has lost the lead it once had in education, slowing the progress of the country, education specialists have warned.A telling sign of the times is that a large number of recently recruited teachers are being trained on the job with students as guinea pigs. While university graduates have […]
Poverty, education must remain on Asian agenda: WEF
SINGAPORE, June 25, 2007 (AFP) – Poverty and education must remain on Asia’s agenda even as it forges ahead with high economic growth and focusses on tackling climate change, delegates to a regional economic forum heard Monday… While Asia is on a much stronger footing than it was during the economic crisis of a decade […]
Asia needs to innovate to compete with the globe
SINGAPORE, June 25, 2007 (AFP) – From China to Singapore, Asia must nurture a culture of innovation if the region is to emerge as a formidable global player, the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia was told Monday. With the Cold War over, nations around the world are now in a race for knowledge, […]
Sri Lanka destroys Bangladesh in first Test
June 25, 2007 (AFP) – Spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan claimed his 58th five-wicket haul as Sri Lanka overpowered Bangladesh on the opening day of the first cricket Test here on Monday.The off-spinner grabbed five wickets for 15 runs as Bangladesh, sent in to bat in overcast conditions, were shot out for their third lowest total […]
Five-wicket Muralitharan wrecks Bangladesh
June 25, 2007 (AFP) – Muttiah Muralitharan grabbed five wickets for 15 runs as Sri Lanka shot out Bangladesh for a paltry 89 on the opening day of the first cricket Test here on Monday.Bangladesh play three Tests and as many one-dayers on the five-week tour.The prolific off-spinner’s 58th haul of five or more in […]
Sri Lanka rebel lawmakers woo Marxists
June 25, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka ruling party two-man rebel faction led by sacked former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera has invited the Marxist-nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) for talks. The duo has accused the government of corruption, nepotism and autocratic rule and claimed the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party has no internal democracy. In […]
Sri Lanka central bank says overnight rate volatility and inflation would moderate
June 25, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s reserve money targeting regime is showing results and volatility in overnight rates and inflation will moderate, Central Bank said Monday, days after short-term treasury yields went up by 30 basis points. The bank no longer operates a full policy rate regime, with the discount window nominally at 12.00 […]
Sri Lanka hotel chain to tempt tourists with local flavours
June 24, 2007 (LBO) – Aitken Spence, a large Sri Lanka based hotel chain with operations in the Maldives and India, is laying out a new menu based on local cuisine and herbal spices. The company’s ‘Heritance’ chain of hotels plans to introduce a range of authentic Sri Lankan dishes within the next two months, […]
Fishermen who caught submarine cables in police net
HANOI, June 24, 2007 (AFP) – Vietnam has made two more arrests after fishermen dragged up seafloor fibre-optic cables, threatening to sever the country’s global telecommunication links, a news report said Sunday.Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has warned that the cable theft “directly affects Vietnam’s socio-economic development, national security and the country’s prestige in the […]
Cheap cars allow Indians to jump off motorcycles
MUMBAI, June 24, 2007 (AFP) – Trading a motorcycle for a car in India has long been too expensive for many, but manufacturers plan to offer models at 3,000 dollars or less to attract new buyers, analysts say.The push by Nissan Renault, Tata Motors and Global Automobiles — a subsidiary of the Kolkata-based Xenitis group […]