Vanik Money

March 06, 2007 (LBO) – The merchant bank Vanik Incorporation said it had given 51 percent control of its money broking unit to employees, in a bid to retain skilled staff. Vanik had originally told creditors who had an arrangement with the firm, that it would sell 40 percent of Vanik Money Brokers Ltd (VMBL) […]

People Power

March, 06 (LBO) – People’s Bank, a state bank has reported consolidated after tax profits of 3,997 billion rupees for, up 28 percent over the previous year, while the bank’s stand alone profits grew 20 percent to 3,350 million rupees, in its 2006 provisional results. The bank’s revenues grew 28.5 percent to 34.95 billion while […]

’s tourist numbers

March 06, 2007 (LBO) – Visitors from Pakistan and India helped boost Sri Lanka’s tourist numbers in January while shy western Europeans continued to disappoint the war-torn Indian Ocean island. In January 56,000 tourists came to the island up 8.5 percent over the previous year with Pakistani arrivals growing by 171 percent to 2,300 and […]

Helping Hand

March 06 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is trying to make it easier for disabled people and the aged to use public transport like trains and buildings, a government official said Tuesday. The conference is jointly organised by the social services ministry, Practical Action-South Asia Programme, Disaster Relief Monitoring Unit of the Human Rights Commission Sri […]

Global shares rally but analysts warn of possible turmoil ahead

LONDON, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – European and Asian share prices rebounded on Tuesday following recent heavy falls as US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson reassured that Asia’s two biggest economies, Japan and China, remained sound. On Wall Street, shares closed lower Monday following declines across Europe and Asia, with the Dow Jones index shedding 0.53 […]

’t smell rotten fish

BANGKOK, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Five Thai fishermen died and two were taken to hospital after inhaling gas released by rotting fish in the hold of a trawler, police said Tuesday.They fainted at the smell of the decomposing fish kept in the bottom of the trawler along the Andaman coast of southern Thailand on […]

Iran moots idea of international Islamic human rights court

KUALA LUMPUR, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Iran has mooted the idea of an international court focussing on Islamic human rights issues, a report said Tuesday. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroud, Iran’s chief of judiciary system, said during a visit to Malaysia that his country has formed a secretariat to look into the matter, the New […]

Bermuda skipper defends World Cup place after warm-up thrashing

ARNOS VALE, St Vincent, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Bermuda captain Irving Romaine insisted his side deserved their place at the Cricket World Cup despite losing their opening warm-up match against England by the huge margin of 241 runs. Bermuda’s second and final warm-up match is against Zimbabwe on Thursday.“Today the plan was to field […]

Sri Lanka cruise to win over Scots

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka cruised to a comfortable 172-run win over Scotland at the Three Ws Oval here on Monday in their opening World Cup warm-up match.Mahela Jayawardene’s team then move on to Trinidad for their first round Group B matches where they will take on India, Bangladesh and Bermuda […]

Sri Lankan police track killer groups and kidnappers

COLOMBO, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s police admitted Tuesday that its own security personnel have been involved in kidnappings for ransom and vowed to crack down on mounting abductions and killings of civilians. Colombo also faced censure over the killing of 17 local employees of a French charity in August. Scandinavian monitors blamed […]

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