All Blogs
Slender Loris gasps for survival as urban India expands
BANGALORE, India, June 27, 2006 (AFP) – Hunted for centuries for its purported qualities as an aphrodisiac, asthma cure and as a kind of living voodoo doll, the tiny primate known as the Slender Loris has long faced a battle just to survive.But the biggest threat to the rare nocturnal animal, which has a distinctive […]
Senior Tamil Tiger leader regrets 1991 Gandhi slaying
NEW DELHI, June 28, 2006 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebel leader expressed regret Tuesday over the 1991 assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, in an interview aired on Indian television.“I would say it is a great tragedy, a monumental historical tragedy for which we deeply regret and we call upon […]
Troops, roadblocks as Sri Lanka ups security after suicide bombing
June 27, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Tuesday deployed more troops and threw up roadblocks in Colombo as the government tightened security following the assassination of a top army general.Heavily armed soldiers took up positions around the capital while police stepped up random vehicle searches, a senior police officer told AFP. “There is a […]
Sri Lanka truce monitors hold crisis talks amid rising war fears
June 27, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan peace broker Norway goes into crisis talks Thursday to try to salvage the island’s faltering ceasefire, as the assassination of a top army general underscored the threat of renewed war. “It is a case where they want to score something and then say, ‘Let’s talk’,” said retired army […]
People’s Merchant Bank gets a ‘BBB-(lka)’ rating
June 26, 2006 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka on Monday assigned a ‘BBB-(lka)’ rating for People’s Merchant Bank’s long-term debt, citing its parental backing and conservative management techniques, as a reason for it. “The rating reflects the potential support from its shareholders particularly People’s Bank (rated ‘A-(lka)’, which currently owns 39.0 percent of PMBs shares […]
Fitch rates Singer’s four-year debenture ‘A+(lka)’
June 26, 2006 (LBO) – Singer (Sri Lanka) Ltd secured a A+(lka) ratings for their upcoming four-year 600 million rupee debenture from Fitch Ratings Lanka, the rating agency said Monday. Fitch also affirmed Singer’s outstanding debentures: • 200 million rupees 2004/2008 • 250 million rupees 2004/2008 • 300 million rupees 2005/2009 • 400 million rupees […]
India’s Tata Coffee pays 220 million dollars for US’s Eight O’Clock
NEW DELHI, June 26, 2006 (AFP) – India’s largest coffee producer, Tata Coffee Ltd. said Monday it signed a deal to buy U.S.-based Eight O’Clock Co. from Gryphon Investors for 220 million dollars. “This acquisition is a strategic fit with our growth plans and helps Tata Coffee in attaining its objective to become an international […]
AK-47 to remain world’s favorite killing machine for next 20 years — report
UNITED NATIONS, June 26, 2006 (AFP) – The Kalashnikov assault rifle will remain the world’s favorite killing machine in conflict zones for at least the next 20 years because its production is poorly regulated, a report released here Monday said. Up to 70 million AK-47s and variations of its design are in circulation around the […]
Key dates in Sri Lanka’s armed conflict
June 26, 2006 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels deployed a motorcycle riding suicide bomber to kill Sri Lanka’s number three army officer, Major General Parami Kulatunga, in a suburb of Colombo Monday.June 15, 2006: Blast rips through bus full of civilians, killing 64 and wounding 80. Tigers deny involvement. The Sri Lanka military responds […]
”’ rating
June 26, 2006 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka on Monday assigned a ‘BBB-(lka)’ rating for People’s Merchant Bank’s long-term debt, citing its parental backing and conservative management techniques, as a reason for it. “The rating reflects the potential support from its shareholders particularly People’s Bank (rated ‘A-(lka)’, which currently owns 39.0 percent of PMBs shares […]