Author: LBO
Most common nouns in English? I wouldn’t give them the time of day
LONDON, June 22, 2006 (AFP) – A new list of the most common nouns in the English language published in the latest Oxford dictionary reveals that English speakers are obsessed with time, Oxford University Press (OUP) researchers said Thursday.The word “time” topped the list, with “year” in third place and “day” in fifth position and […]
Bank of Ceylon may double foreign loans to boost Sri Lanka’s balance of payments
June 22, 2006 (LBO) – The Bank of Ceylon is to increase foreign borrowings to 400 million dollars this year, to boost Sri Lanka’s balance of payments and give more fiscal space for the government, a senior government source said.The bank has already called for proposals from foreign banks to raise 200 million dollars through […]
Sri Lanka’s borrowing costs rise
June 21, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s borrowing costs went up during Wednesday’s treasury bill auction, as the Central Bank bought a further 3-billion rupees worth of paper for its stock of government securities.The bank offered 7.799 billion rupees worth of bills which came up for maturity, but accepted only 2.375 billion rupees from the […]
Sri Lanka’s city development agency to issue a billion rupees in bonds
June 21, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Urban Development Authority (UDA) plans to raise a billion rupees in bonds to finance an office development project, top officials said Wednesday.The UDA will appoint a banking partner within the next two months, Jayaweera said, with an issue date to be fixed, perhaps for later this year.“We are […]
Malaysia objects to capital’s “third-rudest” status
KUALA LUMPUR, June 21, 2006 (AFP) – Malaysia on Wednesday hotly disputed a global survey that found its capital Kuala Lumpur was the third rudest in the world, saying it was renowned for its friendly people.Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said the widely publicised Reader’s Digest magazine survey of politeness levels in 35 cities could […]
How the UN’s new Human Rights Council works
GENEVA, June 19, 2006 (AFP) – The new UN Human Rights Council, which started its first-ever session here Monday, is made up of 47 nations who pledged before they were elected to respect international human rights standards.The body aims to be more effective than the widely-criticised UN Commission on Human Rights, which was disolved in […]
Sri Lanka’s tourist board chief prevented from leaving the country
June 19, 2006 (LBO) – The chairman of the Sri Lanka’s tourist board was prevented from leaving the country at the Bandaranaike International Airport early Monday morning, an official said. Immigration officials had stopped Udaya Nanayakkara from leaving Sri Lanka on a complaint from the Bribery Commission, Controller of Immigration P B Abeykoon said. Nanayakkara […]
Sri Lanka police investigate Tigers’ limpet style sea mines
June 18, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police Sunday were investigating a new type of improvised sea mine developed by Tamil Tiger rebels to target naval craft, police chief Chandra Fernando said Sunday. Police have questioned four of five men arrested Saturday while laying the mines, which are similar to limpet mines. They stick magnetically […]
Web auctioneer eBay adds ‘wiki’ for online selling tips
SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, 2006 (AFP) – Using a technology once the domain of nerds, US auction website eBay is collecting the wisdom of millions of users in a how-to guide for buying and selling online. Any of eBay’s estimated 185 million users can contribute insights to an eBay “wiki,” a website that allows visitors […]
Indian state says ‘no sir’ to nursery rhymes
NEW DELHI, June 14, 2006 (AFP) – An Indian state has decided to drop popular nursery rhymes like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep” from text books for first-graders for being too Western, reports said Wednesday.“We want our children to have value education in local color,” newspapers reported Narottam Mishra, minister of […]
PwC sets up new firm in Japan following its partner’s scandal
TOKYO, June 13, 2006 (AFP) – International accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers set up a new firm in Japan on Tuesday after its Japanese partner came under fire over financial fraud.PricewaterhouseCoopers Arata will begin operations from July 1 to service both domestic and international companies in Japan, the US-based company said in a statement. The establishment came […]
Sri Lanka’s new air chief follows in father’s flight path
June 12, 2006 (AFP) – Air Vice Marshal Roshan Goonetileke took command of Sri Lanka’s air force Monday, 25 years after his father retired from the post.Goonetileke, 50, inspected an honour guard before being handed the command at a ceremony in Colombo. Among those attending was Goonetileke’s father, retired air vice marshal Harry Goonetileke, 76, […]