‘s late strikes

SHARJAH, November 6, 2011 (AFP) – Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took two wickets in an over to check Sri Lanka’s victory bids on the fourth day of the third and final cricket Test against Pakistan at Sharjah stadium here on Sunday. The wily-spinner dismissed Angelo Mathews (13) and Kaushala Silva (nought) in the final hour to […]

Earnings tumble as airlines face new turbulence

SINGAPORE, November 6, 2011 (AFP) – Hefty falls in earnings for aviation giants Singapore Airlines and Emirates are the clearest signs yet of fresh turbulence just three years after the 2008 financial crisis wreaked havoc, analysts said. The two companies, regarded as among the industry’s most well-managed carriers, cited escalating fuel expenses and growing unease […]

Mounting Opposition

Nov 07, 2011 (LBO) – Senior Sri Lankan Buddhist monks asked the state to withdraw a planned law to expropriate businesses, saying it violated citizens rights and that loss-making state enterprises should be turned around first. “We hope the government will not go ahead with this new bill and give people an opportunity to voice […]

Sri Lanka bought leaf tea factory net down 68-pct

Nov 07, 2011 (LBO) – Profits at Tea Smallholder Factories Plc, a unit of Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings fell 68 percent to 8. 3 million rupees in the September 2011 quarter from a year earlier, amid falling revenues. Tea Smallholder Factories Ltd is 37.6 percent owned by John Keells Holdings, 24. 3 percent by […]

Toll Rate

Nov 07, 2011 (LBO) – The toll for cars using Sri Lanka’s first expressway, scheduled to be opened later this month, has been set at 400 rupees for the full distance and a minimum of 100 rupees, an official said. The southern expressway, linking Colombo with the town of Galle on the south coast, is […]

November 6, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president has vowed to turn his war-battered nation into the “miracle of Asia,” but a controversial new nationalisation law is seen as a major blow to hopes of wooing foreign capital. The government says the move will boost investor confidence in the south Asian country, hungry for foreign […]

Cargo Crisis

Nov 06, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan port authorities have agreed to long-standing demands of truckers to open more entrance gates, reduce security checks and provide toilets after a sudden strike disrupted cargo flows through Colombo port. Port officials said some of the restrictions such as checks on cargo and closure of entrance gates had […]

Sri Lanka sugar mill blockaded, director assaulted ahead of expropriation

Nov 05, 2011 (LBO) – A sugar mill in Sri Lanka slated for expropriation has been blockaded by ruling party activists and there was no police protection its owner said, raising fresh questions about liberty, rule of law and justice for the island’s citizens. Gamage’s words echoed a statement from Agroislna, a Venezuelan agriculture supply […]

Sri Lanka business chambers endorse expropriation bill

Oct 05, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s large business chambers have tacitly endorsed a draft law to expropriate assets of several businesses on a promise that it will never be done again, according to a statement. The business chambers said they have been assured that it will be a “one off bill” and the expropriated […]

Sri Lanka targets dissident websites

November 5, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Saturday warned websites to register with the authorities after the United States expressed deep concern over Colombo’s blocking of a popular Internet-based dissident publication. The Ministry of Mass Media and Information said many reports posted on dissident websites amounted to character assassination of President Mahinda Rajapakse, his ministers […]

Sri Lanka minefields below estimates, most cleared

November 4, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s war-time minefields were two-thirds smaller than initially estimated and most have been cleared since the country’s ethnic conflict ended in 2009, the military said on Friday. The army said it had originally estimated mine-infested areas totalled some 6,215 square kilometres (2,399 square miles) in the island’s embattled northeast. […]

India eyes 4G service launch next year

NEW DELHI, November 5, 2011 (AFP) – India aims to launch fourth-generation (4G) mobile services next year that will allow users to watch high-definition video and download content at a much faster rate, a minister said. 4G technology holds the promise of Internet speeds up to 10 times faster than typical third-generation networks. “We should […]

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