Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka to host 2013 Commonwealth summit: Australia
PERTH, October 26, 2011 (AFP) – Australia on Wednesday assured Sri Lanka there were no plans to strip it of hosting rights to Commonwealth talks in 2013 over war crimes allegations, but called for a UN probe into the claims. Prime Minister Julia Gillard raised the accusations in bilateral talks with President Mahendra Rajapakse in […]
Boeing Dreamliner makes first commercial flight
HONG KONG, October 26, 2011 (AFP) – Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner made its first commercial flight on Wednesday, giving a handful of deep-pocketed passengers the chance to fly into history on what is touted as an aviation breakthrough. With an average list price of 2 million, the plane is the firm’s first new design in […]
SriLankan Airlines gets new Airbus aircraft
Oct 26, 2011 (LBO) – A brand new Airbus 320 was added to the expanding fleet of Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines Wednesday, a statement said. The new A320 has a seating configuration of 20 Business Class and 120 Economy Class and is equipped with the latest AVOD (Audio Video- On Demand) inflight entertainment […]
India looks to factories to create 100 mln new jobs
NEW DELHI, October 25, 2011 (AFP) – India’s government approved Tuesday a policy to boost the nation’s underdeveloped manufacturing sector, aiming to slash red tape and create special zones for firms in a drive to create 100 million jobs. Manufacturing accounts for just 16 percent of India’s agriculture-dependent economy, which is “a cause of concern,” […]
Killer whales migrate, study finds, but why?
PARIS, October 25, 2011 (AFP) – Some killer whales, a study published Wednesday shows for the first time, wander nearly 10,000 kilometres (6,200 miles) from Antarctica’s Southern Ocean into tropical waters — but not to feed or breed. Rather, these fearsome predators at the apex of the marine food chain traverse the sea at top […]
Refugee Death
SYDNEY, October 26, 2011 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan man died in Australian immigration detention, officials said Tuesday, with refugee advocates claiming he killed himself with poison after being refused permission to attend a Hindu festival. An immigration spokesman said the man died shortly after midnight at Sydney Immigration Residential Housing — a family compound […]
” tourism brand
Oct 26, 2011 (LBO) – Maldives has launched a new slogan ‘Always Natural’ and a thumbprint-styled logo highlighting the Indian Ocean tourist paradise’s natural assets. The logo has been designed to express the natural elements of the country formed in a thumb print incorporating various species of fish, dolphins and birds. “The previous slogan was […]
Finance Company
Oct 26, 2011 (LBO) – Nation Lanka Plc, a listed company said Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has given approval for it to be registered as licensed finance company subject to several conditions. But interest rates are now moving up, amid defence of a dollar peg by the monetary authority. The firm had to put up […]
Credit Profile
Oct 26, 2011 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka has confirmed Pan Asia Banking Corporation’s (PABC) national long-term rating at ‘BBB(lka)’ with a stable outlook. PABC is a licensed commercial bank (LCB), 41% owned by a high net-worth businessman Mr. K.D.D. Perera and related parties. It accounted for 1.1% of LCB sector assets at end-2010 (2009: […]
Vehicle Trend
Oct 26, 2011 (LBO) – New vehicles registered in Sri Lanka rose 31 percent to 45,279 in August 2011 from a year earlier, though lower than a peak of 48,157 seen in June, official data showed. Car imports rose 62 percent to 5,055 in August, three wheeler vehicles widely used as taxis rose 30.4 percent […]
Sri Lanka state to take over stalled high rise project
Oct 25, 2011 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is to take over a high rise hotel and apartment tower whose construction was stalled after its parent firm got into financial trouble. The takeover is to be effected under a new law that is being put through the judicial and parliamentary approvals process that provides […]
Australia presses Sri Lanka over war crimes claims
PERTH, October 25, 2011 (AFP) – Australian leader Julia Gillard on Tuesday urged Sri Lanka to address claims of serious human rights violations as a man filed war crimes charges against President Mahinda Rajapakse. “Instead they caused such brutality to them, to our country, and also posed a threat to our region. ” Sri Lanka […]