Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka leader vows to defend troops on war crime claims
May 27, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday vowed to defend his military from war crimes allegations as the island marked the second year of its victory over Tamil Tiger rebels. “We will not betray you to the world,” Rajapakse told troops during a colourful military parade at Colombo’s seafront Galle […]
First Land Rover rolls out of Indian factory
PIMPRI, May 27, 2011 (AFP) – Mumbai-based Tata Motors opened its first Indian factory on Friday for Land Rovers, the formerly loss-making British brand aiming to make inroads in the booming South Asian market. A Freelander 2 sports utility vehicle was the first to roll out of the plant on the outskirts of Pune, some […]
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May 26, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka said Thursday it planned to set up sanctuaries for stray dogs in a bid to remove them from the streets and tackle a growing rabies problem. Between 2,000 and 2,500 people are bitten each day by stray dogs, the official said, and there is one dog for every […]
Sri Lanka cracks down on illegal fishing
May 27, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has told a regional fish management body that it is cracking down on illegal fishing that is seen hurting efforts to prevent over-exploitation of fish stocks and conservation. The crackdown comes in the wake of concern that illegal fishing hurt management measures aimed at controlling and monitoring fish […]
Debenture Rating
May 27, 2011 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said it had rated a proposed one billion rupee subordinated debenture ‘AA-(lka)’ by National Development Bank one notch below the bank’s long term ‘AA(lka)’ credit which has a stable outlook. Core profitability as measured by return on assets (adjusted for gains on equities and government securities) had increased […]
Sri Lanka shares end up 0.5-pct
May 27, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed firmer Friday with interest in financial stocks and two newly listed finance companies that soared on their debut making further gains, brokers said. The main All Share Price Index closed at 7,459.58, up 0.54 percent (40.14 points) while the more liquid Milanka index rose 0.15 percent […]
SriLankan Air Taxi launches daily flights to central hills
May 26, 2011 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines has begun daily flights to Kandy in the central hills, using float planes to cut a three-hour road journey to 30 minutes for 4,900 rupees one-way and 9,800 rupees return. Flights from Colombo which now operate from the Kelani River to the city’s north are to be shifted […]
Maldives and IMF hammer out new 3-year deal
May 26, 2011 (LBO) – The International Monetary Fund and the Indian Ocean tourist paradise of Maldives had reached a new 3-year deal to fix government finance and stabilize the country and its currency. Maldives is struggling with a large budget deficit partly due to large civil service salary bill, which it was unable to […]
US cutting back troops in Pakistan amid tensions
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2011 (AFP) – The US military said Wednesday it has begun pulling some American troops out of Pakistan after Islamabad requested a smaller presence, amid tensions over a US raid against Osama bin Laden. The Pakistani government had asked for a scaling back of the US contingent of more than 200 troops […]
Sri Lanka gets World Bank aid for city flood protection
May 26, 2011 (LBO) – The World Bank is to provide 150 million US dollars to Sri Lanka to improve flood protection and infrastructure in and around the capital city of Colombo, a government statement said. The overall aim of the ‘Metro Colombo Urban Development Project’ under taken with World Bank funding is to improve […]
Cold Comfort
May 26, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Cold Stores said net profit for the financial year ending March 2011 fell 13 percent to 200 million rupees from a year ago with its ‘Keells Super’ supermarket chain still in the red. Annual group sales rose 16 percent to 16. 6 billion rupees, the company said […]
Policy Debate
May 26, 2011 (LBO) – I am on an American Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona to St Louis, Missouri having enjoyed the only break in the rigorous seven week Eisenhower Fellowship program at the Grand Canyon, America’s great natural wonder. From St Louis I go to San Francisco and a number of other cities to […]