Sri Lanka refugee ship boarded by Canadian navy

VANCOUVER, August 12, 2010 (AFP) – The Canadian navy on Thursday intercepted a cargo ship carrying up to 500 Sri Lankan asylum seekers and prepared to screen them, fearing some belonged to the defeated and banned Tamil Tiger rebels. After days of tracking by Canadian and US authorities, the navy boarded the MV Sun Sea […]

‘s ex-army chief convicted by court martial

August 13, 2010 (AFP) – A court martial convicted Sri Lanka’s former army chief Sarath Fonseka Friday of dabbling in politics and stripped him of his rank and medals, a senior military source said. “The guilty verdict was read out to General Fonseka at the court martial a short while ago,” the military source told […]

SriLankan Airlines to get more aircraft, increase flights

Aug 13, 2010 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines is planning to support the country’s rapidly-growing tourism industry with a planned increase in worldwide flights and to acquire two more aircraft this year, a statement said. The national carrier plans additional capacity to Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Rome, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Karachi and many cities in […]

‘s BlackBerry offensive widens to Google, Skype: report

NEW DELHI, August 13, 2010 (AFP) – India’s showdown with BlackBerry could reportedly widen to encompass Google and Skype after the government threatened to cut off core features of the popular smartphone on security grounds. Research In Motion, the BlackBerry’s Canadian maker, gave no immediate indication that it would accede to the latest pressure from […]

LBR-LBO CEO Forum

Aug 13, 2010 (LBO) – Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka’s top celco which is turning around after heavy losses last year, had anticipated sales to come down due to economic slowdown, but did not see a price war coming, a senior official said. “It was the fact that an economic downturn and a price war both […]

Sri Lanka July tourist arrivals up 50-pct

Aug 13, 2010 (LBO) – Tourist arrivals into Sri Lanka surged by 50 percent in July 2010 to 63,339 from a year ago as post-war optimism and removal of travel advisories encouraged visitors even during the off-season, latest data shows. The increase in the number of visitors was driven largely by more arrivals from Western […]

Warranted Profits

Aug 13, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Environmental Resources Investments (ERI) made a profit of 44 million rupees in the June quarter from higher sales from Ceylon Leather Products Limited (CLPL) and a brokering firm acquisition, its interim results showed. The move followed unusual price swings and heavy trading in certain stocks including ERI warrants. […]

Sri Lankan shares close up 1.61-pct

Aug 13, 2010 (2010) – Sri Lankan shares closed higher Friday as midcap stocks rallied mostly on retail investor interest amidst low trading volumes, while Environmental Resources Investments (ERI) shares continued to fall, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 5,115.79, was up 1.61 percent (80.94 points) Friday, while the Milanka index of […]

Sri Lanka to lease prime land, re-settle squatters

Aug 12, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan plans to develop prime land in Colombo occupied by squatters by leasing some lands and issuing debentures to raise funds for the work, a minister said. Government spokesman Anura Yapa, who is environment minister, said a survey revealed that 66,000 low-income families were living in Colombo and […]

Ship full of Sri Lankan refugees nears Canada: reports

MONTREAL, August 11, 2010 (AFP) – A ship full of Sri Lankan refugees was less than 320 kilometers (200 miles) from Canada’s western shores and could be arriving late Thursday or Friday, local media said Wednesday. In May last year, capping a four-decade civil war, Sri Lankan government troops finally defeated the separatist Liberation Tigers […]

Sri Lanka gets US$18.55mn Indian wind power investment

Aug 12, 2010 (LBO) – An Indian investor is to invest 18. 55 million US dollars to build a 10 mega watt wind power plant in north-western Sri Lanka, the island’s investment promotion agency said. The Board of Investment said it granted investment approval to Powergen Lanka to set up the wind power plant in […]

Speed

August 12, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police arrested three Iranian men and seized a haul of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of tens of millions of dollars, a spokesman said Thursday. Two men travelling from Qatar were arrested Wednesday when customs officers at the island’s international airport found more than eight kilos (17. […]

Page 1553 of 3054