Author: lbostgadmin
‘s Bharti mobile Q4 net profit jumps 37 pct
NEW DELHI, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – India’s top mobile phone company Bharti Airtel on Friday reported fourth-quarter net profit leapt 37 percent on surging cellular phone use and it forecast a second growth wave from rural areas. Net profit for the three months to March 31 soared to 18.5 billion rupees (462 million dollars) […]
‘s ABC Insurance goes rural
April 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ABC Insurance Company says its premiums rose 300 percent to 129 million rupees in the year to March 2008, following the company’s drive to push insurance to rural areas especially among the fishing community. ABC Insurance Company which was established nearly three years ago saw its premiums from […]
Sri Lanka fears more bombings as bus toll hits 26
April 26, 2008 (AFP) – The death toll from a bus blast outside Colombo rose to 26 on Saturday as Sri Lanka warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians while security forces remained locked in combat against Tamil rebels.President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday’s blast was the work of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]
Sri Lanka fears more civilian attacks, launches new offensive
April 26, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Saturday warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians as troops launched a new offensive against Tamil separatists a day after a bus bombing killed 26 people.President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday’s bus bomb attack was the work of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas who […]
Sri Lanka rabies puppy in British quarantine bites three
LONDON, April 26, 2008 (AFP) – Three people were bitten by a rabies-infected puppy dog in British quarantine, a Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokeswoman said Saturday. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced that a case of rabies had been confirmed in the puppy. The dog was in quarantine after being brought into […]
Lifeline
April 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan finance companies should improve governance practices voluntarily before external rules are imposed and whistle-blowers get active under new laws, a corporate lawyer says. Good corporate governance practices could yield direct financial benefits to finance companies while giving them a lifeline if wrongdoings are uncovered, says Arittha Wikramanayake, senior […]
Sri Lanka blast kills 12 and injures 30
April 25, 2008 (LBO) – A blast near a crowded bus station South of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo has left at least 12 dead and more than a 40 injured, police and eyewitnesses said. The explosion went off in the suburb of Piliyandala during the evening rush hour at around 6.45 pm authorities aid. An […]
US March new home sales fall to more than 16-year low
WASHINGTON, April 24, 2008 (AFP) – Sales of new US homes plunged to their lowest level in over 16 years in March despite hefty price declines in response to a glut of unsold homes, Commerce Department data showed Thursday. The grim monthly report follows a key industry survey this week showing sales of existing homes, […]
Travellers to be screened by facial technology at British airports
LONDON, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – European air travellers to Britain will be screened with automatic facial recognition technology from this summer in a bid to tighten security and ease congestion, the government said Friday. Citizens of Britain and all European Economic Area countries will pass through unmanned clearance gates which will scan passengers’ faces […]
Rate hike expected with inflation at 7.3-pct in India
NEW DELHI, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – India’s inflation jumped again to a more than three-year high, according to data on Friday, days ahead of a key meeting of central bankers who are expected to tighten monetary policy further.Annual inflation accelerated nearly two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.33 percent for the week ended April […]
Swiss central banker urges pay reform after subprime losses
GENEVA, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – Banks should reform their pay structure in the wake of the subprime crisis to avoid encouraging traders to take reckless risks, a top Swiss central banker said on Friday.Jean-Pierre Roth, chairman of the Swiss National Bank’s governing board, said a rethink of corporate governance and strengthening of rules was […]
Sri Lankan Airlines Indian flights grounded as pilots go sick
April 25, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan Airlines has canceled several flights to the Indian subcontinent as more than a dozen pilots reported sick, officials said. Sri Lankan airline spokespersons were not available for comment, but the airline had individually informed passengers of flights that had been canceled. The affected destinations are said to include […]