Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka stocks dragged lower by Dialog Telekom, war fears
April 28, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka stocks closed 0.51 percent lower, dragged down by a fall in the price of index-heavy Dialog Telekom and investor jitters over heavy army casualties in battle with Tamil Tigers, brokers said Monday. The All Share Price Index of the Colombo Stock Exchange closed 13.56 points (0.51 percent) lower […]
‘s ICICI Bank beats forecast with nearly 40 pct profit rise
MUMBAI, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – India’s largest private-sector lender ICICI Bank on Saturday beat forecasts with a nearly 40 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit.Net profit for the three months ending March 31 rose 39.3 percent to 11.5 billion rupees (286 million dollars) from 8.25 billion rupees a year earlier, the New York stock […]
Swiss jumps using Leonardo da Vinci-designed parachute
PAYERNE, Switzerland, April 26, 2008 (AFP) – A 36-year-old Swiss amateur parachutist made a successful 650-metre (2,130-foot) drop Saturday using a replica of a parachute designed more than 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci.“I came down… smack in the middle of the tarmac at Payerne military airport,” said Olivier Vietti-Teppa. “A perfect jump.” Vietti-Teppa […]
‘s rich get richer
LONDON, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Indian-born steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal remains the wealthiest person in Britain, The Sunday Times newspaper’s 2008 annual Rich List said. His 27.7 billion pounds (54.9 billion dollars, 35.1 billion euros), up 8.5 billion pounds on last year, keeps him topping the pile for the fourth year running. And the […]
‘s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: experts
HANOI, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.The loss of these biodiversity hot spots, much of it driven by the illegal timber trade and the growth of oil palm, […]
Tamil Tiger aircraft bomb Sri Lanka military targets
April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Tiger rebels using light aircraft bombed military targets in northeastern Sri Lanka early Sunday as security forces launched a fresh ground offensive after a deadly bus bombing, officials said. . The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) hit two military installations in the Weli Oya region, where security forces launched […]
Sri Lanka Tigers launch air strike on military targets: security sources
April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels deployed light aircraft to bomb military targets in northeastern Sri Lanka early Sunday causing no fatalities, but striking a psychological blow, security sources said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) flew two planes to hit two military bases in the Weli Oya region, where security forces […]
British business watchdog investigates tobacco pricing
LONDON, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – British competition authorities alleged on Friday that two cigarette companies and eleven retailers had engaged in “unlawful practices” relating to retail tobacco prices. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) began probing tobacco pricing in March 2003 but had not revealed the investigation until Friday. “The OFT has issued a […]
US, Britain, Interpol warn of increased terror risk in China
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – The United States and Britain issued new travel alerts warning of an increased terrorist threat in China Friday, as Interpol said Beijing must prepare for a possible Al-Qaeda attack at the Olympics.The US State Department warned Americans travelling to the Asian country of a “heightened risk that extremist groups […]
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PARIS, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – UN food agency chief Jacques Diouf on Friday warned of civil war in some countries because of global food shortages and called for a revamp of the international food system.The head of the Food and Agriculture Organization said on France 24 television that international leaders had failed to act […]
‘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 […]