Author: lbostgadmin
US firm unveils two-seat craft for space tourism
BEVERLY HILLS, California, March 26, 2008 (AFP) – Plans for a two-seater aircraft designed to shuttle tourists to the brink of outer space were unveiled Wednesday by a firm aiming to secure a slice of the nascent galactic travel market.California-based XCOR Aerospace hopes that its Lynx craft will allow space tourists to get a tantalising […]
Australian financial system coping with global strains: central bank
SYDNEY, March 27, 2008 (AFP) – The Australian financial system had coped better with the recent global strains than many other countries, the central bank said Thursday in its half yearly financial stability review.The banking system remained highly profitable and well capitalised, with the banks having minimal direct exposure to the subprime problems in the […]
Maldives police investigate major heroin find
COLOMBO, March 27, 2008 (AFP) – Maldives police have started a probe into the source of 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of heroin found smuggled into the tiny island capital of Male, officials said Thursday.Police found the drugs at a two-storey apartment on Wednesday night and said the haul was the biggest illegal drug find in […]
Sri Lanka Janashakthi Insurance to sell 16.5mln shares at Rs12
Mar 27, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Janashakthi Insurance is planning to sell 16.5 million shares priced at 12 rupees a share through an initial public offer to raise 198 million rupees, an official said. . The company has called a special meeting of its existing shareholders this Friday seeking approval to start the public […]
‘s Hayleys in high value farming
Mar 27, 2008 (LBO) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is teaming up with Sri Lanka’s Hayleys group to lift rural subsistence farmers into commercial high value agriculture, the US embassy in Colombo said. The first pilot project will start in April involving 120 farmer families in two of Sri Lanka’s poorest […]
Sri Lanka tourism industry has bounce-back capacity: officials
Mar 27, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourism industry has the capacity to bounce back, officials who returned from a travel fair in Germany after spreading the message that island is safe for foreign visitors, said. “Right now we are going through a bit of a slow down,” Hiran Cooray, the Managing Director of Jetwing […]
Equity Hedge
Mar 27, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Janashakthi Insurance said it was on track for a public listing after recording profits of 525 million rupees in 2007, with strong results from general insurance and investment income boosting the bottom line. The firm’s total revenue with investment income rose to 5.2 billion rupees from 4.7 billion […]
Payment System
March 27, 2008 (LBO) – The SAARC Payments Initiative (SPI), enabling a more efficient payment mechanism among south Asian countries, is to be launched in Colombo tomorrow, the Sri Lanka Central Bank said Thursday. The initiative will upgrade the region’s payment systems to international standards and help promote trade and investment in south Asia, a […]
Sri Lanka stocks end flat with SLT still drawing buying interest
March 27, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed flat with trading dominated by Sri Lanka Telecom and two blocks of John Keells Holdings which boosted turnover, brokers said. The All Share Price Index ended down 1.25 points at 2,548.31 while the Milanka, which tracks the more liquid stocks, closed down 13.13 points at 3,177.57. […]
Sri Lanka needs changes to build knowledge economy: World Bank
March 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka needs to improve access to broadband communications and the internet and reduce costs to become a ‘knowledge economy’, the World Bank has said. . If not, the country risks creating a ‘digital divide’, a new divide between haves and have-nots, economist Ismail Radwan said in a new study […]
Sri Lanka shaken after setting Windies 437 for victory
PROVIDENCE, Guyana, March 25, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka were put under some early pressure after they set West Indies 437 to win in a minimum of 113 overs in the opening Test on Tuesday. Though they poached an early scalp, the Sri Lankans were put on the back-foot as West Indies reached 96 for […]
Wind power breaks records in Spain
MADRID, March 25, 2008 (AFP) – Wind power is breaking new records in Spain, accounting for just over 40 percent of all electricity consumed during a brief period last weekend, the country’s wind power association said Tuesday.As heavy winds lashed Spain on Saturday evening wind parks generated 9,862 megawatts of power which translated to 40.8 […]