Author: lbostgadmin
Populist India budget unlikely to give election boost: analysts
NEW DELHI, March 2, 2008 (AFP) – A populist budget unveiled by India’s ruling Congress party forgiving loans for poor farmers and cutting income taxes is unlikely to help its re-election chances in looming polls, analysts say.“People say Uttar Pradesh is just a glimpse of what’s going to unfold at the national level,” declared Mayawati […]
‘s Asian Alliance net up 60-pct
Mar 02, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Asian Alliance Insurance (AAIC) profits were up 60 percent to 113 million rupees with investment income more than doubling during 2007, audited accounts of the company showed. Assets in the life business went up to 1.1 billion rupees from 738 million and total assets were up to 1.9 […]
Sri Lanka mediaman threatened by gangsters; errant minister runs free: rights body
Mar 01, 2008 (LBO) – Another mediaman who filmed a confrontation between state TV workers and a minister who stormed the station’s newsroom has been threatened by gangsters, a media rights body said. Assistant camera news director Priyal Ranjith Perera had been threatened by a four-member gang who came to his residence and appeared to […]
Sri Lanka says another 45 Tigers killed as blast toll climbs
March 1, 2008 (AFP) – A police officer wounded in a suicide bombing died in hospital Saturday, a hospital spokesman said as Sri Lanka’s defence ministry claimed security forces had killed 45 rebels in fresh fighting.The policeman died of his injuries a day after being caught in a huge blast detonated by a suspected Tamil […]
Pottu Test
Mar 01, 2008 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan Supreme Court judge said society discriminates against its members despite pledging allegiance to a human rights charter, and called for equal treatment for marginalized sections. “If you take a simple issue of race, it is the duty of the majority of the Sinhalese to reach out to […]
Lease Savings
Mar 01, 2008 (LBO) – Seylan Merchant Leasing, a unit of Sri Lanka’s Ceylinco group said it has raised 1.3 billion rupees in deposits after it was licensed as a finance company by regulators last year, the company said. It has a service which allows clients to view lease transaction details and payment history on […]
Bunker Race
Mar 01, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation plans to tie up with global ship supply firm GAC Ships to supply bunkers or ship fuel, officials said. The move is expected to bring down bunker prices in Colombo port, now among the highest in the world, as well as improve availability. The […]
South Asia gets more FDI despite problems; political risk in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan
MANILA, Feb 29, 2008 (AFP) – Robust near-term economic growth should drive strong foreign direct investment flows into South Asia despite corruption, poor infrastructure, rigid labour laws and civil unrest, the Asian Development Bank said Friday.FDI flows into the Indian sub-continent had risen rapidly since 2004, growing by 132.9 percent in 2006 to 24.3 billion […]
Sri Lanka inflation increases to 21.6 percent in February
Feb 29, 2008 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo rose 21.6 percent in the 12-months to February from 20.8 percent, with the index gaining 2.8 percent in the past month, while an older index showed a 0.7 percent increase. In the first half of 2007 the monetary authority was successful in combating […]
Blast rocks Sri Lanka capital: police
Feb 29, 2008 (AFP) – A powerful explosion ripped through a house in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo early Friday, police said, adding that at least seven people were wounded.“At least seven people were taken to hospital after the blast,” a police official at the scene said. The blast came as the authorities had stepped up […]
Sri Lanka bomb blast injures seven
Feb 28, 2008 (LBO) – A bomb exploded during a search operation in the Kotahena area of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo Friday morning, injuring four police officers and three civilians, police said. There has been intense fighting in the Mannar area on the northwest of the island in recent weeks. The capital is under tight […]
Sri Lanka blast a suicide bombing: military
Feb 29, 2008 (LBO) – A Tamil Tiger suicide bomber triggered a bomb during a search operation in Colombo’s Kotahena area and a pistol and ammunition had been recovered in subsequent search operations, the military said. There has been intense fighting in the Mannar area on the northwest of the island in recent weeks. Updated […]