Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka beat India to revive tri-series hopes
CANBERRA, Feb 12, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka hammered India by eight wickets on Tuesday to revive their hopes in the rain-hit tri-series.Set a revised 154 to win from 21 overs, Sri Lanka reached the rain-adjusted target with two overs to spare for their first win of the series. India made 195 for five from […]
Dollar stable as traders digest G7 meeting
TOKYO, Feb 12, 2008 (AFP) – The dollar was steady against the yen in Asian trade Tuesday after world finance chiefs refrained from taking any concrete measures to stabilise markets at a weekend meeting, dealers said.They said the Tokyo market, which was closed on Monday for a national holiday, was still digesting the outcome of […]
Drought cuts 10 percent off Australian agricultural production
SYDNEY, Feb 12, 2008 (AFP) – Drought cut 10 percent off the value of Australia’s agricultural production in 2006-07, official figures showed Tuesday.Poor crop production fuelled the downturn to a total output of 34.2 billion dollars (30.8 billion US), the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. Cotton dipped 46 percent to 514 million dollars, while rice […]
‘ funds in Asia
SINGAPORE, Feb 12, 2008 (AFP) – A consortium launched in Singapore on Tuesday aims to choke militants’ access to funds in Southeast Asia which one analyst said could reach three million US dollars a month. The Consortium for Countering the Financing of Terrorism aims to strengthen cooperation between banks, government agencies and academia to cut […]
How phone operators use SMS for cash transfers
BARCELONA, Spain, Feb 12, 2008 (AFP) – In many poor and emerging countries, the lack of banking infrastructure but widespread use of mobile phones has created a business opportunity that network operators are keen to exploit.On Monday, British operator Vodafone announced at the industry’s annual trade show in Barcelona that it would launch a money […]
Sri Lanka to give national honour to Maldives President
Feb 12, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will confer a national honor on visiting Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for fostering close relations with the island, the foreign ministry said.Gayoom is scheduled to arrive in the island today with a delegation of senior ministers and officials. “The Lanka Mithra Vibushana” will be conferred on Gayoom […]
Native News
Feb 12, 2008 (LBO) – JNW news, Sri Lanka’s pioneer news provider on mobile networks, has launched a news website using Sinhala Unicode characters, an official said. “We wanted to do Unicode because that is the future of Sinhala on the web,” JNW chief Chamath Ariyadasa said. “Advantages like easily transferring the content to other […]
Aitken Spence Hotels cuts Sri Lanka losses, regional net up
Feb 12, 2008 (LBO) – Aitken Spence Hotels has boosted net profits by 78 percent in the December quarter and slashed its Sri Lanka losses in the first nine months of the current financial year, its latest results show. Pre-tax losses in Sri Lanka fell to 195.6 million rupees from 285.7 million rupees in the […]
Sri Lanka shares end higher as funds return
Feb 12, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares ended higher Tuesday with brokers saying there was interest across a range of sectors with institutional buying evident.The All Share Price Index went up 0.36 percent or 9.07 points to 2,494.84 while the more liquid Milanka index ended up 0.52 percent or 16.01 points at 3,123.31 with […]
Sri Lanka mine attack kills two police
Feb 11, 2008 (AFP) – Two policemen were killed in a land mine blast in northern Sri Lanka on Monday, military officials said as the defence ministry said it had killed at least 68 Tiger rebels in weekend clashes. An inspector and a constable were blown up in the district of Vavuniya while on a […]
Inflation czar Chavez threatens milk plant nationalization as price controls cause shortages
CARACAS, Feb 10, 2008 (AFP) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday warned Venezuela could expropriate milk processing plants based here and owned by Italy’s Parmalat and Swiss-owned Nestle.Caracas blames exporting to other countries for the supply chain woes. Exporters blame price controls the government put in place five years ago. “It doesn’t make any […]
Attack on Bombay stock exchange foiled: Indian police
NEW DELHI, Feb 11, 2008 (AFP) – Police in northern Indian have held six alleged Islamic militants suspected of planning an attack on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), a report said Monday.India’s stock market is a potent symbol of the country’s booming economic growth.In 2007, India’s stock markets rose by a record 47.1 percent, the […]