Author: lbostgadmin
‘s Jayasuriya quits Test cricket
KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 3, 2007 (AFP) – Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s highest scorer in both forms of cricket, has decided to retire from Test cricket, officials said Monday. The 38-year-old left-hander will end his Test career after the ongoing first Test against England at the Asgiriya stadium here, but will continue to play limited-overs […]
Rudd sworn in as Australian prime minister
CANBERRA, Dec 3, 2007 (AFP) – Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australia’s 26th prime minister on Monday after a landslide election win nine days ago against long-serving conservative leader John Howard. Rudd took the oath of office before Governor-General Michael Jeffery at Government House in Canberra, launching a new era in […]
Schoolyard bullies expand into internet
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 2, 2007 (AFP) – US researchers warn that bullies are taking their hurtful ways from real-world schoolyards to the “cyber” world by targeting teens with nasty e-mail, text messaging, and online chat. The number of children ages 10 to 17 that say they were abused by “cyber bullies” climbed 50 percent, from […]
Finance Profits
Dec 03, 2007 (LBO) – Central Finance, one of the biggest Sri Lankan finance companies, said September quarter net profit rose seven percent to 283 million rupees from a year ago. Total income was up 24 percent to 1.6 billion rupees, according to interim results sent to the Colombo Stock Exchange. Net interest income of […]
Leasing Numbers
Dec 03, 2007 (LBO) – Lanka Orix Leasing Company (LOLC) said September quarter net profit fell 48 percent to 86 million rupees from a year ago with a sharp increase in provisioning for bad loans. It also said the company acquired 2,600,000 shares (29.18 percent) of Touchwood Investments Limited and 4,982,953 shares (20 percent) of […]
Zimbabwe inflation could be halted with new monetary regime: Steve Hanke
Dec 02, 2007 (LBO) – Zimbabwe’s rocketing prices which are starting to take almost the same path as the 1920’s German hyperinflation, could be halted by scrapping its central bank, a top economist has said. Since 1997 inflation has surged 1,030,217 percent and economic activity in the country measured by gross domestic product per capita […]
Second Try
Dec 02, 2007 – Sri Lanka’s plans to double its refinery capacity, which were dealt a severe blow after politicians fixed fuel prices last August, would take off with Iranian help in 2008, officials said. . The government of Iran would first fund and conduct a feasibility study and give a loan with a ten […]
‘s Jaffna peninsula an inside look from outside
JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, Dec 2, 2007 (AFP) – The air force pilot takes no chances landing on the Jaffna peninsula, the northern tip of Sri Lanka held by the government but cut off from the south by Tamil Tiger rebel territory. . Descending fast from over the Indian Ocean, the Russian-made transport plane banks hard, […]
”s record
KANDY, Sri Lanka, Dec 2, 2007 (AFP) – Muttiah Muralitharan equalled Shane Warne’s world record tally of 708 wickets as Sri Lanka sent England crashing in the first cricket Test here on Sunday.The off-spinner grabbed 4-30 in 23 overs as England, replying to Sri Lanka’s modest 188, slumped to 186-6 by tea before heavy rain […]
Global leaders call for action on AIDS
PARIS, Dec 1, 2007 (AFP) – Activists and global leaders used World AIDS Day Saturday to warn against complacency in fighting the disease and called on governments to fill a multi-billion-dollar funding gap.In Haiti, the country with the greatest number of HIV infected people in the Americas (190,000) after Brazil, despite a relatively small population, […]
China wins Miss World
SANYA, China, Dec 1, 2007 (AFP) – Pre-contest favourite Miss China won the Miss World 2007 title in her own country late Saturday, much to the delight of the audience, in front of an estimated two billion viewers around the globe.As well as being held on World AIDS Day, Miss World 2007 came a week […]
India can sustain rapid growth for 20 years: finance minister
NEW DELHI, Dec 2, 2007 (AFP) – India’s economy can keep up its scorching growth for the next two decades as long as investment stays strong, the finance minister said on Sunday. India’s economy has grown by an average annual 8.6 percent for the last four years and the minister has said he is targeting […]