Author: lbostgadmin
Wall St. sees red as economic fears spark losses
NEW YORK, Nov 26, 2007 (AFP) – Wall Street saw a sea of red Wednesday in a heavy selloff as investors voiced fears that the housing slump and credit crunch could derail US economic growth. Analysts said retail sales over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend had appeared robust, but economists said the American consumer is being […]
HSBC bails out investment funds
LONDON, Nov 26, 2007 (AFP) – European share prices closed lower Monday, while Wall Street slipped back as investors looked past sharp gains in Asia and continued to fret about the global credit squeeze, dealers said.They said a constant flow of bad news about the impact of the crisis in the US subprime or higher […]
Missing adventurers wife asks court to declare him legally dead
CHICAGO, Nov 27, 2007 (AFP) – The wife of American adventurer Steve Fossett has asked a court to declare him legally dead, nearly three months after his small plane vanished over the Nevada wilderness, a newspaper reported Tuesday.Last year, he guided his Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer some 42,000 kilometers (26,000 miles) around the world, setting the […]
Sri Lankan Airlines increases India flights to 100
Nov 27, 2007 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines announced Tuesday it now operates one hundred flights a week to India with the addition of another weekly flight to its existing services to Trichy. “SriLankan is making a conscious effort to serve smaller cities in India, where travellers do not have access to international air travel as […]
Sri Lankan airline deal with Emirates still in the air
NEW DELHI, Nov 27, 2007 (AFP) – SriLankan Airlines wants a new management contract to be signed soon with Dubai-owned Emirates, chief executive Peter Hill said Tuesday, forecasting a “tough” year for the island’s carrier.The Colombo government is holding another meeting on January 8 with Emirates to discuss the renewal of the 10-year management contract […]
No Discrimination
Nov 27, 2007 (LBO) – The World Bank and United Nations are asking for ideas to develop regional campaigns to end the stigma and discrimination faced by HIV and AIDS affected people in South Asia. “Stigma and discrimination seriously undermines efforts to fight HIV and AIDS,” said Praful Patel, World Bank Vice President for South […]
Sri Lanka backs tea producing nations grouping
Nov 27, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is supporting efforts by other major tea growing countries to form a forum exclusively for tea producing nations, Ranjith Abeykoon, director of Tea Promotions said. The idea, being discussed at the on-going India International Tea Convention in Guwahati, is to increase global demand for tea, which now still […]
Sri Lanka tourist industry struggles to boost visitors amid war
Nov 27, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka said Tuesday that tourist arrivals had fallen sharply amid the tropical island’s intensifying ethnic conflict.Tourist arrivals had dropped 20 percent over the 10 months to October to 387,790 compared with the same period last year, Sri Lanka Tourism said. October’s arrivals were 4.6 percent lower at 37,011 compared […]
Coastal Shipping
Nov 27, 2007 (LBO) – Ceylon Shipping Corporation plans to buy two cargo ships using an Iranian credit line to be negotiated during Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s current visit there. The ships are required to keep the northern Jaffna peninsula supplied with essential goods as the land route is controlled by the Tamil Tigers. […]
Sri Lanka Tamil Tiger chief to rally for war: observers
Nov 26, 2007 (AFP) – The leader of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers will give his annual policy speech from a jungle hideout this week, with observers predicting a rallying call to arms as the island slides back into all-out war.The reclusive Velupillai Prabhakaran will be speaking at the end of a difficult year for his […]
Commonwealth summit wraps up, without Pakistan
KAMPALA, Nov 25, 2007 (AFP) – Commonwealth leaders called on Pakistan on Sunday to remain engaged with the group as they wrapped up a summit here that saw the suspension of President Pervez Musharraf’s country. Leaders from the 53-nation federation “called on the government of Pakistan to respond positively to the Commonwealth’s desire to remain […]
Australian republicans eye break with British monarchy
SYDNEY, Nov 26, 2007 (AFP) – Australian republicans Monday said prime minister John Howard’s removal from office opened the way for a bipartisan push for the country to break its ties with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.When the referendum failed to get the votes required to pass, Malcolm Turnbull, who was then chairman of the Australian […]