Six rebels killed in Sri Lanka: army

Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military has killed six suspected Tamil Tiger rebels along front lines in the northwest of the island, the defence ministry said Sunday. The military suffered no casualties in the confrontation, which took place in the Kallikulam area in Mannar late Saturday, the statement added. No independent confirmation was […]

While France fusses, Germany welcomes a surging euro

LONDON, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) – The high-flying euro, which last week soared from record to record against the dollar, has sparked sharply contrasting reactions in France and Germany, with Paris complaining and Berlin applauding.The single currency, shared by 11 other European nations besides France and Germany, shot to a new all-time high of 1.4263 […]

BPO Game

BANGALORE, India, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) – India remains the favoured technology outsourcing destination, an industry report said Sunday, amid concerns a rising rupee and soaring wages would blunt the country’s competitive edge. Pure-play outsourcing firms account for about 10 percent of the 50 billion dollars in revenue logged in the year ended March by […]

Ocean Freight

Sept 30 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shippers say the government should follow the example of other countries in the region like India and China and introduce laws to curb the powers of shipping lines acting like cartels. The Global Shippers’ Forum and Asian Shippers Council at their recent meeting in Singapore called upon Asian governments […]

Bell smashes century in England Sri Lanka warm up

Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) – Ian Bell warmed up for the upcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka with an unbeaten century as England posted an 80-run victory in a practice match here on Friday.Bell smashed four sixes and 12 fours in his 121-ball 131 not out to help England reach 314-4 against a Sri Lanka […]

IMF tells Zimbabwe central bank not to print money for businesses

GABORONE, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – The IMF will continue to shun Zimbabwe until its central bank stops meddling and the government starts managing its natural resources properly, a senior official said on Thursday. “Zimbabwe must put in place the proper economic policies and gradually they will see the IMF coming on board,” International Monetary […]

Maldives blast wounds 12 tourists

Sept 29, 2007 (AFP) – A home-made bomb ripped through a crowded park in the Maldivian capital Male Saturday, wounding 12 foreign nationals, tourism minister Mahamood Shougee told AFP.Since then, Britain had been helping the government and opposition groups sink their differences and work towards democratic reforms.Two Britons, two Japanese and eight Chinese were wounded […]

” visit to Myanmar

YANGON, Sept 29, 2007 (AFP) – UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari arrived in military-ruled Myanmar on Saturday and headed straight to the junta’s isolated capital for what he said he hoped would be “a very fruitful visit.” Deployed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon after this week’s bloody crackdown against pro-democracy protesters, Gambari landed in the […]

Maldives seek foreign help as bomb explosion threatens tourism

Sept 29, 2007 (LBO) – Police in the Indian Ocean Maldives Islands have sought foreign help to probe a blast that injured 12 tourists Saturday, as authorities feared a hit on the country’s top revenue earning industry, reports said. The incident had shattered the islands’ image as a tranquil tourist destination, which had helped the […]

Human Smugglers

KOMOTINI, Greece, Sept 29, 2007 (AFP) – Greek border guards arrested 69 illegal immigrants and seven suspected people smugglers who were trying to enter the country from Turkey, police said on Saturday.The immigrants, all men aged between 25 and 45, were from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka. The group had on Friday crossed […]

” over sovereign bond

Sept 29, 2007 (LBO) – The controversy over a sovereign bond took a new turn with Sri Lanka’s finance ministry saying the country’s president could approve any foreign borrowing, in a statement sent to selected local media. Questions had also been raised about the timing of the issue, in the light of turmoil in global […]

Sri Lanka inflation jumps in September

Sept 28, 2007 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital jumped 1.1 percent in September keeping the 12-month increase in consumer prices at 17.3 percent, the government’s statistics office said. The 12-month moving average of the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI), which is an average over 24-months to flatten seasonal fluctuations, rose to 17.5 […]

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