Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka tax office clearing tarnished reputation, says official
Sept 21, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tax department is slowly regaining its reputation which had been tarnished by a tax scam and complaints of bullying tax payers, the island’s top Treasury official said Friday. “The image of the Inland Revenue Department is changing from being 100 percent bad to being slightly positive,” Treasury Secretary […]
Sri Lanka fighter jets bomb Tiger areas
Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan war planes bombed a Tamil Tigers’ ammunitions store in the north of the island Friday, causing heavy damage, the defence ministry said.The ammunitions cache was used by Imran-Pandiyan, an elite regiment of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the military said. “The air strikes taken were based […]
Sri Lanka minister rejects charges of funds misuse
Sept 21, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s deputy finance minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya rejected charges that the government had misused funds in starting a new budget airline and a bank. He gave no further details in his speech. He also said the government has evidence of transfers of funds by previous governments from the Treasury to […]
Dollar sinks to new euro low as Fed prints more money; Saudi to drop dollar peg?
NEW YORK, Sept 20, 2007 (AFP) – The dollar sank to a record low against the euro Thursday after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke warned that US mortgage woes may deepen, raising hopes of interest rate cuts. Also weighing on the US currency were rumors that Saudi Arabia is going to drop the domestic currency’s […]
World Bank ex-chief says power heading east
HONG KONG, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) – The former president of the World Bank said Friday that rich countries were ill-prepared to deal with the “tectonic shift” in economic power towards developing nations, in particular to India and China.James Wolfensohn said rich nations still treated major developing nations with a “colonial” attitude and had not […]
Sri Lanka India sea canal row escalates
CHENNAI, India, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) – A state leader in India has dismissed a deity worshipped by millions as a “big lie”, deepening a highly sensitive row over plans to dredge a shipping lane through an area sacred to Hindus. The chief minister of India’s southern Tamil Nadu state said the government was justified […]
Playboy opens first European store in London
LONDON, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) – Playboy continued its evolution from adult magazine to international merchandising brand by opening its first store in Europe Friday at the heart of London’s shopping district.Playboy has a long history of doing business in the British capital.In 1966, it opened its first club and casino on London’s upmarket Park […]
Indian inflation falls to near five-year low
NEW DELHI, Sept 21, 2007 (AFP) – India’s annual inflation rate has fallen to a near five-year low, official data on Friday showed, but soaring global crude prices threaten to push the cost-of-living higher, economists said.Inflation slowed to 3.32 percent for the week ended September 8 from 3.52 for the previous week, according to the […]
Sri Lanka chases Indian MICE
Sept 21, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is targeting Indian firms to persuade them to hold their business meetings in the island in a bid to boost its flagging leisure industry which has been hit by an internal conflict, officials said. Sri Lanka Convention Bureau, an agency that promotes the Meetings, Incentive travel, Conventions and […]
South Africa thrash New Zealand by six wickets
DURBAN, South Africa, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) – Justin Kemp blasted 89 not out off 56 balls after Morne Morkel claimed 4-17 as South Africa thrashed New Zealand by six wickets in the Twenty20 world championships here on Wednesday. Graeme Smith’s home team restricted the Kiwis to 153-8 after giving them first strike at the […]
Sri Lanka auto firm gifts flashy wheels to sexy Malinga
Sept 20, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s paceman Lasith Malinga, dubbed the sexist player during the World Cup, is to get a customised motorbike from Japanese manufacturer, Yamaha, an official in Colombo said Wednesday. National cricketers who are generally well-heeled and most already own luxury sports untility vehicles (SUV) and fast cars. Yamaha’s local agents, […]
Australian pace wrecks Sri Lankan batting
CAPE TOWN, Sept 20, 2007 (AFP) – Australia’s pace bowlers swept through Sri Lanka’s top order batting in their crucial World Twenty20 Super Eights match at Newlands Thursday.Sri Lanka were bowled out for 101 in 19.3 overs after being sent in. The match is effectively a knock-out encounter. The team that wins will go through […]