Author: lbostgadmin
‘s Mount Merapi acts up but no eruption yet
JAKARTA, Apr. 29 (AFP) – Volcanic rocks have tumbled down from the peak of Indonesia’s rumbling Mount Merapi volcano but its “standby” status remains unchanged, a vulcanologist said Saturday.The avalanche of rocks created a thin layer of dust that fell on two hamlets located on the western slope of the 2,914-meter (9,560-foot) volcano Friday, said […]
‘s Jet Airways yearly profit jumps 15 percent
MUMBAI, Apr. 29 (AFP) – Jet Airways, India’s largest private airline, said Saturday full-year net earnings rose 15 percent on air-traffic growth and profit from the sale and leaseback of planes.For the year ended March 31, the airline reported net profit of 4.5 billion rupees (101 million dollars).Full-year revenues rose 39 percent to 61.4 billion […]
‘s April inflation swings up
Apr. 28 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s inflation rate for April rose over consumer demands for bananas, fresh fish, milk foods and vegetables during the traditional New Year season, the Census & Statistics Dept. said Friday. On a point-to-point basis inflation for April rose to 9.2 percent over 6.4 percent reported in March, as the government […]
Iranian Shadow
LONDON, Apr. 28 (AFP) – World oil prices eased Friday on receding worries over US motor oil supplies but held above 70 dollars per barrel on rising tensions over Iran’s disputed nuclear programme. UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei was expected to report that Iran had failed to meet Friday’s deadline to stop enriching uranium, opening […]
Bombings heap more woes on tsunami-hit Sri Lankan fisherman
MUTTUR, Sri Lanka, Apr. 28 (AFP) – Displaced by the war, displaced by the tsunami, now Kiyathupillai Mohideen is on the move again — this time after clashes between the Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels killed three members of his family. The 66-year-old white-bearded devout Muslim is not the only one who has […]
Donors press Sri Lankan parties to resume negotiations
OSLO, Apr. 28 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s international donors meeting in Oslo on Friday pressed both rebels and the Sri Lankan government to return to negotiations to shore up the country’s faltering ceasefire.“We call upon both sides to put a stop to the violence.On this basis we call upon the two parties to come to […]
Sri Lanka fighting leaves investors jittery
Apr. 28 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s bloodiest bombings in four years have made investors jittery and led to the first-ever downgrade in the island’s sovereign ratings, industry officials said Friday. Three British nationals were wounded in a mine attack aimed at a naval bus in the island’s northeast this month, prompting Britain to issue a […]
UN calls on end to political killings in Sri Lanka
Apr. 28 (AFP) – The United Nations Friday urged both the Sri Lanka government and rebel Tamil Tigers to quickly end the political killings that have led to an upsurge in violence.“The dangerous escalation of the conflict in recent days is a direct consequence of killings being allowed to run unchecked,” said Philip Alston, UN’s […]
Sri Lanka police find phone card used by suicide bomber
April 28, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police have found the mobile phone card used by a female suicide bomber who tried to assassinate the country’s army chief and hope it will lead them to other suspects, they said Friday.Officials said Friday that Foneska, who was critically injured, was out of danger and improving. Investigators […]
Tigers tell of death, destruction under government bombardment
SAMPUR, Sri Lanka, Apr. 28 (AFP) – Houses in this rebel-held town were deserted and streets eerily empty Friday, three days after Sri Lanka’s military pounded it with a fiery blitz that a Tamil Tiger political officer said killed 15 people and injured 25. Foreign donors were to meet Friday in Oslo in a bid […]
Forget tea leaves, Indian fortune teller sees life in a coffee cup
BANGALORE, India, Apr. 28 (AFP) – Tucked away in a nondescript building in india’s high-tech city, Nawal Gani sits in her drawing room drying coffee cups after yet another session of telling people’s fortunes.In Hindu-majority India, where most people consult astrologers for matters ranging from marriages, new business ventures and even what time to step […]
Indian regulator cracks down on alleged IPO manipulation
MUMBAI, Apr. 28 (AFP) – Indian shares staged a knee-jerk plunge Friday, then rallied after the stock market regulator cracked down on two dozen operators, alleging manipulation of initial public share offerings. Mumbai’s benchmark 30-share Sensex index plunged 490 points or 4.1 percent to 11,344.61 in the first minute of trading before recovering sharply. After […]