Tertiary Plans

Oct 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is offering free land and tax breaks for top ranked foreign universities to start branches in the island with the end of a state monopoly in awarding degrees, the island’s higher education minister said. “We are planning to bring higher education institutions ranked among the top 1,000 in […]

‘s IPL

BANGALORE, October 10, 2010 (AFP) – Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab have been thrown out of the Indian Premier League over ownership issues, tournament organisers said on Sunday. The governing council of the cash-rich Twenty20 event, owned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), also issued notices to the new Kochi […]

Sri Lanka to shift away from quantity targets: CB Governor

Oct 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is “unlikely” to announce direct targeting of reserve money next year and will rely more on “traditional instruments” as the country moves gradually to target inflation directly with rates, central bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said. But under such a framework interest rates can be volatile, because the quantity […]

‘s largest cuppa

Oct 09, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka, a top exporter of tea, has made the world’s largest cup of the brew in a ten foot high thousand gallon cup breaking a Guinness record previously held by the United States. An official from Guinness in London was in Colombo to monitor the event, the organizers said. […]

Over 60 percent of Afghans suffer mental health problems

KABUL, October 10, 2010 (AFP) – Scarred by decades of war, social problems and poverty, more than 60 percent of Afghans suffer from stress disorders and mental health problems, officials warned Sunday. The population of Afghanistan is estimated at roughly 28 million. “This is a major problem,” Suraya Dalil, Afghanistan’s acting public health minister, told […]

‘s SpiceJet

Oct 10, 2010 (LBO) – Indian budget carrier SpiceJet, which has launched daily flights to Sri Lanka to exploit the island’s post-war tourism prospects, intends to increase frequencies and add more destinations soon, officials said. “We like consumers to book early,” Sridharan said. “Closer to the flight fares go up. The last few seats are […]

‘s 60-year wait

NEW DELHI, October 10, 2010 (AFP) – Manju Wanniarachchi on Sunday guaranteed Sri Lanka their first Commonwealth Games boxing medal in 60 years after easing through to the semi-finals on points. The 30-year-old saw of Kenya’s Nicholas Okoth in the bantamweight quarter-finals, putting him through to the last-four and a guaranteed bronze. “This is Sri […]

Commonwealth Games medals tabl

NEW DELHI, October 9, 2010 (AFP) – Commonwealth Games medals table after Saturday’s action: Gold Silver Bronze Total Australia 55 30 31 116 England 24 43 29 96 India 24 16 17 57 Canada 17 10 23 50 South Africa 9 9 9 27 Nigeria 7 5 9 21 Malaysia 6 5 6 17 Kenya […]

India jets order boosts ailing Russian defence industry

MOSCOW, October 9, 2010 (AFP) – Russia’s ailing defence industry has received one of its biggest boosts in years with a huge fighter jet deal with India, but much of the sector remains stuck in a Soviet-era time warp, analysts said. Moscow is in the race for a contract to supply New Delhi with 126 […]

Sri Lanka state sell-down proposals spell new direction

Oct 09, 2010 (LBO) – Planned sell-downs of two state enterprises charts a new direction in Sri Lanka’s post-war economic strategy that can make state firms more transparent and also boost capital markets, analysts said. During the year the firm had given back 4,000 billion rupees to the parent in a share-buy back, which earned […]

Sri Lankan stocks close up 0.93-pct

Oct 08, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks recovered from a four day fall Friday on buying interest in midcap stocks, while index heavy weight John Keells Holdings (JKH) continued to slide, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 6,833.61, up 0.93 percent (62.87 points), while the more liquid Milanka index rose 0.72 […]

Road Moves

Oct 08, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Road Development Authority has commissioned the Moratuwa University to do a study on the island’s future requirements for expressways and connections with the existing road network, an official said. Road Development Authority chairman Ranjith Premasiri said the survey, being done by transport and logistics experts at the university, […]

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