Category:
” German president says
BERLIN, May 14, 2008 (AFP) – German President and former IMF head Horst Koehler attacked banks for allowing financial markets to become a “monster” that nearly caused a global collapse, in comments published on Wednesday.“It must by now have become clear to every responsible thinking person in the industry that international financial markets have become […]
” golden handshakes
BRUSSELS, May 13, 2008 (AFP) – Eurozone finance ministers are considering ways of discouraging “scandalous” excesses in executive pay, including by closing loopholes for golden hand-shakes, Eurogroup chairman Jean-Claude Juncker said Tuesday.“We believe that the excesses of captains of industries’ (pay packages) that we have seen in several countries … are really quite scandalous and […]
HP to buy EDS for 13.9 bln dlrs, to expand services
SAN FRANCISCO, May 13, 2008 (AFP) – Hewlett-Packard Co.on Tuesday revealed a 13.9-billion-dollar deal to buy Electronic Data Systems in a tie-up that creates a global powerhouse in computer services to compete against IBM.World leading computer maker HP said it will buy Texas-based business services outsourcing titan EDS for 25 dollars a share in cash, […]
India police sift for clues after deadly bomb blasts
JAIPUR, India, May 14, 2008 (AFP) – Police sifted for clues Wednesday after seven near-simultaneous bomb blasts tore through crowded markets in the Indian tourist city of Jaipur, killing at least 80 people.Police have detained one suspect over the attacks, which also targeted a packed Hindu temple, as schools and government offices shutdown Wednesday in […]
Sri Lanka govt needs to act quickly to consolidate east: analysts
May 14, 2008 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan government may be celebrating a key election victory in the ethnically-mixed east but it is still a long way from winning over the island’s Tamil minority, analysts and observers say.The polls on Saturday saw voters in the east give President Mahinda Rajapakse’s ruling coalition control over a […]
Sri Lankan stocks fall in thin trading on earnings fears
May 13, 2008 (LBO) – Most Sri Lankan shares lost value Tuesday in thin trading with investors apparently worried that corporate earnings could be hit by high inflation and interest rates, brokers said.The Colombo Stock Exchange All Share Index fell 1.04 percent (27.35 points) to 2,613.89 and the more liquid Milanka Index was down 1.39 […]
Sri Lanka Fonterra unit to double yoghurt production
May 13, 2008 (LBO) – Fonterra Brands Lanka is investing 1.2 billion rupees to double yoghurt output and boost local raw milk supplies to cushion against volatile international prices, an official said. “The Sri Lankan yoghurt market has experienced double digit growth in the past five years and consumers now eat more than 12,000 metric […]
Rural Health
May 13, 2008 (LBO) – Japan has given a grant of 3,103 million yen (about 3.2 billion rupees) to expand Sri Lanka’s third largest hospital and import equipment for development projects, the finance ministry said Tuesday. . It said in a statement that 1.8 billion yen would go to modernise the Anuradhapura teaching hospital, the […]
Bollywood Link
May 13, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and India’s Adlabs plan to enter into a joint venture to upgrade 30 local cinemas, an official said. A mission from the entertainment company will be in Sri Lanka shortly, Saman Weeraman, head of the State Film Corporation said. Adlabs plans to develop and modernize the cinemas with […]
Australia boosts skilled migration numbers in budget
SYDNEY, May 13, 2008 (AFP) – Australia will boost its skilled migrant intake 30 percent to record levels in a bid to overcome a shortage of skilled workers, the government said Tuesday.As part of the centre-left Labor government’s first budget, Immigration Minister Chris Evans said an extra 31,000 skilled migrants would be allowed into Australia […]
World rice production to hit new record in 2008 : FAO
ROME, May 12, 2008 (AFP) – Rice production in Asia, Africa and Latin America is forecast to reach a new record level in 2008, but world rice prices could remain high in the short term, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Monday.However the destruction of Myanmar’s food resources by a deadly cyclone could […]
France offers to help India modernise railways including fast trains
MUMBAI, May 13, 2008 (AFP) – France will sign an agreement with India to help modernise its massive railway system with a focus on safety, training and technology including fast trains, the French transport minister said Tuesday. “Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français – the French National Railway Company – and the Indian Railways […]