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Sri Lanka tourism arrivals down 21 percent
Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Tuesday reported a sharp 21 percent drop in holidaymakers visiting the island, a day after Tamil Tigers launched a major suicide attack against a key military base. Tourist arrivals during the month of September slipped 3.6 percent to 37,104 compared to the same period in 2006. The […]
‘s Talawakelle Tea Estates profits nose dive
Oct 23, 2007 (LBO) –Hayleys subsidiary Talawakelle Tea Estates has reported a sharp fall in profits up to September this year as it struggles to recover from the effects of a strike which crippled production late last year and bad weather. Production fell even after the strike as estates were forced to prune and discard […]
Dodgy Doctors
Oct 23, 2007 (LBO) – Some Sri Lankan doctors who work long hours attending to other people’s health, hide their wealth so well that they pay income tax on less than half their earnings, it was revealed at a recent investor forum. A health care professional working for a pharmaceuticals company told the forum organized […]
Locked Up
BEIRUT, Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Locked up and cut off from her family for nine years, without even a penny for the endless scrubbing and washing up, Siriani knew it was time to flee or, as she says, die.Like thousands of Filipinas, Sri Lankans, Nepalese or Ethiopians, Siriani came to Beirut at the age […]
Indian shares surge 4.99 percent on relief for foreign investors
MUMBAI, Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Indian shares surged 4.99 percent Tuesday as investors cheered a move that eased concerns about a proposed regulatory change previously seen as soon limiting purchases by overseas buyers, dealers said. The Mumbai stock exchange Sensex index rose 878.85 points or 4.99 percent to 18,492.84 after the regulator allowed foreign […]
Free trade, changing diets to put pressure on rice production: expert
MANILA, Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Free trade, changing diets, and rapid urbanisation is leading to a decline in rice production, one of the world’s leading experts on the crop said.“As prosperous rice-growing countries move toward free trade in agricultural production, they may increasingly find it difficult to sustain producers’ interest in rice farming,” said […]
Dale Carnegie opens “finishing school” for graduates in India
BANGALORE, India, Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Dale Carnegie Training, which has taught business skills to more than eight million professionals worldwide, said Monday it will open its first school in India to make graduates “employable.” The New York-based company tied up with Walchand PeopleFirst to open the “finishing school” in Bangalore to smooth out […]
US ethanol plan causing food prices to surge: bank
OTTAWA, Oct 22, 2007 (AFP) – Attempts to reduce US dependence on imported oil by adding more ethanol to its gas tanks are only driving up food prices while delivering moot energy benefits, a Canadian bank warned on Monday.Corn prices have already jumped by 60 percent over the past two years as American ethanol producers […]
Oil falls below 86 dollars
SINGAPORE, Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – World oil prices slipped further in Asia on Tuesday as worries over slowing economic growth in the United States shadowed the market, dealers said.New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in December, was 30 cents lower at 85.72 dollars a barrel. The November contract closed […]
‘t expect Murali to face racist abuse
SYDNEY, Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said Tuesday he did not believe Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan would face racist abuse from crowds during their upcoming tour.Sutherland was responding to reported comments from former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga advising Murali to skip the tour in the wake of Australia’s […]
Sri Lanka military reshuffle after airbase attack
Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military made key changes in its command on Tuesday, a day after the Tamil Tigers infiltrated an air base and destroyed several aircraft, officials said.President Mahinda Rajapakse appointed Major General Sanath Karunaratne Overall Operations Commander in the north-central region of the Anuradhapura area, where Tamil Tiger rebels devastated […]
Talent show may have helped Sri Lanka suicide attack
COLOMBO, Oct 23, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan defence officials said Tuesday that a major Tamil Tiger suicide attack against a key military base may have been helped by security lapses during the screening of a popular TV talent contest. A rebel “Black Tiger” suicide squad of 21 on Monday infiltrated the Anuradhapura army and […]