Category: Other
Sri Lanka losing Arab market, tea exporter warns
Aug 16, 2010 (LBO) – A top Sri Lankan tea exporters has warned that Ceylon tea was losing market share to international brands in key Middle Eastern markets to which shipments from the island have fallen. Ceylon Tea Services chairman Merrill J. Fernando said the tea industry needs a stable policy, direction and expertise if […]
‘s BlackBerry offensive widens to Google, Skype: report
NEW DELHI, August 13, 2010 (AFP) – India’s showdown with BlackBerry could reportedly widen to encompass Google and Skype after the government threatened to cut off core features of the popular smartphone on security grounds. Research In Motion, the BlackBerry’s Canadian maker, gave no immediate indication that it would accede to the latest pressure from […]
Speed
August 12, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police arrested three Iranian men and seized a haul of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of tens of millions of dollars, a spokesman said Thursday. Two men travelling from Qatar were arrested Wednesday when customs officers at the island’s international airport found more than eight kilos (17. […]
India puts pressure on telcos over BlackBerry
NEW DELHI, August 10, 2010 (AFP) – India’s home ministry plans to meet mobile operators on Thursday to discuss allowing security agencies access to encrypted BlackBerry messages, a government official said. Indian law stipulates phone companies have the responsibility to ensure that intelligence agencies can lawfully monitor data handled by them. “The meeting will be […]
Global warming threatens Asian rice production: study
WASHINGTON, August 9, 2010 (AFP) – Even modest rises in global temperatures will drive down rice production in Asia, the world’s biggest grower of the cereal grain that millions of poor people depend on as a staple food, a study published Monday warned. Researchers from the United States, the Philippines and the Rome-based Food and […]
Sri Lanka Finlay unit tea exports slow down
Aug 10, 2010 (LBO) – Tea exports by Finlays Colombo have been slowed down by high prices in the first half of the financial year, a stock exchanging filing said. “In response, we shifted strategy towards including bulk storage of commodities requiring refrigeration, to off-set the drop in volumes in the storage of packaged products. […]
Creative Assets
Aug 08, 2010 (LBO) – Managements of Sri Lankan companies could be held liable for any violations of intellectual property in their organisations even if they were unaware of it, an official said. Dr D M Karunaratne, director general, of the National IP Office said anyone who violates IP rights is liable to be punished […]
India lends Bangladesh one billion dollars as ties warm
DHAKA, August 7, 2010 (AFP) – India gave Bangladesh a billion-dollar soft loan Saturday, the biggest credit package New Delhi has ever earmarked for any nation, highlighting warming ties between the neighbours, officials said. Ties were chilly between the South Asian neighbours from 2001 to 2006 when Bangladesh was ruled by an Islamist-allied government and […]
”s Ssangyong
NEW DELHI, August 7, 2010 (AFP) – India’s leading sport utility vehicle maker Mahindra and Mahindra announced Saturday plans to bid for a majority stake in cash-strapped South Korea’s Ssangyong Motor Co as the firm seeks to go global. Mahindra’s board of directors approved the bid at a board meeting Saturday after the company carried […]
Risky Returns
Aug 06, 2010 (LBO) – Police have arrested a Sri Lankan businessman who had disappeared after duping thousands of people into depositing money with his firm by promising high returns, an official said. Sakvithi Ranasinghe was arrested by police on Friday morning and is now being detained at the suburban Mirihana police station, police spokesman […]
Sri Lanka to increase milk processing capacity
Aug 06, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is to set up two processing plants to increase capacity as milk production grows to provide liquid milk with longer shelf life to consumers, an official said. Government spokesman media minister Keheliya Rambukkwelle said two ultra heat treated milk processing plants will be set up in […]
Sri Lanka Watawala Plantations June net up 290-pct
Aug 06, 2010 9LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Watawala Plantations’ June 2010 quarter net profit shot up 290 percent to 146 million rupees from a year ago, a stock exchange filing said. Watawala Marketing’s sales rose 14 percent to 313 million rupees in the June 2010 quarter from the year before as its main brands ˜Zesta™ […]