Category: Other
Saudi Clearance
July 31, 2007 (LBO) – The tribal leader of a victim’s family will only intervene on behalf of a teenaged housemaid on death row once clearance is given by the Saudi foreign ministry, Sri Lankan officials have been told. Rizana Nafeek who was 17 years old at the time of the incident has been convicted […]
News Corp. bid for Dow Jones on brink as deadline passes
NEW YORK, July 30, 2007 (AFP) – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. late Monday awaited a decision from the family that controls Dow Jones & Co. on its five-billion-dollar offer for the company and its crown asset, The Wall Street Journal. A reported deadline for members of the Bancroft family — which controls 64 percent of […]
Sri Lanka agribusiness firms reach out to farmers
July 31, 2007 (LBO) –Sri Lanka’s agribusiness companies have started a programme to get corporate executives to volunteer their services help farmers improve productivity, reduce waste and get better access to markets. The aim of the programme, launched under the aegis of the National Agribusiness Council (NAC), is to get member firms to provide two […]
Sri Lanka sugar firm reports losses
July 31, 2007 (LBO) – Pelwatte Sugar group has reported a loss of 75.6 million rupees for the June quarter while sales also fell 53 percent to 161 million rupees, the firm’s results released to the Stock Exchange showed. Last year it reported 341 million rupees in sales and 109 million in profits. International sugar […]
India tightens monetary policy further with inflation 4.41% in mid-July
MUMBAI, July 31, 2007 (AFP) – The Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday hiked its cash reserve ratio for banks by 50 basis points to seven percent, but kept short-term borrowing rates unchanged.The central bank said in a quarterly review that while inflation had fallen below its five percent forecast for the year to March […]
Bollywood star Dutt jailed for six years
July 31, 2007 (AFP) – Bollywood movie star Sanjay Dutt was Tuesday sentenced to six years in jail for illegal weapons possession in connection with serial bombings in Mumbai in 1993. Dutt was also the last of the 100 people convicted in the long-running court case to be sentenced.Of them, 12 were given death sentences […]
Maldives heads for referendum on political system
July 31, 2007 (AFP) – The Indian Ocean tourist paradise of the Maldives will hold a referendum to decide the future role of its powerful presidency held by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom for the past 29 years, officials said Tuesday.The main opposition party welcomed the move to hold a plebiscite next month on whether the presidency […]
Citizen journalism website gets multi-million-dollar boost
SAN FRANCISCO, July 30, 2007 (AFP) – NowPublic announced Monday that the fast-growing citizen journalism website has scored 10.6 million dollars (US) in financing to fuel its drive to become the world’s largest news agency.The Vancouver-based start-up says it is growing at a rate of 35 percent monthly and has nearly 120,000 contributing “reporters” in […]
Former Bangladesh PM challenges extortion charges
DHAKA, July 29, 2007 (AFP) – Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed on Sunday challenged extortion charges brought by the military-backed emergency government, her lawyer said, calling the case against her a sham. Sheikh Hasina, leader of the opposition Awami League party who served as premier from 1996 to 2001, was last week charged […]
Open Plan
July 28, 2007 (LBO) – An anti-graft action plan developed with the involvement of civil society and state agencies was presented to representatives of Sri Lanka’s judiciary, government and parliament at conference in Colombo Saturday. The National Anti-Corruption Action Plan prepared with funding from the United States Agency for International Development, proposes actions to be […]
No Papers
RIYADH, July 28, 2007 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan minister on Saturday wrapped up a mission to Saudi Arabia aimed at securing clemency for a teenage maid condemned to death, saying he was confident the visit would “bear fruit.” They are a key source of foreign currency for Sri Lanka. A total of 110 people […]
Bruised Wall Street sees more losses as global markets reel
NEW YORK, July 27, 2007 (AFP) – The bruised US stock market slid further Friday as investors retrenched amid fears of a housing slump and a potential credit crunch that led to a massive rout a day earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 208.10 points (1.54 percent) to close at 13,265.47, a day after […]