Category: Other
Under Fire
March 7, 2007 (AFP) – Nine media workers have been killed in Sri Lanka over the past 15 months, rights groups said Wednesday, voicing concerns over deteriorating conditions for journalists. No one has been charged over the deaths, leading to fears that media freedom is being deliberately and violently suppressed through threats, abductions and attacks, […]
Iran moots idea of international Islamic human rights court
KUALA LUMPUR, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Iran has mooted the idea of an international court focussing on Islamic human rights issues, a report said Tuesday. Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroud, Iran’s chief of judiciary system, said during a visit to Malaysia that his country has formed a secretariat to look into the matter, the New […]
’t smell rotten fish
BANGKOK, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – Five Thai fishermen died and two were taken to hospital after inhaling gas released by rotting fish in the hold of a trawler, police said Tuesday.They fainted at the smell of the decomposing fish kept in the bottom of the trawler along the Andaman coast of southern Thailand on […]
Global shares rally but analysts warn of possible turmoil ahead
LONDON, March 6, 2007 (AFP) – European and Asian share prices rebounded on Tuesday following recent heavy falls as US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson reassured that Asia’s two biggest economies, Japan and China, remained sound. On Wall Street, shares closed lower Monday following declines across Europe and Asia, with the Dow Jones index shedding 0.53 […]
‘ eyes on China
TOKYO, March 5, 2007 (AFP) – Asian stock markets came under fresh selling pressure in early trade on Monday, tracking Wall Street lower amid continued anxiety about the health of global markets, dealers said.They said that investors in the region were keeping a close watch on the Shanghai market where share prices extended losses in […]
‘s Dilmah shakes a cocktail with Ceylon tea
March 01, 2007 (LBO) – At the Water’s Edge in Battaramulla on a humid Monday evening, tea drinkers and cocktail fans find common ground ranging from chivas regal to green tea. Here in this upmarket golf club house, six kilometers from Colombo city, tea-tenders are busy dreaming up concoctions to serve up tea in variations that, […]
Markets stabilize after rout, as Wall St. and Shanghai rebound
NEW YORK, Feb 28, 2007 (AFP) – Global stock markets steadied Wednesday a day after the worst slide in years as Wall Street nerves were calmed by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and Shanghai clawed back some of its massive losses. Latin American markets meanwhile rebounded on Wall Street’s coattails. Brazil’s Bovespa index shot up 1.73 […]
Asian equity markets plunge on opening
SINGAPORE, Feb 28, 2007 (AFP) – Singapore share prices opened 4.82 percent lower Wednesday, in line with continued falls in regional markets. The Straits Times Index opened down 155.89 points or 4.82 percent at 3,076.13. Blue chips were among the big losers, including Singapore Airlines, down 4.32 percent and Singapore Press Holdings down 4.37 percent […]
Indian shares follows region down 3%
MUMBAI, Feb 28, 2007 (AFP) – Indian share prices fell 3.17 percent on Wednesday in line with a wave of selling that has swept global markets on fears of a US economic slowdown, dealers said. “The markets expectedly opened weak due to global weakness in a knee-jerk reaction,” said Atul Mehra, managing director of capital […]
‘s rubber trade slams government over misuse of industry funds
February 27 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s rubber trade has cried foul at government moves to deny them cash collected from the sector for its own development, less than a month after tea traders protested the misuse of an industry fund.The Ceylon Rubber Traders Association (CRTA) said Tuesday that the industry had been officially informed that […]
Dodgy Practice
February 27 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s accounting watchdog said Tuesday it would take action against Touchwood over its accounting practices and would also probe the listed forestry investment firm’s auditor. The firm was audited by KPMG. The Colombo Stock Exchange referred the company to the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board (SLAASMB) when […]
Legal Upgrade
February 27 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will allow hearing of appeal cases to be decentralized to its provincial courts, to clear a ten-year backlog of cases, officials said Monday. There is a backlog of appeal cases from 1995, with Sri Lanka having only three courts in its court of appeal to handle all cases that […]