Category: World

Oct 10, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard, the island’s sole listed ship builder, is bidding for three new local ship building contracts, including one from the navy where it has tied up with a Croatian yard, officials said. The yard, a subsidiary of Japan’s Onomichi Dockyard Co. which provides management and technical expertise, […]

NEW DELHI, Oct 10, 2007 (AFP) – Renowned coach Dav Whatmore has accepted a job with India’s cricket academy four months after being snubbed for the post of the national team’s head coach.The former Australian Test batsman, 53, will take over as director of operations at the Bangalore-based National Cricket Academy later this month, the […]

LUXEMBOURG, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) – The European Union’s top monetary affairs official urged China on Tuesday to allow its currency to trade more freely in foreign exchange markets as EU finance chiefs prepared for an upcoming G7 meeting. “China and other emerging economies should introduce more flexibility in their exchange rate management,” EU Economic […]

PARIS, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) – India can reach its target of annual economic growth of 10 percent by 2011 if the country concentrates reforms on reducing the role of the state in the economy, an OECD report said on Tuesday. The Paris-based economic institute urged the government to loosen “restrictive” labour laws and “inefficient” […]

MUMBAI, Oct 9, 2007 (AFP) – Indian shares prices hit a record high Tuesday with the benchmark Sensex index vaulting the psychologically key 18,000-point level for the first time. Dealers said support for the market came from information technology and oil refinery stocks on hopes of a strong second quarter earnings performance. The Sensex was […]

MANILA, Oct 8, 2007 (AFP) – A proposal by the Philippine parliament to spend 22 million dollars buying condoms and birth control pills has been condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, it was reported Monday.The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, told the Manila Standard Today that the money […]

RIYADH, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – Saudi Arabia’s religious police have arrested a domestic worker accused of having put a spell on her employer, the Al-Madina newspaper reported on Sunday.The arrest of the maid, whose nationality was not revealed, followed a complaint by the wife of the employer who she said had been “bewitched by […]

LONDON, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – US financial giant Citigroup Inc.is set to hand troubled British bank Northern Rock a multi-billion pound lifeline to ease its current funding crisis, three newspapers here said Sunday. The Sunday Times and The Sunday Telegraph said Citigroup was prepared to lend Northern Rock between five billion pounds and 10 […]

DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – Off-spinner Graeme Swann grabbed four wickets in a disciplined spell to help England restrict Sri Lanka to 164 in the third one-day international here on Sunday. . Updated The off-spinner grabbed four wickets in a disciplined spell and then made a crucial 25 as England achieved the […]

NEW DELHI, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – India has recalled its top spy in Sri Lanka following complaints of “irregular” relations with a woman from regional rival China, officials said here on Sunday.Ravi Nair “has been recalled and he will report back to the headquarters,” said a senior government official who asked not to be […]

Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan selectors Friday dropped seasoned middle-order batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan from their 16-man squad for the two-Test tour of Australia starting later this month.The 30-year-old, who has been struggling with his Test form in the last two years, was replaced by Thilan Samaraweera. Dilshan, has however been kept on standby […]

WASHINGTON, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) – Sprint superstar Marion Jones, who has dodged doping allegations for years, has admitted using steroids before her triumphant 2000 Olympics campaign, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.The Post, in a story posted on its website, said Jones had written to family and friends to tell them she would plead […]