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Yuvraj props up India with 66
January 31, 2009 (AFP) – Yuvraj Singh smashed a half-century to help India post a competitive 256-9 in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka here on Saturday.The middle-order batsman made an impressive 66 for his 38th half-century after his side had lost three wickets for 83 runs.He steadied the innings with an 85-run stand […]
Sri Lankan Tamils in Canada protest fighting
OTTAWA, January 30, 2009 (AFP) – Hundreds of Tamils on Friday formed a human chain in downtown Toronto, Canada’s biggest city, to protest a Sri Lankan military push for victory against Tamil rebels. Toronto is home to the largest concentration of Tamils outside of Sri Lanka. Holding up banners decrying the Sri Lankan military’s latest […]
Sri Lankan stocks slide 0.75 percent
Jan 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka shares closed down 0.75 percent Friday, dragged down by worse-than-expected third quarter earnings of index heavy John Keells Holdings (JKH), dealer said. Foreign investors bought 27.3 million rupees with shares, and sold 85.4 million rupees worth shares, resulting in net sales of 58.1 million rupees. The All Share […]
Finance Meet
Jan 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa had met the heads of banks, finance and leasing companies to discuss recent turmoil and future direction, the president’s office said. Representatives of state and private banks, the Central Bank and Treasury were also in the meeting, held Thursday. The meeting discussed the steps take […]
Refuge
TOKYO, January 30, 2009 (AFP) – The number of asylum seekers in Japan doubled last year amid turmoil in Myanmar but only a small number of them were granted refugee status, government figures showed Friday. By comparison, the United States resettles up to 50,000 refugees a year. Japan imposes tight restrictions on immigration and has […]
Mobile Alert
Jan 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has launched a disaster warning system based on mobile phones that can deliver a an alert to millions of mobile phones users within minutes of an event taking place anywhere in the world, an officials said. “As a result of the international linkages we have built, I received […]
UN evacuates wounded civilians from Sri Lanka war zone
January 29, 2009 (AFP) – The United Nations evacuated hundreds of severely wounded civilians from behind rebel lines in Sri Lanka Thursday as government troops fought to secure final victory over the Tamil Tigers.Human rights bodies have called for immediate steps by both the Colombo government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to […]
Sri Lanka inflation falls to 10.7-pct
Jan 30, 2009 (LBO) – Inflation in the 12-months to January 2009 measured by the revised Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) fell to 10.7 percent from 14.4 percent in December, the government’s statistics office said. The moving average of the index, which is a lagging indicator, fell to 21.6 percent from 22.6 percent. Sri Lanka […]
Zimbabwe lifts foreign currency restrictions
HARARE, January 29, 2009 (AFP) – Zimbabwe scrapped restictions on foreign currency on Thursday to prop up its ailing economy, as the United Nations warned that more than half the population needs emergency food aid.Hours after grim estimates by UN agencies also showed that just six percent of its population is formally employed, acting finance […]
Sri Lanka JKH profits drop 44-pct
Jan 29, 2009 (LBO) – Profits at Sri Lanka’s John Keells Holdings group fell 44 percent to 764 million rupees in the December 2008 quarter, with revenues dropping 16 percent to 9.3 billion, its interim accounts said.In the 9-months to December profits fell 19 percent to 2.6 billion rupees, while revenue grew 7 percent to […]
Sri Lankan markets close up 1.2-pct
Jan 29, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka stocks closed up 1.25 percent Thursday driven by renewed retail confidence on expectations of a quick end to the military conflict in the north, brokers said.Foreign buying was at 13.80 million rupees, while foreign selling was at 24.57 million rupees. The military said they found abandoned Tamil Tiger […]
Thailand plans 200,000-tonne rubber stockpile to boost prices
BANGKOK, January 29, 2009 (AFP) – Thailand’s cabinet Thursday approved a plan to stockpile 200,000 tonnes of rubber from next month in a bid to stabilise prices which have almost halved in a year.Thailand’s rubber industry, based mostly in the southern and eastern provinces, has suffered in recent months from falling oil prices, which have […]