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Updated Firefox browser eyes world download record
SAN FRANCISCO, June 18, 2008 (AFP) – Mozilla on Tuesday released an improved version of its Firefox web browser that has gained popularity as a free alternative to Microsoft’s ubiquitous Internet Explorer.Mozilla said Firefox 3 promises Internet surfing that is fast, secure, and easy to customize because it is designed to adapt to people’s online […]
Sri Lanka economic statistics questioned
June 18, 2008 (LBO) – Rosy growth figures put out by government outfits are suspect, a Sri Lankan think tank has said, calling for the collection and analysis of socio economic data to be entrusted to independent authorities. The Point Pedro Institute of Development, said the outlook for the island economy is bleak given rising […]
Sri Lanka stocks end little changed
June 17, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s stock market closed flat Tuesday on retail interest with Ceylinco Insurance dominating the thin trading on speculation of a rights issue, brokers said.The All Share Price Index fell 0.19 percent (4.54 points) to end at 2,440.37 while the more liquid Milanka was down 0.16 percent (4.80 points) to […]
Leasing Funds
June 17, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s People’s Leasing Company (PLC), a unit of state-run People’s Bank, will sell a 200 million rupee 12-month debenture, Fitch Ratings, which gave the issue an ”F1(lka)’ rating, said. A ‘F1(lka)’ national short-term rating indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments relative to other issuers or […]
Canada adds World Tamil Movement to terror list
OTTAWA, June 16, 2008 (AFP) – The government of Canada on Monday added a second Tamil group to its list of banned terrorist organizations, outlawing the World Tamil Movement.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE or commonly known as Tamil Tigers), who are fighting a bloody independence campaign in Sri Lanka, were added to Canada’s […]
Sri Lanka Janashakthi Insurance gets Rs800mn in subscriptions
June 17, 2008 (LBO) – An initial public offer of Janashakthi Insurance has so far received 5,500 applications worth 800 million rupees, an official said after closing the issue on the opening day yesterday. Ceylinco Insurance, a listed insurance firm, is hoping to raise 1.4 billion rupees through a follow on offer of non-voting shares […]
Sri Lanka power utility engineers seek ouster of chairman
June 17, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka powerful electricity engineers’ union has started a work-to-rule campaign ahead of a full blown trade union action demanding the ouster of the state-run utility’s chairman, a union official said. The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) had decided to start the work-to-rule campaign at a special general meeting […]
Economic slowdown to spur terrorism: Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, June 17, 2008 (AFP) – Incidents of terrorism and human trafficking will spike due to the global economic slowdown led by surging prices for food and fuel, a top Malaysian minister said Tuesday. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, who ovesees internal security, said spiralling inflation will cause serious hardship among Asia’s poor. “The […]
Nokia launches new phones, vows to stay number one
SINGAPORE, June 17, 2008 (AFP) – Finnish telecom giant Nokia has launched two new email-capable handsets for business users and vowed to defend its position as the world’s leading mobile phone maker.Nokia said the E71 and E66 were pre-loaded with Microsoft’s popular email programme and would cater to business professionals who wanted easy and instant […]
‘s cyclone-hit rice mills resume production
YANGON, June 17 (Asia Pulse) – Most of the rice mills in Myanmar’s Yangon division, which were destroyed in a cyclone storm early last month, have resumed operation after prompt repair, the local weekly Flower News reported Tuesday. Of the 110 over-15-ton rice mills in Yangon division, nearly 100 have returned to normal operation since […]
China begins sensitive Xinjiang torch relay leg
URUMQI, June 17, 2008 (AFP) – China Tuesday kicked off the Olympic torch relay’s sensitive leg through Xinjiang, a largely Muslim western region where Beijing acknowledges there are ethnic tensions. Under sunny skies, the regional capital Urumqi was largely shut down with police checkpoints restricting movement throughout the normally bustling city as the relay got […]
French charity seeks international probe into Sri Lanka massacre
June 17, 2008 (AFP) – A French charity demanded on Tuesday an international probe into the execution-style killing of 17 of its employees in Sri Lanka in 2006 after denouncing local investigations.Paris-based Action Against Hunger, or ACF, asked the French government and the European Union, among others, to set up an international panel to probe […]