Category:
India central bank warns of overheating economy
MUMBAI, Oct 31, 2006 (AFP) – India’s central bank warned Tuesday of overheating in one of the world’s fastest growing economies as it juggled interest rates in a mid-term policy review aimed at keeping prices in check. The Reserve Bank of India raised the cost for banks to borrow by a quarter percentage point to […]
‘ Association announces new awards
Oct 31, 2006 (AFP) – The Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association (SLCA) on Tuesday announced an awards scheme for the country’s leading domestic and international players.“A lot of countries have such awards.This is something that we’ve been thinking of seriously and want to initiate,” Pramodaya Wickaramasinghe, president of the SLCA, told AFP. “Domestic cricket has been […]
Troops and rebels killed in north and east Sri Lanka clashes
Oct 31, 2006 (AFP) – At least five people were reported killed and six others injured in separate clashes Tuesday between Tamil rebels and government troops in north and east Sri Lanka, defence officials said.A soldier was killed and three others injured when a mine exploded on a truck carrying troops for leave in the […]
Sri Lanka says Tigers must stop violence
Oct 31, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government said Tuesday that it was only willing to open a crucial highway linking the northern Jaffna peninusla and the south of the island if Tamil Tiger rebels gave up violence.The conflict in Sri Lanka is Asia’s longest and bloodiest separatist war, claiming over 60,000 lives since the […]
‘s inflation hits 17.2% in October, despite falling oil prices
October 31, 2006 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka bounced up to 17.2 percent in October from 15.4 percent in September, the Census & Statistics Dept said Tuesday, due to higher prices of fuel, cigarettes, alcohol and certain types of food. The rise in inflation came despite a fall in international oil prices, and […]
‘s treasury bond yields up 1%
October 30, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s borrowing costs went up by 1-percent at this week’s bond auction, reflecting market sentiment for higher yields. The Central Bank sold a small quantity of three, four and five-year treasury bonds on Monday at yields higher than the previous auction. Treasury Bond Auctions 3-years 4-years 5-years Date […]
‘s Hemas Holdings to raise debt for ongoing expansion plans
October 30, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s conglomerate Hemas Holdings Ltd plans to raise a billion rupees in debt next year to fund expansion plans in its leisure, power, health sectors, its CEO Hussein Esufally said. The family controlled conglomerate, which has diverse interest in health and personal care, power generation and transport said its […]
Still Grounded
Oct 30, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s first budget airlines to fly international routes are struggling to get off ground, with approvals pending from Sri Lanka’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Meanwhile, the country’s Civil Aviation Authority denied knowledge of a government sponsored budget carrier, which according to weekend media reports, hopes to start up operations. […]
Kenya tea production up, but still recovering from drought
NAIROBI, Oct 30, 2006 (AFP) – Kenya’s tea production surged eight percent in the third quarter of this year from last but remains below the 2005 cumulative total due to the lingering effects of a killer drought, officials said Monday. Production shot up between July and September to 75 million kilos (165 million pounds million […]
Peeping Toms
SYDNEY, Oct 30, 2006 (AFP) – New high-tech advances were making Internet crimes against children easier for paedophiles to commit and more difficult to detect, experts told a conference in Australia Monday.Faster broadband, DSL and cable connections have contributed to an increase in paedophile activity on the Internet, the 19th Computer Facilitated Crimes Against Children […]
Great Asian failures cause World Cup jitters
MOHALI, India, Oct 30, 2006 (AFP) – The failure of the four Asian teams to make the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy indicated trouble lay in store at the World Cup, experts said Monday. India joined Pakistan and Sri Lanka on the sidelines after being thrashed by world champions Australia by six wickets here Sunday […]
‘s troubled peace bid
GENEVA, Oct 30, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s latest round of peace talks ended in failure in Geneva over the weekend sparking fears of renewed bloodshed in Asia’s longest-running separatist conflict.The Sri Lankan government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) disagreed on key issues that dogged the Norwegian-brokered talks even before they […]