Category: Other
Sri Lanka hikes tax on edible oil imports
April 10, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government has raised the import cess on palm oil to 60 rupees per kilo from 40 rupees, Coconut Cultivation Board officials said. The move is aimed at ensuring a better price for coconut growers, mostly small farmers, and to reduce imports of edible oils, mainly palm oil, […]
Sri Lanka tries to salvage tanker leaking acid
April 08, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s navy said it has rescued the crew of a tanker in distress off the east coast and towed the vessel into deep seas to prevent pollution from its cargo of sulphuric acid.MT Granba, flying the flag of Turkey, was abandoned by her crew off the eastern port of […]
Sri Lanka truce urgent, says Britain
April 07, 2009 (LBO) – Britain has renewed its call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sri Lanka and urged Tamil Tiger rebels to release civilians being held as a human shield. Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, has commented on the situation in Sri Lanka following worrying reports of fighting in civilian concentrated areas within the country, […]
Over tea, US admiral cultivates Pakistani army chief
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2009 (AFP) – For the United States, much may be riding on an unlikely relationship between America’s highest ranking military officer and Pakistan’s powerful army chief.Over cups of tea and the occasional cigar, the avuncular American admiral and the reserved general talk about terrorist threats and sensitive military operations in a region […]
India blames IMF for not checking developed countries
LONDON, April 2, 2009 (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday the International Monetary Fund was partly to blame for the global financial crisis, highlighting a lack of regulation of developed economies. India did not need to ask the IMF for financial assistance, he said.“We have no intention of going to the IMF… […]
Sri Lanka tea exports tumble in February
April 2, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s tea exports slid nearly 30 percent in February due to an output slump blamed on a “severe drought,” officials said Thursday.Sri Lanka is one of the world’s biggest tea exporters and the commodity is its largest foreign exchange-earner. Tea exports fell 29.2 percent to 131.3 million dollars in […]
Sri Lanka to get US emergency food aid
April 02, 2009 (LBO) – The US Agency for International Development (USAID) said it has donated 15 million dollars (1.7 billion rupees) worth of food aid for Sri Lanka to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). USAID said its donation supports the WFP Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) titled Food for Peacebuilding and […]
‘s most wanted claims Lahore attack, threatens US
LAHORE, March 31, 2009 (AFP) – Pakistan’s most wanted militant Tuesday claimed responsibility for a deadly police academy assault and threatened to attack the US capital in retaliation for a series of air strikes. Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, for whom the United States has posted a five-million-dollar reward, said there would be more attacks […]
GK Case
Mar 31, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has asked Golden Key Credit Card Company, a collapsed financial firm, and its directors to declare assets and for the island’s banking regulator to probe the firm, lawyers said.Depositors also asked the passports of directors to be impounded, saying one director has already left the country […]
Sri Lanka agro firm helps combat mealy bug menace
Mar 30, 2009 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan agro firm has set up a help desk to combat the spread of ‘mealy bug’ which is sweeping through home gardens in the island’s capital Colombo, and is threatening several agro areas. Hayleys Agro says its pesticide ‘Admire SL 20’ has been found to be effective in […]
Number Crunching
Mar 29, 2009 (LBO)- Consciously or unconsciously, we use statistics in everything we do in our day to day life.When we say that it rained yesterday, we simply pronounce a fact we have observed as having happened.When we say that it is raining now, we again mention something that we have observed as happening. When […]
Sri Lankan tea prices fall further
March 28, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices fell again at this week’s auction as quality dropped with the end of the season and rains in planting districts indicated bigger crops in future, brokers said.“In the Large Leaf catalogues OP1s and OPs were the most affected and marked down by 20 to 30 rupees […]