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Transport Stalemate
Mar 30, 2011 (LBO) – A surfeit of ministries handling transport in Sri Lanka has turned the sector into a “nightmare” with fragmented responsibilities preventing urgently needed reforms to modernise a long-neglected system, an expert said. A “lead agency” is required to provide proper guidance to develop the island’s transport system, said Amal Kumarage, chairman […]
Director Changes
Mar 30, 2011 (LBO) – A director of Sri Lanka’s listed Commercial Bank of Ceylon has stepped down amid pressure from the state, deepening a controversy over recent appointment of state-connected officials to private listed banks. State funds hold large stakes in HNB. But a bank filing said the two directors were “non-executive/independent. ” Commercial […]
Sri Lanka, India agree not to use force on poachers
Mar 30, 2011 (LBO) – India and Sri Lanka have agreed not to use force on fishermen who break the law regularly by poaching in each other’s waters after illegally crossing the maritime boundary. They also agreed that representative of each nation’s fishing community, whose illegal cross-border forays for poaching have become a diplomatic issue, […]
Maldives reject World Cup terror plot theory
March 30, 2011 (AFP) – A Maldivian man arrested with the help of Interpol and initially linked to an alleged terror plot against the ongoing cricket World Cup has been cleared, an official said Wednesday. Iqbal Mohamed, 42, was arrested on March 10 at the Male International airport after arriving from Pakistan and was later […]
Sri Lanka adds extra India flight for World Cup final
Mar 30, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s national carrier SriLankan Airlines will operate an extra flight to Mumbai in India on Saturday, April 02 to cater to cricket fans who want to see the World Cup final. The special flight to Mumbai is in addition to the airline’s regular daily frequency to Mumbai, the airline […]
Indian model vows to strip for World Cup win
NEW DELHI, March 30, 2011 (AFP) – Women in India are encouraged to dress modestly at all times, but a brasher side to modern life has been exposed after a popular model vowed to strip naked if the nation wins the cricket World Cup. Poonam Pandey, 20, who features in a best-selling Indian swimwear calendar, […]
‘s healing powers
March 30, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara believes his team’s qualification for the World Cup final can further unite a country steadily finding its feet after the end of a decades-long civil war. Sri Lanka reached their second successive final, and third in all, with a nervy five-wicket win over New Zealand […]
India and Pakistan in World Cup showdown
MOHALI, March 29, 2011 (AFP) – Cricket-crazy India and Pakistan head into an epic World Cup showdown on Wednesday that will showcase the bitter rivalry and common bonds between the estranged nuclear-armed neighbours. The teams clash in the semi-final of the competition in a battle promising passion and drama, with more than a billion people, […]
Sri Lanka in final, Cup braced for Indo-Pak clash
NEW DELHI, March 29, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka reached their second successive World Cup final on Tuesday, clearing the tournament decks for India and Pakistan’s heavyweight collision. Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions and runners-up to Australia in 2007, overcame a worrying wobble to beat New Zealand by five wickets in Colombo and will tackle […]
Asian states pledge to tackle people smuggling
NUSA DUA, March 30, 2011 (AFP) – Asian countries pledged Wednesday to take a collective approach to people smuggling and asylum seekers including a possible regional processing centre, after talks in Indonesia. Ministers from around the Asia-Pacific region signed a non-binding framework agreement to tackle smuggling networks and humanely process the large numbers of irregular […]