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Sri Lanka Tigers launch air strike on military targets: security sources
April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels deployed light aircraft to bomb military targets in northeastern Sri Lanka early Sunday causing no fatalities, but striking a psychological blow, security sources said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) flew two planes to hit two military bases in the Weli Oya region, where security forces […]
Tamil Tiger aircraft bomb Sri Lanka military targets
April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Tiger rebels using light aircraft bombed military targets in northeastern Sri Lanka early Sunday as security forces launched a fresh ground offensive after a deadly bus bombing, officials said. . The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) hit two military installations in the Weli Oya region, where security forces launched […]
‘s rainforests vanishing as timber, food demand surge: experts
HANOI, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Asia’s rainforests are being rapidly destroyed, a trend accelerated by surging timber demand in booming China and India, and record food, energy and commodity prices, forest experts warn.The loss of these biodiversity hot spots, much of it driven by the illegal timber trade and the growth of oil palm, […]
‘s rich get richer
LONDON, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – Indian-born steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal remains the wealthiest person in Britain, The Sunday Times newspaper’s 2008 annual Rich List said. His 27.7 billion pounds (54.9 billion dollars, 35.1 billion euros), up 8.5 billion pounds on last year, keeps him topping the pile for the fourth year running. And the […]
Swiss jumps using Leonardo da Vinci-designed parachute
PAYERNE, Switzerland, April 26, 2008 (AFP) – A 36-year-old Swiss amateur parachutist made a successful 650-metre (2,130-foot) drop Saturday using a replica of a parachute designed more than 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci.“I came down… smack in the middle of the tarmac at Payerne military airport,” said Olivier Vietti-Teppa. “A perfect jump.” Vietti-Teppa […]
‘s ICICI Bank beats forecast with nearly 40 pct profit rise
MUMBAI, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – India’s largest private-sector lender ICICI Bank on Saturday beat forecasts with a nearly 40 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit.Net profit for the three months ending March 31 rose 39.3 percent to 11.5 billion rupees (286 million dollars) from 8.25 billion rupees a year earlier, the New York stock […]
Sri Lankans pray for miracles as civilians pay high price
KAHAPOLA, Sri Lanka, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – With both hands clasped, Pat Amarasinghe prays before a Buddha statue seeking divine help for the impossible — to bring back her son, Ishara, who died in a bus blast in Sri Lanka. Ishara and his fiancee, Geethika, both 24, were among 26 people killed when suspected […]
Lifeline
April 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan finance companies should improve governance practices voluntarily before external rules are imposed and whistle-blowers get active under new laws, a corporate lawyer says. Good corporate governance practices could yield direct financial benefits to finance companies while giving them a lifeline if wrongdoings are uncovered, says Arittha Wikramanayake, senior […]
Sri Lanka rabies puppy in British quarantine bites three
LONDON, April 26, 2008 (AFP) – Three people were bitten by a rabies-infected puppy dog in British quarantine, a Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokeswoman said Saturday. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced that a case of rabies had been confirmed in the puppy. The dog was in quarantine after being brought into […]
Sri Lanka fears more civilian attacks, launches new offensive
April 26, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Saturday warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians as troops launched a new offensive against Tamil separatists a day after a bus bombing killed 26 people.President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday’s bus bomb attack was the work of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas who […]