‘s Warnapura powers team before lunch

PROVIDENCE, Guyana, March 22, 2008 (AFP) – Malinda Warnapura transported his rich vein of form into the opening Test against West Indies to race to a half-century before lunch and help Sri Lanka make a bright start.At the interval, Sri Lanka reached 85 without loss in their first innings with Warnapura unbeaten on 53 and […]

Sri Lanka Tigers sink navy craft, heavy land battles erupt

March 22, 2008 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels struck back against a mounting Sri Lankan military offensive on Saturday by sinking a naval fast attack craft, leaving 10 sailors missing, officials said. A navy craft was destroyed in a “mystery blast” caused by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the defence ministry said, adding […]

Ten sailors missing after Sri Lanka blast: navy

March 22, 2008 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan navy craft was destroyed in a sea mine blast off the island’s north-eastern coast Saturday, leaving at least 10 sailors missing, a navy spokesman said. Six sailors from the fast attack craft (FAC) were rescued by another boat patrolling the waters off the Tamil Tiger stronghold of […]

‘s Daim Zainuddin

Mar 22, 2008 (LBO) – Many East Asian Tiger economies like Malaysia are now famed for fiscal prudence, running surpluses on their current and overall budgets, and low inflation. But they were not always so disciplined. Countries like Sri Lanka are still not able to balance current spending with government revenues and the public sector […]

Warning Signs

March 21, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s shipping community is getting increasingly concerned over delays in upgrading Colombo port equipment, building a new birth and the opening of another entrance for navigation. Further delays could endanger Colombo’s status as south Asia’s transshipment hub especially with India expanding its own ports and building new ones to […]

Sri Lanka paddy crop under water; quality drops and high prices likely

Mar 21, 2008 (LBO) – Torrential rains lashing Sri Lanka during an ongoing crucial harvest season is likely to lower the quality of rice but keep prices high in the domestic market, an official said. “In some districts around 50 percent of the crop has been harvested and the remaining 50 percent has to be […]

Expert warns of unrest as rice price soars

LOS BANOS, Philippines, March 21, 2008 (AFP) – As the price of rice hovers near record levels, many poor countries face the spectre of riots by hungry people, according to one of the world’s leading rice experts.Key producers India and Vietnam have both curtailed exports, sending some of the world’s largest rice importers including the […]

SKorean mum held after daughter, 6, pulls off bank job

SEOUL, March 21, 2008 (AFP) – South Korean police said Friday they had arrested a woman accused of telling her six-year-old daughter to steal some 140,000 dollars from a bank. The girl took cash and cheques on Thursday from a small safe under the desk in the VIP room of a bank in the southern […]

Boomerang works in space: Japanese astronaut

TOKYO, March 21, 2008 (AFP) – In an unprecedented experiment, a Japanese astronaut has thrown a boomerang in space and confirmed it flies back much like on Earth. Astronaut Takao Doi “threw a boomerang and saw it come back” during his free time on March 18 at the International Space Station, a spokeswoman at the […]

Landmark US auction marks end of analogue TV; Google wins open spectrum

SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2008 (AFP) – US telecom giants Verizon Wireless and AT&T on Thursday took home the big prizes in a record-setting US wireless spectrum auction while Google got the open access it eagerly craves. The 700 MHz band currently carries standard television broadcasts, and will be freed up when stations switch to […]

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