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Court Call
July 9, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s telecom regulator has proposed slashing home rentals by 24 percent and call charges by over 8 percent, in a consumer interest case against the island’s largest fixed access provider, a court official said. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka has suggested in court Monday that monthly domestic […]
Oil prices drop as Nigerian rebels release British toddler
LONDON, July 9, 2007 (AFP) – World oil prices fell on Monday after rebels in key energy producer Nigeria freed a three-year old British girl. The kidnapping last week of Margaret Hill, along with US supply concerns, had pushed oil prices to near 11-month highs on Friday, above 76 dollars a barrel in London. In […]
British finance ministry plans to close arms sales department: report
LONDON, July 9, 2007 (AFP) – The British finance ministry wants to shut down the government arms sales department, the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO), The Guardian reported on Monday.Citing unnamed political sources, the daily said that former Treasury minister Stephen Timms had ordered a review of DESO because of criticisms that it helped subsidise […]
Sri Lanka peace monitors want to double staff as war escalates
July 9, 2007 (AFP) – International peace monitors in Sri Lanka want to double their numbers as fighting between security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels intensifies, the chief monitor said Monday.The Tiger rebels are fighting for an independent homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority on the Sinhalese majority island.The Norwegian-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), […]
After Dark
July 8, 2007 (AFP) – Dubai’s Emirates Airline said Sunday that night flights to Sri Lanka will resume after the end of a curfew in response to Tamil rebel air raids, but other carriers have not followed suit.The rebels, who are fighting for an independent homeland for the tropical island’s minority ethnic Tamils, have bombed […]
”’ prepares to defend his crown
NEW DELHI, July 8, 2007 (AFP) – Kishore Biyani, known as India’s “King of Retail”, is spending the weekend his favourite way: trawling the aisles of one of his Big Bazaar supermarkets, eyeing what customers are loading up on.“Modern (chain store) retail makes up about eight percent of total retail in India and is expected […]
” Wonders of the World named amid controversy
LISBON, July 8, 2007 (AFP) – Seven “new” wonders of the world including the Great Wall of China and the Coliseum in Rome, selected by nearly 100 million voters and upsetting cultural experts, were announced late Saturday at a celebrity-studded televised ceremony in the Portuguese capital. The others are the Taj Mahal in India, the […]
Jet fighter canon injures four at Sri Lanka air base
July 8, 2007 (AFP) – Four airmen were seriously injured Sunday after a canon was activated on a jet fighter near the island’s only international airport, officials said.Tiger rebels have carried out attacks against the military base as well as the civilian airport, located just north of the capital Colombo. The war plane was being […]
‘s international airport
COLOMBO, July 8, 2007 (AFP) – A blast was heard near Sri Lanka’s only international airport Sunday, residents said.Police said they were investigating an “incident” inside the military air base, which shares a runway with the Bandaranaike international airport. No further details were immediately available. Tamil Tiger rebels have carried out attacks against the military […]
Sri Lanka Tamil Tigers say two killed in clash with navy
July 8, 2007 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels said Sunday they lost two fighters during a three-hour sea battle with the Sri Lankan Navy off the island’s eastern coast.The statement came after the defence ministry said three rebels were shot dead by naval troops in the nearby eastern coastal town of Trincomalee on Saturday. “Three […]