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” returns home penniless
TYRE, Lebanon, July 30, 2006 (AFP) – Vasanthi Darmadasa was sweeping her employers’ garden when her life changed.An Israeli bomb came thundering out of the sky, destroying the house and killing everyone there — except her.“I was thrown to the ground by the shockwave. I didn’t feel anything in my legs and I did not […]
Local Brands
July 29, 2006 (LBO) – Sales of locally assembled computers rose 20 percent to 11,202 units for the three months to March, though established brands continued to increase their presence in Sri Lanka, an industry report said Saturday. Locally assembled brands such as Panora and Kobian dominate the desktop market, with the latter launching a […]
Tired of the beach? Latvians offer abuse, insults as a tourist lure
LIEPAJA, Latvia, July 29, 2006 (AFP) – Some countries will do anything to attract tourists. In Latvia, they have pristine beaches, architectural pearls, verdant countryside and excellent cuisine, but why bother when you can have abuse and insults — even get shot — in a former KGB prison? On a hot July day, about 20 […]
Football provides therapy for drug addicts in cricket-crazy India
NEW DELHI, July 29, 2006 (AFP) – A frail-looking man named Diosiam jogs on to a football field in an upmarket New Delhi suburb, followed by a band of keen-looking players — all of them ex-drug addicts or living with HIV/AIDS.They warm up on the slushy field as a small crowd gathers to see them […]
Sri Lanka war planes step up bombing, toll eight
July 29, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan war planes bombed Tamil Tiger positions for a fourth straight day Saturday, killing at least eight more rebels, the guerrillas said, as their threadbare truce came under more strain.The pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website said Israeli-built Kfir jets bombed and destroyed a conference center of the guerrillas deep inside rebel-held […]
More Sri Lankans arrive home from Lebanon
July 29, 2006 (AFP) – A second batch of Sri Lankan migrant workers returned home Saturday from Lebanon in line with an evacuation plan backed by the International Organisation of Migration (IOM), officials said.The group of 335 workers were flown on a chartered Sri Lankan Airlines plane from Damascus, IOM spokeswoman Ranjitha Balasubramanyam said. More […]
Pressure on Sri Lanka truce intensifies as monitors quit
July 29, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s threadbare truce came under further pressure Saturday following decisions by Finland and Denmark to remove their monitors as Tamil rebels and government troops braced for a showdown. Finland was the first to announce the withdrawal of their nationals from the Swedish-led Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in line […]
Sri Lanka to raise another US$150 mn bonds in Aug.
July 28, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to raise another 150 million dollars in development bonds next month to bridge the rising budget deficit, though there are market expectations that the government may issue more.The dollar bond issue will be offered to the market next week, with subscription closing on August 18, Central Bank’s […]
Taking Flight
July 29, 2006 (LBO) – Malaysias top budget airline AirAsia is in talks to buy up a minority stake in local carrier Holiday Air, which is due to start international flights next year. Ruzaik says he hopes to have the technical plan for Holiday Air complete by October this year, after which recruiting for the […]
Hong Kong Hub
July 28, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Telecom, the island’s biggest fixed line operator, announced plans Friday to float a fully owned subsidiary in Hong Kong to extend their data network to the South Asian region. The telco’s chief Shuhei Anan said SLT Hong Kong Ltd will operate as a point of presence allowing the […]