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”s turn for secretary general
TOKYO, May 18, 2006 (AFP) – UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Thursday that most nations believe his successor should come from Asia, as campaigning for his replacement intensifies.“I can say that most of the member states believe that it is a turn for Asia,” Annan told a news conference in Tokyo. “It is a […]
Cannes briefs: Jesus goes straight, Love and celluloid, Hanks waxes hot
CANNES, France, May 17, 2006 (AFP) – Snips from the Cannes film festival, which kicked off Wednesday: Jesus Christ going straight in “Da Vinci Code” British actor and gay activist Ian McKellen took a swipe at the controversy surrounding “The Da Vinci Code” saying he thought the Catholic Church would have been happy about it […]
Soldier gunned down as Sri Lanka FM seeks pressure on Tigers
May 18, 2006 (AFP) – A rebel sniper gunned down a soldier at a de facto front line in northern Sri Lanka, the army said Thursday as the country’s foreign minister asked donor nations to pressure Tamil rebels to resume talks.An army statement blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the soldier’s death […]
Sri Lankan FM urges donors to pressure Tamil rebels
TOKYO, May 18, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera called Thursday on donor countries to raise pressure on the Tamil Tigers to resume talks and to curb the rebels’ fund-raising overseas.Samaraweera was in Tokyo ahead of a May 30 meeting here of Sri Lanka’s key financial backers, which comes as killings mount […]
‘s restive region
May 18, 2006 (AFP) – Heavy mortar bomb attacks were reported from Sri Lanka’s restive north-eastern port district of Trincomalee Thursday, residents and police said.Security forces were firing at suspected Tamil rebel positions from which they came under attack overnight, police said as residents said they heard several mortar bomb explosions within a half-hour period. […]
U.S. gives million dollars to spruce up tsunami shelters
May 18, 2006 (LBO) – The United States Thursday gave Sri Lanka a one million dollar grant to upgrade and improve the living conditions in 40,000 transitional shelters built after the December 2004 tsunami. Nearly 20,000 people still live in transitional shelters, of which around 40 percent are in need of upgrades, the U.S. said […]
Critics crucify ‘Da Vinci Code’ in Cannes
CANNES, France, May 17, 2006 (AFP) – The most hotly-awaited movie of the year “The Da Vinci Code” failed to crack an audience of movie critics here at a sneak preview ahead of Wednesday’s opening of the Cannes Film Festival.Several whistles instead of applause were all that greeted the end of Ron Howard’s 125-million-dollar film, […]
Disappointing Year
May 17, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hayleys Ltd Wednesday reported a 24 percent drop in net profits for the financial year ended March 31, due to higher input costs in its various subsidiaries. Hayleys, which has diversified interest in power, rubber products, coir, transport, agriculture, resorts and consumer durables, said group net profits were […]
Tough Call
May 17 (LBO) – Expensive telephone calls and tough labour laws could scare off multinational companies eyeing Sri Lanka as a possible destination to outsource business. South Asia has some of the highest firing costs in the region and Sri Lanka stays on top for rigid labour laws and high severance pay, a World Bank […]
” in Cannes
CANNES, France, May 17, 2006 (AFP) – The most hotly-awaited movie of the year “The Da Vinci Code” failed to crack an audience of movie critics here at a sneak preview ahead of Wednesday’s opening of the Cannes Film Festival.Several whistles instead of applause were all that greeted the end of Ron Howard’s 125-million-dollar film, […]