India revels in magical semi-final win

MOHALI, March 30, 2011 (AFP) – Thousands of delirious home fans brought the house down at the Mohali stadium on Wednesday after India ended Pakistan’s World Cup dream with a 29-run win in an action-packed semi-final. “We love you India,” screamed a group of college girls over Bollywood music blaring across the packed 30,000-seater Punjab […]

Sri Lanka president looks for Murali tribute

March 31, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has urged the national team to win the World Cup final as a fitting finale to the brilliant career of spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan. Rajapakse, who will fly to Mumbai to watch Saturday’s match against India, congratulated the side on making it through to the […]

India play down hysteria as Sri Lanka await

NEW DELHI, March 31, 2011 (AFP) – India were desperate on Thursday to prevent their World Cup campaign from being overwhelmed by a wave of national hysteria ahead of Saturday’s final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. The semi-final win over arch-rivals Pakistan in Mohali sparked wild late-night celebrations, dominating front pages and leading TV news […]

Virtual Agency

Mar 31, 2011 (LBO) – Triadhot.com, a division of Sri Lanka’s Triad advertising agency said it had launched its first integrated marketing campaign in Singapore and is planning to enter Indonesia, Philippines and the Maldives. Advertisements developed by Triadhot.com for the client had appeared in newspapers, magazines, hoardings. “The digital campaign complete with a Facebook […]

Gridlock Strategy

Mar 31, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will have to find ways to improve public transport to reduce the need for private vehicle use to prevent gridlock as vehicle ownership rises with rising incomes, an expert said. “We need a sustained policy because vehicle growth is bound to happen with income growth. ” said Amal […]

Sri Lanka shares close up 0.5-pct

Mar 31, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed higher Thursday with interest in the banking and finance sector and Union Bank of Colombo the most actively traded and closing stronger, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 7,226.12, up 0.46 percent (33.40 points) while the more liquid Milanka index rose 0. 92 […]

Sri Lanka, India central banks facing common challenges: RBI Governor

Mar 30, 2011 (LBO) – Central banks in Sri Lanka and India are facing common challenges and are also saddled with responsibilities going beyond keeping prices and the economy stable, Reserve Bank of India governor Duvvuri Subbarao said. “Both of us have a wider mandate than is typical of central banks,” Subbarao said delivering an […]

Asian states pledge to tackle people smuggling

NUSA DUA, March 30, 2011 (AFP) – Asian countries pledged Wednesday to take a collective approach to people smuggling and asylum seekers including a possible regional processing centre, after talks in Indonesia. Ministers from around the Asia-Pacific region signed a non-binding framework agreement to tackle smuggling networks and humanely process the large numbers of irregular […]

Sri Lanka in final, Cup braced for Indo-Pak clash

NEW DELHI, March 29, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka reached their second successive World Cup final on Tuesday, clearing the tournament decks for India and Pakistan’s heavyweight collision. Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions and runners-up to Australia in 2007, overcame a worrying wobble to beat New Zealand by five wickets in Colombo and will tackle […]

India and Pakistan in World Cup showdown

MOHALI, March 29, 2011 (AFP) – Cricket-crazy India and Pakistan head into an epic World Cup showdown on Wednesday that will showcase the bitter rivalry and common bonds between the estranged nuclear-armed neighbours. The teams clash in the semi-final of the competition in a battle promising passion and drama, with more than a billion people, […]

‘s healing powers

March 30, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara believes his team’s qualification for the World Cup final can further unite a country steadily finding its feet after the end of a decades-long civil war. Sri Lanka reached their second successive final, and third in all, with a nervy five-wicket win over New Zealand […]

Indian model vows to strip for World Cup win

NEW DELHI, March 30, 2011 (AFP) – Women in India are encouraged to dress modestly at all times, but a brasher side to modern life has been exposed after a popular model vowed to strip naked if the nation wins the cricket World Cup. Poonam Pandey, 20, who features in a best-selling Indian swimwear calendar, […]

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