Sri Lanka 302-7 with Sangakkara century

KARACHI, June 29, 2008 (AFP) – Kumar Sangakkara hit a steady century to help Sri Lanka post a challenging 302-7 against Pakistan in a Super League match in the Asia Cup at the National Stadium here on Sunday.The swashbuckling left-hander scored a 110-ball 112 to lift his team after they were sent into bat by […]

‘s tough or mundane tasks

WASHINGTON, June 29, 2008 (AFP) – One woman outsourced the breaking off a relationship.A man sought bidders to clean his ears, and found someone highly qualified. Both turned to a new breed of US company that harnesses the worldwide web to get someone else to take on the difficult and tedious tasks in life or […]

Ride high food prices to cut subsidies, boost production: OECD

PARIS, June 29, 2008 (AFP) – Industrialised countries should seize the opportunity of high world food prices to cut subsidies for farm production, the OECD advises in a review of agriculture policies.Published as the World Trade Organization gears up for an attempt to break through agriculture, subsidies and other issues blocking a world trade deal, […]

Sri Lanka fighting kills another 43: ministry

June 29, 2008 (AFP) – At least 41 more Tamil Tiger rebels and two government soldiers have been killed in the latest fighting in Sri Lanka’s north, the defence ministry said Sunday.Troops shot dead 20 guerrillas in the district of Vavuniya on Saturday while 14 were killed in the neighbouring Weli Oya region, the ministry […]

Sri Lanka South Asian summit to get Indian security

June 29, 2008 (AFP) – India is to send thousands of troops, war ships and helicopters to Sri Lanka as part of security for next month’s South Asian summit in Colombo, diplomatic sources said Sunday.New Delhi is planning to send three war ships with a combined force of up to 3,000 security personnel because of […]

Looking Good

June 29, 2008 (LBO) – More people are mastering hair dressing and beauty culture because of increasing opportunities both in Sri Lanka and overseas, practitioners and students say. In the past people didn™t consider it as a serious profession because of the low demand and the inability to get qualified. Now however, hair and beauty […]

Sri Lanka illicit small arms threat to business: survey

June 28, 2008 (LBO) – The proliferation of illicit small arms in Sri Lanka not only fuels crime but has indirect costs on business as well as the environment, a new survey says. It said 9mm pistols were sold in the underworld for 15,000 rupees and T-56 automatic assault rifles for 50,000 – 75,000 rupees […]

Indian shares set to slide further as oil, inflation surge

MUMBAI, June 28, 2008 (AFP) – Indian shares are set to run into rough weather again next week, as global crude prices and domestic inflation continue to surge, raising fears of further monetary tightening, dealers said.Investors are also wary of rising political uncertainty with media reports suggesting Friday that India’s ruling Congress party may decide […]

‘s Gazprom proposes natural gas stations for Europe

MOSCOW, June 28, 2008 (AFP) – The chief executive of Russian energy giant Gazprom has proposed setting up a European network of service stations for cars fuelled by natural gas, as an alternative to petrol.“We are proposing to our European partners the creation of a network of natural gas stations in Europe with the participation […]

Global waste meeting fails to break impasse: delegate

NUSA DUA, June 28, 2008 (AFP) – A conference in Indonesia on the international waste trade ended without breaking a 14-year impasse over the sale of hazardous waste across borders, the host’s delegate said Saturday.The five-day conference on the resort island of Bali ended late Friday with a coalition of countries again stalling the ban […]

Powerful earthquake in Indian Ocean, no tsunami threat

PORT BLAIR, June 28, 2008 (AFP) – A powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck off India’s Andaman islands in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said. The Andaman and Nicobar chain of 536 islands, 58 of them inhabited, was badly hit by the 2004 tsunami, with hundreds dead and more than 3,000 still officially […]

Beijing city hikes minimum wage as inflation soars: report

BEIJING, June 28, 2008 (AFP) – China’s capital Beijing is to raise its minimum salary by 10 percent in a bid to help the worst-off cope with rising inflation, state media said Saturday. Beginning from July 1, the minimum monthly salary for city employees will rise from 730 to 800 yuan (106 to 116 dollars), […]

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