Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka troops find mine on airport road
April 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan security forces on Thursday found a powerful landmine in a shop along the main road to the island’s only international airport, police said.Over 60,000 people have since been killed in the Tamil separatist conflict and diplomatic attempts to bring the warring factions to the negotiating table have ended […]
Knife-edge finishes will boost Sri Lanka, says Jayawardene
ST JOHN’S, Antigua, April 4, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene believes the two heart-stopping finishes against South Africa and England can inspire his team’s push to the World Cup title. Sri Lanka lost by one wicket to South Africa last week but turned the tables on England by clinching a nerve-shredding last […]
Whatmore emerges as frontrunner to succeed Chappell
NEW DELHI, April 5, 2007 (AFP) – Another Australian — Dav Whatmore — has emerged among the frontrunners to succeed Greg Chappell as coach of India, one of the hottest and toughest jobs in cricket. “I’m definitely interested,” Whatmore told Thursday’s Times of India. India, one of the pre-tournament favourites, were upset by Bangladesh in […]
Talk Only
NEW DELHI, April 5, 2007 (AFP) – Conflict-ridden South Asian nations made little headway in fighting terrorism or boosting trade at a summit this week despite repeated calls for action, analysts said Thursday. The eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SSARC) ended a two-day summit Wednesday with a declaration that underscored an “urgent need” […]
Second Landing
April 4, 2007 (AFP) – Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways Wednesday said it will resume flights to Sri Lanka after suspending services following a rebel attack on an airbase next to the island’s only international airport. “Safety is always our top priority,” chief operating officer Tony Tyler said, adding that Cathay would resume services from […]
’s rising foreign commercial loans
April 4, 2007 (LBO) – Increased reliance on foreign currency loans by Sri Lanka’s government and private sector could spell danger ahead if they are not managed properly, the Central Bank has said in its annual report. High foreign non-concessional borrowings could increase the vulnerability of the external sector to various shocks, the bank warned […]
More foreign aid needed to reach Millennium Development Goals: UNDP
April 04, 2007 (LBO) – Aid to poor countries has fallen since 2005, threatening the achievement of Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs) the head of the United Nations Agency that promotes sustainable development has said. In Sri Lanka for example, analysts say almost all the long-term investments in infrastructure are financed with foreign aid, while 49 […]
Sri Lanka bans cruelty to bulls in April races
April 04, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka announced a cracked down on cruelty to bulls at cart races during next week’s New Year celebrations, President Mahinda Rajapakse’s office said Wednesday. Cart rallies are common during Sri Lanka’s traditional two day New Year celebration, which starts on April 13, but animal rights activists say the carriages […]
Sri Lankan troops kill six Tigers in fresh clashes
COLOMBO, April 4, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops have shot dead six Tamil Tiger rebels in clashes in the island’s embattled northern and eastern regions, the defence ministry said Wednesday. More than 4,000 people have been killed in the latest upsurge of fighting that began in December 2005 despite a truce arranged in 2002. […]
Sri Lanka jets hit Tamil Tiger sea base
COLOMBO, April 4, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan warplanes bombed a key Tamil Tiger naval base in the island’s northeast Wednesday, the defence ministry said.Israeli-built Kfir jets pounded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam base at Puthukudirrippu, a ministry spokesman said. There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers. Sri Lankan warplanes have been routinely […]
‘s former cricket chief jailed
COLOMBO, April 4, 2007 (AFP) – A court sentenced Sri Lanka’s former cricket chief Thilanga Sumathipala to two years in jail Wednesday for breaking the island’s immigration laws, officials said. Sumathipala was charged with taking an alleged underworld leader named Dhammika Amarasinghe to England on forged travel documents to watch the 1999 cricket world cup. […]
Uproar in Sri Lanka Parliament over South Asian common currency
April 4, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Parliament Wednesday witnessed an uproar over President Mahinda Rajapakse’s proposal for a single currency for SAARC nations. However, amidst differences over trade, the region continues to clock an average of eight percent economic growth. Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe demanded a Parliamentary debate over Rajapakse’s statement at the SAARC […]