Windies storm to opening World Cup win

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 13, 2007 (AFP) – West Indies, bidding to become the first host nation to win the World Cup, got their campaign off to a dream start on Tuesday with a 54-run win over Pakistan. Brian Lara’s side, who were restricted to 241-9 off their 50 overs, bowled out Inzamam-ul-Haq’s unpredictable Pakistanis for […]

” in Cup opener

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, March 14, 2007 (AFP) – If ace Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan sends down a ‘doosra’ in the opening World Cup Group B match here on Thursday, many Bermudian batsmen will struggle to read it. All the four Group B sides have arrived here and had workouts in bright sunshine on […]

Asian stocks down sharply as Wall St nerves hit home

HONG KONG, March 14, 2007 (AFP) – Asian stock markets closed sharply lower Wednesday, hit by a fresh round of turmoil after Wall Street tumbled overnight on figures showed growing problems in the US housing market, dealers said.They said investors were already wary following their battering earlier this month when a dramatic sell-off in Chinese […]

Suntel Sale

March 14 (LBO) – Seven suitors are chasing Sri Lanka’s wireless operator Suntel, but its parent Telia of Sweden may even consider a stock market listing in Colombo if a sale does not go through, a top official said. TeliaSonera, the holding company of Overseas Telia which owns Suntel, is among six firms listed for […]

Petro Law

March 14 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to develop an oil exploration laws and establish a regulatory system with funding from the United States, the US embassy in Colombo said Wednesday.The Ministry of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development is getting a 51 million rupee grant from the US Trade and Development Agency to develop oil […]

No Skin

March 14, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka banned on Wednesday the use of naked or semi-naked models in advertising, saying it was seeking to protect those offended by public nudity.The Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced the ban through notices in Sinhalese-language newspapers, warning advertisers against the use of unclothed males or females. The ministry statement […]

Health Wins

March 14 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s health service is now detecting tuberculosis patients faster and the infection rate of the once fatal disease is trending down, officials said.The national program hopes to decentralize treatment centers to better fight the disease where it occurs, Surakkali says. Last year 8,000 new infections had been detected which was […]

Second Life

March 14 (LBO) – After several false starts, the failed Pramuka Bank would start operations 0n June 01 as the Sri Lanka Savings Bank, the finance ministry said Wednesday. The Pramuka Bank licensed as a specialized bank was closed by the Central Bank in October 2002, with an estimated 80 percent bad loans. Of the […]

Sri Lanka sells 100 million dollars worth of rupee gilts to foreigners

March 14 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has sold half of the targeted 20 billion rupees worth of bonds to foreign buyers this year, the country’s public debt office said.“Foreign investment in government Treasury bonds has shown a remarkable progress exceeding the total investment which now stands at over 50 per cent of the annual target […]

Sri Lanka gets budgetary support grant from Japan

March 13, 2007 (LBO) — Sri Lanka has secured a 10.2 million dollar grant from Japan to support the island’s balance of payments, with the funds to be used to import goods and material, the Japanese Embassy said Tuesday.Japan, Sri Lanka’s biggest bi-lateral donor, had disbursed 198.8 million dollars from January to September 2006, according […]

Sri Lanka says air raids kill eight Tamil Tigers

March 13, 2007 (AFP) – Eight suspected Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in strikes by Sri Lanka warplanes as part of a military offensive in the eastern Batticaloa district, the defence ministry said Tuesday. More than 4,000 people have been killed amid an upsurge in fighting since December 2005, despite the two sides agreeing to […]

Senior Sri Lankan defence source warns of long campaign

March 13, 2007 (AFP) – A top Sri Lankan defence source warned Tuesday the current military campaign against the Tiger rebels could take up to three years as warplanes bombed rebel positions for a second day.There have been no comments from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which have been fighting for an independent […]

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