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Swiss jumps using Leonardo da Vinci-designed parachute
PAYERNE, Switzerland, April 26, 2008 (AFP) – A 36-year-old Swiss amateur parachutist made a successful 650-metre (2,130-foot) drop Saturday using a replica of a parachute designed more than 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci.“I came down… smack in the middle of the tarmac at Payerne military airport,” said Olivier Vietti-Teppa. “A perfect jump.” Vietti-Teppa […]
‘s ICICI Bank beats forecast with nearly 40 pct profit rise
MUMBAI, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – India’s largest private-sector lender ICICI Bank on Saturday beat forecasts with a nearly 40 percent rise in fourth-quarter net profit.Net profit for the three months ending March 31 rose 39.3 percent to 11.5 billion rupees (286 million dollars) from 8.25 billion rupees a year earlier, the New York stock […]
Sri Lankans pray for miracles as civilians pay high price
KAHAPOLA, Sri Lanka, April 27, 2008 (AFP) – With both hands clasped, Pat Amarasinghe prays before a Buddha statue seeking divine help for the impossible — to bring back her son, Ishara, who died in a bus blast in Sri Lanka. Ishara and his fiancee, Geethika, both 24, were among 26 people killed when suspected […]
Lifeline
April 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan finance companies should improve governance practices voluntarily before external rules are imposed and whistle-blowers get active under new laws, a corporate lawyer says. Good corporate governance practices could yield direct financial benefits to finance companies while giving them a lifeline if wrongdoings are uncovered, says Arittha Wikramanayake, senior […]
Sri Lanka rabies puppy in British quarantine bites three
LONDON, April 26, 2008 (AFP) – Three people were bitten by a rabies-infected puppy dog in British quarantine, a Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokeswoman said Saturday. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced that a case of rabies had been confirmed in the puppy. The dog was in quarantine after being brought into […]
Sri Lanka fears more civilian attacks, launches new offensive
April 26, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Saturday warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians as troops launched a new offensive against Tamil separatists a day after a bus bombing killed 26 people.President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday’s bus bomb attack was the work of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) guerrillas who […]
Sri Lanka fears more bombings as bus toll hits 26
April 26, 2008 (AFP) – The death toll from a bus blast outside Colombo rose to 26 on Saturday as Sri Lanka warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians while security forces remained locked in combat against Tamil rebels.President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday’s blast was the work of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam […]
‘s ABC Insurance goes rural
April 26, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ABC Insurance Company says its premiums rose 300 percent to 129 million rupees in the year to March 2008, following the company’s drive to push insurance to rural areas especially among the fishing community. ABC Insurance Company which was established nearly three years ago saw its premiums from […]
‘s Bharti mobile Q4 net profit jumps 37 pct
NEW DELHI, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – India’s top mobile phone company Bharti Airtel on Friday reported fourth-quarter net profit leapt 37 percent on surging cellular phone use and it forecast a second growth wave from rural areas. Net profit for the three months to March 31 soared to 18.5 billion rupees (462 million dollars) […]
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PARIS, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – UN food agency chief Jacques Diouf on Friday warned of civil war in some countries because of global food shortages and called for a revamp of the international food system.The head of the Food and Agriculture Organization said on France 24 television that international leaders had failed to act […]
US, Britain, Interpol warn of increased terror risk in China
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – The United States and Britain issued new travel alerts warning of an increased terrorist threat in China Friday, as Interpol said Beijing must prepare for a possible Al-Qaeda attack at the Olympics.The US State Department warned Americans travelling to the Asian country of a “heightened risk that extremist groups […]
British business watchdog investigates tobacco pricing
LONDON, April 25, 2008 (AFP) – British competition authorities alleged on Friday that two cigarette companies and eleven retailers had engaged in “unlawful practices” relating to retail tobacco prices. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) began probing tobacco pricing in March 2003 but had not revealed the investigation until Friday. “The OFT has issued a […]