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World Bank gives Wolfowitz more time
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2007 (AFP) – The board of the World Bank has given an additional week to embattled bank president Paul Wolfowitz to defend himself in a nepotism scandal, the bank said in a statement Wednesday.“The Executive Directors met today to consider a request from the President for additional time to comment on the […]
Sri Lanka wants ruling body elected for cricket
COLOMBO, May 11, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s sports minister said Friday he wants a new committee elected to run the island’s cricket administration, which is currently managed by political appointees. The International Cricket Council in April 2005 recognised the incumbent interim committee headed by businessman Jayantha Dharmadasa as the lawfully appointed body empowered to […]
Sri Lanka drop Atapattu
May 10, 2007 (AFP) – Veteran batsman Marvan Atapattu has been omitted from the 15-man Sri Lanka squad for the three-match one day international series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, officials said.Only nine of the 15 players who represented the country in the World Cup have been named in the squad for the series starting […]
Hobbling Dhoni stars as India flattens Bangladesh
DHAKA, May 10, 2007 (AFP) – Mahendra Dhoni battled leg cramps to hit an unbeaten 91 as India defeated their World Cup nemesis Bangladesh by five wickets in the first game of the three-match series here on Thursday.Dhoni and Dinesh Karthick (58 not out) put on a match-winning stand of 107 for the sixth wicket […]
Rights group calls for Sri Lanka monitors
May 11, 2007 (AFP) – Human Rights Watch on Friday renewed a call for independent foreign monitoring of human rights in Sri Lanka, where hundreds of people have been killed by unidentified gunmen.The New York-based watchdog said international monitors should be able to report publicly on the abuses by Tamil Tiger guerrillas, a breakaway faction […]
Sri Lankan pleads guilty in Tamil Tigers arms plot
WASHINGTON, May 10, 2007 (AFP) – A Sri Lankan national pleaded guilty in a Maryland court Thursday to charges he tried to smuggle US weapons to Tamil Tiger rebels, the US Justice Department announced.Thirunavukarasu Varatharasa, 37, pleaded guilty to attempted export of arms and munitions and to conspiracy to support the Tamil Tigers, a group […]
Flight of Fancy
May 11, 2007 (LBO) — Sri Lanka plans to double the price of lottery tickets and use the extra cash to build a second international airport in Weerawila, the National Lotteries Board has said.From Thursday, the Bandaranaike International Airport, which shares a runway with an adjoining military base, will close between 10:30 pm (1700 GMT) […]
Sri Lankan construction firms eye overseas contracts
May 11, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s construction industry is seeking to export professional services and eyeing opportunities in the building boom in the Middle East and south Asia, a senior official said. “We want to support the bigger players to go out of the country and do projects abroad – in the Middle East […]
Sri Lanka to felicitate cricketers with commemorative coins
May 10, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to issue commemorative coins to felicitate cricketers, who emerged runners-up in the recently concluded World Cup held in the Caribbean, officials said. President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is also the island’s finance minister, has asked Sri Lanka’s Central Bank to begin work on issuing a new coin, his […]
Overnight Vigil
May 10, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s only international airport shut to night flights on Thursday in line with new security measures against raids by rebel Tamil Tiger aircraft, an airport official said.As the last commercial flight for the day left for neighbouring India, the authorities closed the check-in counters and the only runway at […]
Novel Solution
May 10, 2007 (LBO) – A senior Sri Lankan government official has suggested doubling fuel prices and scrapping free cars and fuel for government servants to solve the island’s transport problem. Road Development Authority (RDA) chairman M.B.S. Fernando also made the startling suggestion that he prefers keeping roads in their present dilapidated state. Slow Roads […]
ATM Trouble
A part of Sri Lanka’s Hatton National Bank automated teller machine system has encountered a technical problem and is being repaired at the moment, a bank official said.. Our whole network is not down but only 64 machines are down due to a communications problem, he said. The HNB banking network at present has 143 […]