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Sales boom at Barista coffee houses as high spending urban Sri Lankans socialise
November 24, 2006 (LBO) – Young urban Sri Lankans are steadily patronising India’s Barista Coffee Co.‘s, chains in Colombo, for a piece of cheescake and sip cappucino, while they surf the Internet, play board games and browse through magazines, officials said. “Our aim is to add two stores every year.We managed to do that this year, […]
Six Sri Lankans jailed in Singapore for credit card fraud
SINGAPORE, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Six Sri Lankan men were handed jail terms of up to 11 years in Singapore for stealing money from automated cash machines using cloned credit cards, court officials said Friday. The Sri Lankans, who were residents in London and were in Singapore on social visit passes, swiped the money […]
Sri Lanka seeks foreign help to supply Jaffna civilians
COLOMBO, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president on Friday asked foreign relief agencies to help supply food and other essentials to half a million civilians trapped in the embattled northern Jaffna peninsula. President Mahinda Rajapakse said essentials had been shipped to the peninsula, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital, but distribution […]
Sri Lanka seeks Indian help to patrol maritime border
COLOMBO, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will seek India’s help to step up patrols of their common maritime border to prevent drug and arms smuggling and cross-border terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday. Rajapakse said he was also keen to boost bilateral trade with India, currently running at an annual two billion dollars, […]
Sri Lanka violence leaves 30 dead: army
COLOMBO, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – Renewed fighting in Sri Lanka’s embattled northern and eastern regions has left at least 30 people dead, according to defence ministry figures Friday. The bitter ethnic conflict has claimed at least 60,000 lives since it began in 1972. Security forces killed 19 Tamil Tiger rebels in two clashes Thursday […]
Envoy returns expressing deep concern over Sri Lanka bloodshed
COLOMBO, Nov 24, 2006 (AFP) – A top Indian envoy left for home Friday after conveying New Delhi’s “deep concern” over escalating violence in Sri Lanka, as government troops and Tamil Tigers were locked in long-range attacks. Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon left for New Delhi following meetings with top leaders, including President Mahinda […]
‘s tea plantations battle weather, wages and trade union action
Nov 23 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea plantations are battling weather, wage hikes and unofficial trade union ‘go slows’ on estates that have already eaten into October crop production, the lowest since 1995. Workers want a daily wage package of 295 rupees, up from the current wage of 180 rupees a day. Employers say they can […]
Unsavory Label
Nov 23, 2006 (LBO) – Foreign investors in Singapore who attended a road show by the Colombo Stock Exchange have raised questions about Sri Lanka’s growing infamy as a money laundering hub, and the inability of authorities to counter such activities, participants said. One foreign investor asked the head table what action the authorities planned […]
Free trade deal as Chinese President visits Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) – Chinese President Hu Jintao promised a new era of cooperation with Pakistan Thursday as he arrived for a visit that will include the signing of a free trade accord with Beijing’s closest ally.Hu received a lavish ceremonial welcome for his four-day visit, the first in a decade by a […]
Millions in British tsunami aid unaccounted for: report
LONDON, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) – More than nine million pounds (13 million euros, 17 million dollars) of British government aid for victims of the Asian tsunami may not yet have been spent, a parliamentary committee said Thursday. The British government committed 75 million pounds in humanitarian assistance following the December 26, 2004 disaster, including […]
As online shopping grows, so do the dangers of fraud and theft
WASHINGTON, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) – As growing numbers of Americans turn to the Internet for holiday shopping, experts warn that online dangers such as fraud and identity theft are increasing as well. One out of 10 people shopping online could become a victim of online fraud this holiday season, according to a report by […]
Terminally ill Tiger peace negotiator laments fate of Tamils
COLOMBO, Nov 23, 2006 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger peace negotiator Anton Balasingham has confirmed he has terminal cancer but that it is “minor” compared to the “immense suffering” of Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils, a report said Thursday. The London-based Anton Balasingham, 68, who was diagnosed with bile duct cancer last week, also said he was […]