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Curtain up on cricket World Cup
NEW DELHI, February 17, 2011 (AFP) – Canadian rocker Bryan Adams helps kickstart the 2011 cricket World Cup on Thursday at the tournament’s opening ceremony, marking the start of a gruelling six-week sporting marathon. The 10th edition of the showpiece event is being launched in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh, joint hosts of the 14-team competition […]
Minnows capable of World Cup heroics
NEW DELHI, February 17, 2011 (AFP) – 8. 2-6-7-3. Those are not the bowling figures of Australian leg-spin wizard Shane Warne or Pakistani fast bowling great Wasim Akram, but of a one-time tennis player in a World Cup match. Kenyan left-arm spinner Aasif Karim, who also represented his country in the Davis Cup, was 39 […]
On Track
Feb 16, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka inaugurated a rail track on the south coast upgraded with Indian aid to enable train speeds of up to 100 kilometres an hour, reducing travel time, Wednesday, a statement said. The Galle-Matara track of 42 kilometres has been up-graded by India’s state-owned IRCON to world standards, the Indian […]
Japan, India sign free trade pact
TOKYO, February 16, 2011 (AFP) – Japan and India signed a free trade pact Wednesday under which the high-tech nation and the South Asian giant pledged to scrap tariffs on 94 percent of goods within a decade. But Japan — the only country to have suffered atomic bombings, and a key voice in global denuclearisation […]
Sri Lanka north gets Japan, ADB grant for water
Feb 16, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s former war zones in the north of the island will get a two million dollar grant from Japan and the Asian Development Bank to provide safe water and sanitation for rural people. A 30-year war ended in the area in May 2009. ADB said the new grant will […]
Sri Lanka shares fall sharply
Feb 15, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares fell sharply Tuesday, with the main index losing most of Monday’s gains, with oil palm shares of the Carson group that had driven it to a new high, coming down, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 7,607. 79, down 2.61 percent (204.03 points) while […]
Sri Lanka tourist arrivals up 46-pct in January
Feb 15, 2011 (LBO) – Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in January 2011 rose 46.2 percent to 74,197 with Western Europe generating 32,627 and India being the single most important country with 13,786 visitors. Visitors from Western Europe who are important for the country’s beach resorts rose 53.7 percent from a year earlier maintaining the […]
Briton arrested after Sri Lankan airline bomb hoax
February 14, 2011 (AFP) – Police in the Maldives arrested a British man Monday after he caused a bomb scare aboard a SriLankan airlines flight from London that was diverted to the atoll nation, an official said. The flight was heading for Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo but was forced to land in the Maldives where […]
Maldives free British man after mid-air bomb scare
February 15, 2011 (AFP) – Maldives police have released a British man accused of sparking a bomb scare on a SriLankan Airlines flight, a spokesman said Tuesday, explaining he had been misunderstood by cabin crew. The airline faced attacks during Sri Lanka’s 37-year civil war that pitched Tamil Tiger rebels against government troops. Fighting ended […]
Sri Lanka domestic aviation eyed by US aircraft maker
Feb 15, 2011 (LBO) – US aircraft Cessna is eyeing Sri Lanka’s fledgling domestic aviation industry after the end of a 30-year war has prompted liberalization of the sector and a tourism boom is increasing demand for international flights. “Because of the stability and peace in the country Sri Lanka now has a moment where […]
Sri Lanka flood victims to get EU aid
Feb 15, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s flood victims, some of whom were recovering from a recent war will get 105 million rupees (700,000 euros) of food aid from the European Union through the World Food Program. “The needs of the flood-affected communities are great and WFP still faces considerable shortfalls in our funding” WFP’s […]
Sri Lanka Treasuries yields steady
Feb 14, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasuries yields were steady at the weekly auction with the government selling 13. 5 billion rupees in bills after offering 11. 0 billion rupees of paper for roll-over. The government’s debt office which is a unit of the Central Bank said the three-month yields were steady at 6.99 […]