W O R L D

Rajapaksa-led alliance wins Lanka poll
Ruling UPFA secures 144 of 225 seats
Sri Lanka’s ruling alliance led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA), has secured a clear victory in the April 8th general election according to the final results of the poll released on Wednesday, winning 144 of the 225 seats in the Sri Lanka’s Legislature.

Airline schedules remain scrambled
London/Frankfurt, April 21
More airports in Europe, including many in Britain and Germany, were open for business on Wednesday, but with so many planes having been grounded by the pall of volcanic ash spreading from Iceland it could take days or even weeks to clear the backlog.

Passengers stranded at an airport in Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday. Though all European airports reopened late Tuesday, many travellers are still facing delays as airlines battle to get back on their feet. — AFP

Pak signs deal for US warship
Washington, April 21
Pakistan has signed a $65 million deal with the US for the "hot transfer" of refurbished American frigate USS McInerney by August 31. Senior officials of the two countries here signed the contract for the “hot transfer” of the USS McInerney, a Perry-class guided missile frigate, yesterday.

Nepal Maoists intensify anti-India campaign
Kathmandu, April 21
Ahead of their planned massive show of strength against the “puppet” regime of Madhav Nepal on May 1, Nepalese Maoists have intensified their anti-India campaign by releasing posters and pamphlets against New Delhi.

Sarkozy orders law to ban veils
Paris, April 21
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered a legislation that would ban women from wearing Islamic veils that fully cover the face and body in public places, the government said today.

Rajapaksa-led alliance wins Lanka poll
Ruling UPFA secures 144 of 225 seats
Chandani Kirinde in Colombo

DM Jayaratne sworn in PM Colombo: Plantations Minister DM Jayaratne, a close ally of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was on Wednesday sworn in as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka as the new parliament convenes tomorrow for the first time. Jayaratne, senior most leader of the ruling Freedom Party next only to Rajapaksa, has replaced Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, official sources said. — PTI

Sri Lanka’s ruling alliance led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, United People Freedom Alliance (UPFA), has secured a clear victory in the April 8th general election according to the final results of the poll released on Wednesday, winning 144 of the 225 seats in the Sri Lanka’s Legislature.

The UPFA, which campaigned to get a two-third majority in the House, fell short of just six members to get the magic figure which is needed to bring about constitutional changes that the President wants to put in place.

These changes include the scaling down of the executive powers vested with the President as well as a change in the country’s proportional representation (PR) system of elections.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP) saw much of its voter base eroded in the poll, the first since the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, winning only 60 seats, down from the 82 it had won in the 2004 general election.

A third party led by detained former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka won seven seats, including one for the retried general, while the majority of the seats in the north and east were won by the Tamil National Alliance.

The inaugural session of the new Parliament will be held on Thursday.

Airline schedules remain scrambled

Long-haul flights from Heathrow The British Airways said on its website it was planning to operate long-haul flights from Heathrow and Gatwick airports in London. The carrier reminded passengers that since “many aircraft and crew (are) out of position, it will still take some time to return to our full flying programme”. The Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority said flight bans was lifted late Tuesday after a reassessment of risks. Britain had lagged behind its European neighbours in downgrading the threat to airplanes from the ash, which can potentially scour and even paralyse jet engines.

Ash may reach North America Moscow: Volcanic ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano will cross the Atlantic and reach North America by Wednesday, British meteorologists have said. The meteorologists said the ash would cloud Canada’s Labrador Peninsula, the Newfoundland Island and smaller islands.

London/Frankfurt, April 21
More airports in Europe, including many in Britain and Germany, were open for business on Wednesday, but with so many planes having been grounded by the pall of volcanic ash spreading from Iceland it could take days or even weeks to clear the backlog.

About 75 per cent of flights in Europe will operate on Wednesday, European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.

Flights resumed after scientists and manufacturers downgraded the risk of flying in areas of relatively low ash concentrations, Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority said. “The major barrier to resuming flight has been understanding the tolerance levels of aircraft to ash. Manufacturers have now agreed on increased tolerance levels in low-ash density areas,” CAA head Deidre Hutton said.

“A return to normal will take another 48 hours,” French junior Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau predicted. “I think the situation will be normal before the weekend.”

The Association of European Airlines, representing 36 major commercial and freight carriers, criticised Britain on Tuesday for not reopening its skies sooner.

Australia’s Qantas Airways said it would take “some weeks” to clear the 15,000 of its ticket-holders delayed by the eruption.

Thai Airways International reopened its regular flights to Zurich, Switzerland while many other routes to Europe remained closed.

Early Wednesday, airspace was reopened in Denmark and planes could start using Copenhagen Airport, the largest hub in the Nordic region. Finland also reopened most of its airspace and Norway also expected its airspace to remain open. — Agencies

Pak signs deal for US warship

Washington, April 21
Pakistan has signed a $65 million deal with the US for the "hot transfer" of refurbished American frigate USS McInerney by August 31. Senior officials of the two countries here signed the contract for the “hot transfer” of the USS McInerney, a Perry-class guided missile frigate, yesterday.

Under the agreement, the Pakistan Navy will take over the vessel on August 31. The US Congress approved the sale of the frigate, which would be inducted into the Pakistan Navy as the PNS Alamgir at a ceremony in the US, in September 2008.

Commissioned in 1979, the frigate would be handed over after a refurbishment that includes anti-submarine capability that has been paid for with the foreign military aid provided by the US to friendly countries. On completion of the refurbishment in January next year, the vessel will sail to Pakistan to join the country's naval fleet.

Pakistani officials described the deal to acquire the warship a major milestone towards further strengthening the wide-ranging Pakistan-US relationship. "The successful completion of this contract will pave the way for acquisition of more vessels of the same class for the Pakistan Navy to raise a squadron of eight Perry-class frigates," a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy said.

"This will greatly enhance the operational readiness of the Pakistan Navy," he added. In the last couple of years USS McInerney has been mainly involved in successful counter-drug operations. Pakistan plans to raise a squadron of eight Perry Class Frigates. — PTI

Nepal Maoists intensify anti-India campaign

Kathmandu, April 21
Ahead of their planned massive show of strength against the “puppet” regime of Madhav Nepal on May 1, Nepalese Maoists have intensified their anti-India campaign by releasing posters and pamphlets against New Delhi.

The former rebels are planning a major rally on May 1 to demand the ouster of 22-party coalition government headed by Madhav Kumar Nepal.

Walls in capital Kathmandu adorn posters and paintings against India. “Get rid of the puppet government”, “abrogate the Nepal-India Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950” and “Indian Army vacate Kalapani and Susta” are some of the slogans that have made way into the posters.

Some posters say the May 1 agitation is to protect “national independence and fight against colonial and expansionist forces.” Maoists have been accusing India of interfering in Nepal’s internal affairs, but New Delhi has rejected it. — PTI

Sarkozy orders law to ban veils

Paris, April 21
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered a legislation that would ban women from wearing Islamic veils that fully cover the face and body in public places, the government said today.

It is Sarkozy’s first political action toward an outright ban. Government spokesman Luc Chatel said after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the president decided the government should submit a bill to Parliament in May on an overall ban on such veils “in all public places”. That ups the stakes in Sarkozy’s push against veils such as the burqa. Some in his own party have bristled at a full-out ban, and France’s highest administrative body has questioned whether it would be constitutional.

Sarkozy insisted that “everything should be done so that no one feels stigmatised,” according to Chatel. Sarkozy said the veils “do not pose a problem in a religious sense, but threaten the dignity of women”. — AP