Bharati Airtel to commence services by year-end

Bharathi Airtel, one of Asia's leading integrated telecom services providers, has made all the necessary arrangements to start operations in Sri Lanka by the end of this year, foreign news sources said quoting company officials.

Bharti Airtel provides services in three strategic business units - Mobile services, Broadband & Telephone (B&T) services and Enterprise services. The company is currently testing 3G services in the country besides their Second Generation (2G) cellular telecoms network.

Bharti Airtel recently received approval to launch 2G and 3G mobile services in Sri Lanka.

"We will roll out both 2G and 3G networks throughout Sri Lanka. The roll out will replicate the model currently followed in India," a company source said. The company will initially start operations in Colombo and thereafter move to other towns and rural areas, he added.

Bharti has tied up with Huawei Technologies to build and manage GSM mobile infrastructure in Sri Lanka. Huawei will deploy and manage Airtel's core network, BTS and end-to-end 2G/3G network solutions.

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http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6377&Itemid=44

Mendis spins Sri Lanka to glory

Spinner Ajantha Mendis claimed six wickets to lead Sri Lanka to a 100-run victory over India in the final of the Asia Cup on Sunday.

Mendis (6-13 from eight overs), who was brought on in the 10th over after Virender Sehwag (60) threatened to make quick work of Sri Lanka's target of 273, struck twice in his first over and then picked up four more wickets to help his side bowl out India for 173.

Sanath Jayasuriya had cracked a blistering 125 and put on 131 runs for the fifth wicket with Tillakaratne Dilshan (56) to help Sri Lanka to 273, a target which had seemed inadequate on a placid pitch.

India lost Gautam Gambhir (six) but the runs flowed as Sehwag and Suresh Raina (16) took up the chase.

Mendis, however, turned the game around.

He first had Sehwag sent back, although the batsman plotted his own downfall by stepping out to hit the bowler over the top and was beaten by the flight and stumped by wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara.

Read more,
http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/world/ind-v-sl,301083,EN.html
Photo,
http://content-sl.cricinfo.com/asiacup/content/current/gallery/360104.html

Indian Navy to operate UAVs

The Indian Navy is the process of setting up facilities at the Naval Air Station at Uchipuli near here for operating two Israeli-built Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to monitor the seas.

Naval Air Station officials said that Uchipuli was being upgraded into a regular commissioned Air Station so as to monitor coastal areas from Tuticorin to Chennai in the context of prolonged conflict between LTTE and Sri Lankan Army.

The decision to set up UAVs was taken after the visits of Vice Chief of Naval staff, Vice Admiral Raman Prem Suthan, Vice Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command, and Philip Val Haltren, Naval officer in charge, Tamil Nadu, at Rameswaram about a month ago, they said.

Among the facilities to be created at the Naval Air Station at Uchipuli to cater to the operation of UAVs are 6000 ft runway, a control room, service station for electronic gadgets and staff quarters, they said.

Since the UAV would fly at a higher altitude, steps should have to be taken to create 'excellent facilities' to operate them. The UAVs would help the Navy to monitor wider area of water surface continuously. With powerful sensor and radar, it would take pictures of even small boats and send images with exact location, the officials said.

Extracted from,
http://www.zeenews.com/articles.asp?aid=453630&sid=NAT

Prabhakaran leads LTTE in paying homage to its suicide bombers

Elusive LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran led the Tamil rebels in paying homage to 365 members of its suicide squad killed since the Tigers first unleashed the deadly terror tactic 21 years ago.

A grim faced Prabhakaran, 53, who rarely comes out of his hiding, participated in the remembrance ceremonies at an undisclosed location in Wanni on Saturday.

The event coincided with the anniversary of the first suicide attack by LTTE "Black Tiger" identified as Captain Miller on the Sri Lanka Army troops garrisoned at Nelliyadi Central College in Vadamaraadchi in Jaffna in 1987.

"The celebrations in the Tamil homeland on Saturday began at 9.00am with the hoisting of the Tamil National flag all over the land," a LTTE statement said adding people paid homage to the "martyred" Black Tigers by lighting lamps.

Prabhakaran together with his "senior commanders," also paid homage by lighting lamps to the black tigers killed in the clashes, the LTTE said.

According to the pro-LTTE website Tamilnet, "76 of the 254 Black Sea Tigers who have died were female commandos".

It said 81 male and 71 female Black Tiger commandos have died in ground operations.

"Six music albums were released by head of LTTE Intelligence Wing S. Poddu, Special Commander of the Sea Tigers Col. Soosai, Head of LTTE's Military Intelligence Ratnam, Political Head B. Nadesan, Head of LTTE's military academies Col. Aathavan and a commander of the Sea Tigers Naren in the event," Tiger officials were quoted as saying.

Extracted from,
http://www.thehindu.com/holnus/001200807062075.htm
Photos,
http://www.puthinam.com/full.php?

MIG arriving after attacking tiger positions damaged in landing

SLAF MIG fighter jet arriving after a mission to strike tiger positions in Killinochchi has met with an accident when landing.

Though none of the crew was injured a wing of the jet has been slightly damaged.

A meeting place of senior tiger leaders at Wattakachchi area north of Iranamadu Tank was attacked by the Mig at about 3.30 p.m. today and the accident had occurred when the MIG was trying to land on its arrival.

Extracted from,
http://www.lankatruth.com/New/Full_Story_Page/2008/July/06/20080706_03.htm