All Blogs
Sri Lanka takes more time to study war crimes charges
December 28, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president has given legal experts four more months to study a US State Department report cataloging alleged war crimes on the island, the presidency said in a statement Monday.President Mahinda Rajapakse extended the December 31 deadline of the panel he appointed in November to formulate a response to […]
” to senior citizens as rates fall
Dec 28, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will give ’20 percent bonus’ interest for senior citizens as interest rates fell steeply over the past year on a scheme announced by the country’s president, a media report said.The Sunday Island newspaper said the Central Bank is preparing operating instructions for banks, which may be limit payments […]
Sri Lanka gets World Bank funds for rural village
Dec 28, 2009 (LBO) – The World Bank (WB) has approved 75 million dollars to fund the second stage of community development and livelihood improvement targeting 875 of the poorest villages in the country, a government minister said. The community development project would be implemented under the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development, […]
Sri Lanka-India one-dayer abandoned over poor pitch
NEW DELHI, December 27, 2009 (AFP) – Unfit pitch conditions at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium forced the fifth and final one-day international between India and Sri Lanka to be abandoned on Sunday. Sri Lanka, sent in to bat, were 83-5 in the 24th over when the umpires stopped play after a ball from debutante seamer […]
Sri Lankan migrant dies in Indonesia: official
JAKARTA, December 27, 2009 (AFP) – The body of an asylum seeker who died of a suspected stomach infection in Indonesia will be returned to Sri Lanka this week, a foreign ministry official said Sunday. The man, identified by Indonesian authorities as Jacob Samuel Christian, 29, died last Wednesday in hospital. His body will be […]
‘s decade reoriented the world: analysts
HONG KONG, December 27, 2009 (AFP) – Explosive growth in economic and political power ensured that the past 10 years set the foundations for what many analysts predict will be the Asian Century as the world tilts firmly eastwards.Many dangers lie ahead, but observers say the world’s two most populous countries — China and India […]
Graft Wave
December 26, 2009 (AFP) – Nearly half a billion dollars in tsunami aid for Sri Lanka is unaccounted for and over 600 million dollars has been spent on projects unrelated to the disaster, an anti-corruption watchdog said Saturday.Berlin-based Transparency International demanded an audit of the money received by the Sri Lankan government to help victims […]
Asia remembers day ocean unleashed its fury
BANDA ACEH, December 26, 2009 (AFP) – People across Asia paused Saturday to remember the day five years ago when an undersea earthquake unleashed a devastating wave that killed more than 220,000 people. A solemn day of prayers and remembrance to mark one of the world’s worst natural disasters was held in Indonesia’s Aceh province, […]
Sri Lanka labour force growth to lag region
Dec 26, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s labour force has grown an average 1.0 percent from 1990 to 2008, and is projected to grow by only 0.3 percent a year till 2020 trailing other Asian nations, with low female participation, a government report has said. “This is driven by expected declines in the adult male […]
Sri Lanka opposition presidential candidate defends economic prowess
Dec 26, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s opposition presidential candidate, a former military general, defended his ability to manage the economy in a future administration saying he had the backing of the main opposition United National Party.The suffering of the people under a 1970s administration, where money printing led to price controls and shortages, largely […]