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Britain, France fail to get Sri Lanka truce
April 29, 2009 (AFP) – The foreign ministers of Britain and France said Wednesday they had failed to secure agreement on halting Sri Lanka’s military campaign and getting humanitarian access to war-trapped civilians.“We tried very hard — we insisted and we insisted — but it is up to our friends to allow it or not,” […]
Sri Lanka navy says 25 Tamil Tigers killed in sea battle
April 29, 2009 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan navy attacked and sank six Tamil Tiger rebel boats and killed at least 25 guerrillas during a pre-dawn sea battle on Wednesday, a navy spokesman said.Naval craft detected the boats off the coast of the last remaining patch of territory still with the guerrillas, spokesman Captain D. […]
Emirates flys in UN refugee relief to Sri Lanka
April 29, 2009 (LBO) – Emirates SkyCargo said it had begun transporting United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) relief supplies for refugees in the North East.Emirates said a Boeing 747-400 freighter had landed in at Colombo’s Monday April 27, with a cargo of 119 tonnes of tents for refugees who escape Tiger guerilla controlled […]
Sri Lankan Airlines get second Airbus A320
April 29, 2009 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines said it had acquired a second Airbus A320 as part of its narrow-body aircraft re-fleeting program where the existing fleet is replaced with newer more fuel efficient aircraft.The newly acquired A320 is a two year old aircraft on lease from AWAS of Ireland on a three-year contract. It […]
Sri Lanka power firm finances could improve in May: official
April 29, 2009 (LBO) – The finances of Sri Lanka’s cash-strapped state-run power utility, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), could improve in May, a top official said, as dry weather forced it to buy expensive thermal energy, running up debts. The CEB can store 1,200 million units (GigaWatt_hours) worth of water at its reservoirs but it […]
Sri Lanka focuses on clean, low-cost lighting
April 29, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has set up an energy efficient lighting centre with United States support aimed at promoting clean and low-cost lighting technologies in the south Asian region. “Providing access to electricity is a critical factor in supporting economic development throughout the region,” James Moore, U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires, was quoted […]
British, French FMs arrive in Sri Lanka
April 29, 2009 (AFP) – The foreign ministers of Britain and France, David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner, arrived Wednesday in Sri Lanka, officials said, looking to negotiate a humanitarian ceasefire in the island’s civil war. Amid mounting international concern about the plight of civilians caught up in the fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger […]
US airs concern on Sri Lanka, mum on Swedish row
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2009 (AFP) – The United States voiced concern Tuesday about reports of continued heavy shelling in Sri Lanka but stayed out of a row over the Swedish foreign minister’s failure to receive a visa for the island. “I’m not familiar with the circumstances surrounding this visa issue, and have to refer you […]
Rail Freight
April 28, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run railway service has started a goods wagon repair workshop aimed at improving maintenance and more carriage of freight in order to increase revenues, senior officials said.Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma said the government wants to reverse years of neglect of the railway that has reduced it to making […]
Merchant Deal
April 28, 2009 (LBO) – Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL) said it had almost completed a deal to take control of Ceylinco Savings Bank, a member of the troubled Ceylinco group, for 100 million rupees.MBSL, a unit of state-run Bank of Ceylon, had been in talks with the banking regulator, the Central Bank, to […]