All Blogs
Iran to have bigger budget despite 19 percent inflation amidst massive oil subsidies
TEHRAN, Jan 7, 2008 (AFP) – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday he was seeking a 17 percent spending increase in the budget for the next Iranian year, amid concerns the government’s expansionary policies are stoking inflation.Unveiling his budget plan to parliament, Ahmadinejad argued that ordinary people in OPEC’s number two oil producer needed to see […]
Sri Lanka slams Nordic nations over truce remarks
Jan 7, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Monday took exception to a statement by Nordic nations which voiced distress over the situation in the Indian ocean island, where the government abrogated an Oslo-arranged truce.With fighting escalating in recent months, Colombo now believes it has the upper hand over the rebels and is in a position […]
Quit Notice
Jan 06, 2007 (LBO) – Emirates said it would stop managing Sri Lankan Airlines after March 2008, ending months of controversy and a troubled relationship that culminated with the island government canceling the visa of its resident manager in Colombo. .Updated “Emirates has notified the Government of Sri Lanka that it will not be renewing […]
” in Mideast, S. Asia: minister
LONDON, Jan 6, 2008 (AFP) – Britain is planning a “diplomatic surge” in the Middle East and south Asia to help counter extremism and nuclear proliferation, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said in an article published Sunday. Writing in The Sunday Times, Miliband said 2008 would “show in word and deed” what Prime Minister Gordon Brown […]
High oil price will last until March: OPEC president
ALGIERS, Jan 5, 2008 (AFP) – The high price of oil will continue until the end of March 2008, the president of OPEC said Saturday.“The surge in price will probably endure until the end of the first quarter of 2008, before stabilising during the second quarter,” the Algerian Energy Minister Chakib Khelil — who is […]
New Singapore terminal to bolster air hub status: analysts
SINGAPORE, Jan 6, 2008 (AFP) – Singapore will Wednesday open an ultra-modern new 1.2-billion-dollar airport terminal that industry analysts say will reinforce the city-state’s position as a regional aviation hub.Terminal 3, which boasts a five-storey vertical garden with waterfalls, will receive its first passengers just months after a new terminal opened in Hong Kong and […]
‘s peace advisor quits
Jan 6, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s top advisor on the peace process quit Sunday, after the government scrapped an Oslo-brokered truce with Tamil Tiger rebels. Jayantha Dhanapala, a diplomat and former candidate for the post of UN secretary general who was appointed as peace advisor in December 2005, said he was […]
Sri Lanka scrapped peace deal donors to meet this week: report
Jan 06, 2007 (LBO) – Top donors to Sri Lanka who funded the island alongside a recently scrapped peace deal with the Tamil Tigers may meet this week to review their future course of action, a media report said. “It is likely that the Co-chairs would participate in a teleconference to review the situation that […]
Kala Pola
Jan 05, 2008 (LBO) – An annual open air art fair in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo will see more than 300 artists and sculptors displaying their creations and also be a meeting place for thousands of art lovers and buyers, its organizers said. The Kala Pola or ‘art marketplace’ is being held for the […]
Free Trade
Jan 05, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and India have reached agreement on improving access for the island’s exports like tea to the Indian market but have yet to conclude a deal on trade in services, trade officials said. The latest round of talks between the two neighbours on a new trade deal ended in […]