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Sri Lanka govt still ready to talk to Tamil Tigers
Jan 03, 2007 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is still willing to have peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels despite its decision to withdraw from a moribund ceasefire agreement, media minister Anura Yapa said Thursday. . The government is not against peace talks to end the ethnic war but believes it is useless to […]
Sri Lanka truce ends on Jan 16: Foreign ministry
Jan 3, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka announced Thursday it had given the mandatory two weeks’ notice to peace broker Norway to formally quit a ceasefire with Tamil rebels on January 16. The foreign ministry in a statement said the February 2002 ceasefire arranged by Oslo would end in two weeks, after the government on […]
Roadside bomb kills two Sri Lanka soldiers: police
Jan 3, 2008 (AFP) – Two Sri Lankan government soldiers were killed and three others wounded Thursday when their truck was hit by a roadside bomb in a north-central part of the island, police said.“The truck was hit by a Claymore mine,” a police official in the district of Anuradhapura said by telephone. “We can […]
Sri Lanka opposition says truce was dead letter
Jan 03, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition, whose leader signed a truce with the Tamil Tigers in 2002, says a government decision to abrogate the deal is not a problem for the party. “The decision is not a problem for us,” United National Party General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said. “It was drafted during […]
Century!
SINGAPORE, Jan 3, 2008 (AFP) – World oil prices eased in Asian trading on Thursday after briefly hitting 100 dollars a barrel for the first time, jolting oil-dependent economies.In morning trade, New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for February delivery, was 43 cents lower at 99.19 dollars a barrel. The contract closed 3.64 dollars […]
Record Highs
NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2008 (AFP) – Oil prices spiked to record closing highs within striking distance of 100 dollars a barrel Wednesday, triggering inflation jitters that weighed on the US stock market. “Crude prices are drawing some support from (expectations of) a further decline in crude stocks in a weekly US inventories report,” said […]
Sri Lanka needs better budgets for low inflation: central bank
Jan 03, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said better budgets were needed to lower inflation, as heavy government borrowings made it difficult to conduct effective monetary policy. “The conduct of a successful monetary policy, while facing a high budget deficit is a challenging task,” he said in a speech outlining […]
Sri Lanka treasury rates flat ahead of policy speech
Jan 02, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasury bill yields were flat at Wednesday’s auction ahead of a key monetary policy speech by Governor Nivard Cabraal, the government’s debt office said. Three month treasury yields remained at 21.30 percent, 6-months 19.99 percent and 12-months 19.96 percent. The debt office, which is run by the Central […]
Sri Lanka raises hotel rates amid bomb attacks: officials
Jan 2, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s luxury hotels raised their rates on Wednesday despite an escalating ethnic civil war that triggered a 20 percent drop in tourists. The Yala National Park was shut for 10 weeks after seven soldiers were killed in a rebel attack on the popular tourist destination, home to leopards, elephants […]
Sri Lankan seamen school to take foreign cadets
Jan 02, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Mercantile Seamen Training Institute (MSTI) in the southern port of Galle plans to open its doors to foreign aspirants in 2008. The company offers seagoing opportunities for trainees on board its own ships and is building a pool of trained seamen to supply its own ships as well […]