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” naval success
COLOMBO, Sept 17, 2007 (AFP) – Navy chiefs in Sri Lanka organised a party Monday to welcome back teams involved in what they claim was the government’s biggest success to date against Tamil separatists. The six patrol craft and their supply ships were reported last week to have sunk three Tamil Tiger gun-running ships in […]
Sri Lanka busts US$250mn to prop up exchange rate
Sept 17, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has spent more than 200 million US dollars to prop up the rupee during the past four months in an intervention campaign analysts say helped worsen exchange and demand pressure. There are fears among some market analysts, that if the bond price is manipulated it will give opportunities […]
Medical Moves
Sept 16, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s newest hospital firm, a part of the Hemas group, is raising capital via a private placement, with their first hospital on track to be opened next year. Hemas Holdings Ltd is one of Sri Lanka’s top conglomerates with a focus on five key sectors – FMCG, Healthcare, Transportation, […]
Slow Band
Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) – Home to some 1.5 billion people, South Asia is paying a high price to access the Internet as service providers have been slow to deliver cheaper broadband connections, analysts say. The region has embraced telephones, mobile phones and computers and India has a flourishing software and outsourcing industry, noted industry […]
Bangladesh gets duty-free access to Indian garment market
DHAKA, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) – Bangladesh and India on Sunday signed a deal that will allow Dhaka to export eight million garments duty-free across the border, an agreement billed by New Delhi as a “milestone” in trade relations.“India is growing rapidly and its middle class is booming.So in the near future India can very […]
New Zealand defeat India, Vettori bags 4 wickets
JOHANNESBURG, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) – Captain Daniel Vettori led from the front as New Zealand brushed aside India by 10 runs in the Super Eights match of the Twenty20 world championships on Sunday.New Zealand next play England on Tuesday and India take on England on Wednesday, both matches taking place at the Kingsmead in […]
Sri Lanka steps up search after 28 killed in fresh violence
COLOMBO, Sept 16, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops stepped up search operations for Tamil rebels in the embattled north and east after 28 people were killed in a new wave of fighting at the weekend, officials said Sunday. More than 5,400 people have been killed in fighting in the past 21 months following the […]
Sri Lanka says military campaign needed for stability and investment
September 16, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s defence establishment has told the business community that it was working to a plan to defeat Tamil Tiger terrorism that would create the stability they needed for investment. “For you to do your business, first there must be a country,” Gothabhaya Rajapakse, Secretary to the Defence Ministry, was […]
Sri Lanka struggling to reach inflation target: economist
Sept 16, 2007 (LBO) – A World Bank economist said Sri Lanka should trim the budget deficit if it wanted to achieve eight percent economic growth and monetary policy should be tightened to reduce inflation. All this will take its toll on future growth. “Unfortunately I think policy makers are not quite clear about what […]
Sri Lanka hopes for tourism recovery with easing of travel advisories
Sept 15, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is confident of achieving its target of attracting 600,000 tourists this year following the relaxation of travel advisories in key markets, tourist board officials say. “We are confident that this year, looking at the progress we have, we’ll be able to achieve 600,000 tourists for this year,” S. […]