Author: LBO
European Union to fund Sri Lanka’s war refugees
July 4, 2006 (AFP) – The European Union Tuesday announced seven million euros (8.9 million dollars) in aid for some 400,000 people displaced by the drawn-out separatist conflict in Sri Lanka since 1972.The money, channeled through 20 local and international relief agencies, will go to refugees mainly in the island’s embattled northern and eastern regions, […]
Sri Lanka’s budget deficit expands to 3.2% by end April
July 4, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s budget deficit for the four months to April rose to 3.2 percent of GDP from 2.9 percent of GDP a year before as the government spent more on capital expenditure and salary increments for civil servants and subsidies, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday. The government raised about 100 […]
Sri Lanka’s new Central Bank governor says he will protect its independence
July 3, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s newly appointed central bank governor says he will promote the independence of the institution, which has come under fire from independent economists in recent years for submitting to fiscal dominance and pushing up inflation. But some previous governors who held shares in financial institutions have sold out after […]
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank governor wants to keep rates steady
July 3, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka does not need to raise interest rates despite galloping inflation and negative real interest rates, the island’s newly appointed Central Bank governor said Tuesday.The country’s annual inflation rate shot up to 17.7 percent, data showed last Friday, underlining the need for a rate hike. Sri Lanka’s treasury bill […]
‘Undeclared war’ in Jaffna taking its toll on Sri Lankans
JAFFNA, Sri Lanka, July 2, 2006 (AFP) – Roadside killings and night-time knocks on the door have replaced mortars and suicide bombs as the new terror in this northern Sri Lankan city.And it is increasingly the residents here who suffer, many say, as the government and Tamil separatist groups carry out a vicious “undeclared war” […]
Sri Lanka’s inflation rate climbs to 17.7% in June
June 30, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s inflation rate for June jumped to 17.7 percent, official figures showed Friday, spurring concerns that the Central Bank may hike interest rates again. The bank, which is forecasting a year-end growth of 7.0 percent said the economy would remain vulnerable an upsurge in violence, as sporadic attacks on […]
Killings slow Sri Lanka’s economic drive: World Bank
June 29, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s deteriorating security situation is undermining growth and slowing the island’s attempts to snap out of the poverty trap, a top World Bank official said Thursday. “The political situation and the sustained violence in the recent past are undermining the potential for growth,” the bank’s country head designate for […]
Sri Lanka’s economy expands 8.1% first quarter: Central Bank
June 29, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s 24-billion dollar economy expanded by 8.1 percent during the first quarter of this year, ahead of a recent government forecast of 7.0 percent, the Central Bank said Thursday. The bank, which is forecasting a year-end growth of 7.0 percent said the economy would remain vulnerable an upsurge in […]
Sri Lanka demands Tiger apology over Gandhi slaying, says ‘regret’ not enough
June 28, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka Wednesday demanded the Tamil Tigers apologise for the 1991 assassination of former Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi, saying their latest expression of regret over the killing was meaningless. “The whole world knows that the LTTE killed Rajiv Gandhi,” Sri Lankan government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said. “In their latest television […]
Emerging market companies in spotlight after Mittal’s Arcelor deal
NEW DELHI, June 27, 2006 (AFP) – Takeovers of major western companies by emerging market players, particularly from India and China, will escalate as they chase growth outside their traditional home markets, analysts say.“It will be critically important to know these challengers well and to use that knowledge in making key business decisions.Decisions made without […]
AK-47 to remain world’s favorite killing machine for next 20 years — report
UNITED NATIONS, June 26, 2006 (AFP) – The Kalashnikov assault rifle will remain the world’s favorite killing machine in conflict zones for at least the next 20 years because its production is poorly regulated, a report released here Monday said. Up to 70 million AK-47s and variations of its design are in circulation around the […]
People’s Merchant Bank gets a ‘BBB-(lka)’ rating
June 26, 2006 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka on Monday assigned a ‘BBB-(lka)’ rating for People’s Merchant Bank’s long-term debt, citing its parental backing and conservative management techniques, as a reason for it. “The rating reflects the potential support from its shareholders particularly People’s Bank (rated ‘A-(lka)’, which currently owns 39.0 percent of PMBs shares […]