Sri Lanka inflation battle threatened by cash injections

Oct 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank said inflation would come down to below 20 percent by year end, but its monetary program is now threatened by liquidity injections in the midst of a sudden foreign reserve outflow. “Point-to-point inflation would come down to below 20 percent,” central bank governor Nivard Cabraal told […]

Smoking, coal set to claim tens of millions of lives in China

PARIS, October 3, 2008 (AFP) – Tobacco use and smoke from coal and wood are likely to claim tens of millions of lives in China over the next quarter-century, according to a study published online on Saturday by the British journal The Lancet. Smoke from tobacco, biomass and coal will kill 53.3 million Chinese from […]

European leaders to try to find way out financial storm

PARIS, October 4, 2008 (AFP) – European leaders were set to try to cobble together a response to the global financial crisis at a mini-summit on Saturday despite disagreements that killed off talk of a Europe-wide bailout package. French President Nicolas Sarkozy spent Friday laying the groundwork for the Paris meeting with leaders of Britain, […]

More countries pull suspect products as China milk scandal spreads

SEOUL, October 4, 2008 (AFP) – South Korea, Australia and Japan Saturday pulled melamine-contaminated sweets and drinks from supermarket shelves amid a widening scandal over Chinese milk products tainted with the toxic chemical. Authorities in Seoul ordered Mars and Nestle to pull three products after melamine, which is usually used for making plastics, was detected […]

US debt set to soar, but AAA rating should stay: Fitch

NEW YORK, October 4, 2008 (AFP) – Combined US government debt is set to rise to levels unseen since the 1950s, but the United States should nevertheless be able to hold onto its AAA credit rating, the Fitch ratings agency said. “If all fiscal commitments announced to date materialize and are full by the end […]

Sri Lankan troops nearing Tiger HQ: army chief

October 4, 2008 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s army chief said Saturday his troops are on the verge of capturing the key northern headquarters of the Tamil Tigers in Kilinochchi. Foreign aid workers who evacuated the northern region three weeks ago said most residents of Kilinochchi had fled as the fighting moved closer. The defence ministry […]

Unsolicited ID

Oct 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is to issue electronic identity cards with transponders which authorities can use to identify fishermen at sea and also develop a database of fisher-folk, a senior minister said.The ministry of fisheries has received the nod from Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers to pursue and unsolicited offer from Enterprise […]

State Intervention

WASHINGTON, October 3, 2008 (AFP) – US lawmakers Friday approved a historic financial rescue plan that was quickly signed into law, but the measure failed to calm financial markets nervous about a weak economy and credit crunch.The Bank of Japan said it injected 800 billion yen (7.6 billion dollars) into the financial system in the […]

” state policies

OTTAWA, October 3, 2008 (AFP) – Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Thursday blamed current US financial woes and its worldwide fallout on “irresponsible” policies. “The economic and financial mess in the US is disastrous and the policies have been irresponsible,” Harper said during a televised political debate ahead of an October 14 vote. His […]

” say crisis warnings unheeded

WASHINGTON, October 3, 2008 (AFP) – The so-called “doomsday” economists long derided by the mainstream say the current financial maelstrom was inevitable, but debate is still raging on how the US economy will emerge from the crisis. The analysts who had sounded warnings about economic imbalances for at least the past two years argue that […]

Sri Lanka fiscal management critical for managing inflation: think tank

Oct 03, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government spending policies, and foreign borrowings are key to keeping inflation down though tight monetary policy can bring short term results, a think tank has said. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 “Whilst a sharp drop in credit […]

Ireland passes bank guarantee law amidst protests from neigbhour

DUBLIN, October 3, 2008 (AFP) – Ireland has passed a controversial emergency law guaranteeing bank deposits despite protests that the move gives its financial sector a competitive advantage over neighbouring countries. Dublin insisted it had to guarantee its six main banks to shore up the whole system, but Britain in particular argued the move is […]

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