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Three wounded in Colombo blast
January 3, 2009 (AFP) – At least three people were wounded in a bomb blast in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Saturday, a day after a suicide bomb attack killed two people elsewhere in the city, police said. The latest explosion was outside a mosque in Colombo’s commercial area of Pettah, police said, adding that […]
‘ military HQ
January 3, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops advanced Saturday on the military headquarters of the Tamil Tigers, a day after capturing the rebels’ de facto political capital in the north of the island. The defence ministry said forces were moving towards Mullaitivu, the jungle district along the northeastern seaboard, where the Tigers are known […]
Sri Lanka Dilshan rallies team with century
CHITTAGONG, January 3, 2009 (AFP) – Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed a superb 162 off 165 balls to lead Sri Lanka’s fightback on the opening day of the second and final Test against Bangladesh here on Saturday.Dilshan hit two sixes and 21 fours for his sixth Test century as the visitors recovered from a shaky 75-4 to […]
US renews call for peaceful dialogue in Sri Lanka
WASHINGTON, January 2, 2009 (AFP) – The US State Department on Friday urged the Sri Lankan and Tamil Tigers to start negotiating over the “legitimate” demands of the Tamils after Colombo announced a key win over the rebels.Sri Lanka said Friday its troops had finally captured Kilinochchi, the unofficial capital of the Tigers, and urged […]
Sri Lanka govt mulls tax hike on milk powder imports
Jan 02, 2009 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is considering increasing customs duties on milk powder imports to take advantage of plunging global prices without raising domestic prices and raise revenue. World prices have plummeted by over 50 percent from a November 2007 high of 4,550 dollars a metric ton of milk powder. “The […]
Sri Lankan rupee slips to 113.90/114.00 to the dollar
Jan 02, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan rupee lost ground Friday and closed the first week of 2009 at 113.90/114.00 against the greenback, dealers said. The rupee opened the day at 113.10/20 to the dollar. Dealers said a large import bill was settled through state bank. They said the market largely ignored news of […]
Sri Lankan stocks rally in anticipation of military triumph
Jan 02, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan retail investors pushed the market up sharply in moderate trade Friday in anticipation government forces had captured the northern Tamil Tiger stronghold of Kilinochchi. Brokers said foreign investors might make use of the rally to sellout. Blue chip John Keells Holdings (JKH) contributed 25.7 million rupees to the […]
Liquidity Status
Jan 02, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has no need for a liquidity facility for finance companies yet, central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said, as the sector faced a higher level of deposits withdrawals following uncertainty in financial markets. “At the moment there is no need to do that,” Governor Cabraal told reporters this week. […]
Coral decline warns of ocean changes: Australian scientists
SYDNEY, January 2, 2009 (AFP) – A sharp slowdown in coral growth on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef since 1990 is a warning sign that precipitous changes in the world’s oceans may be imminent, scientists said Friday. Rising sea temperatures are blamed on global warming caused by the build-up in the atmosphere of greenhouse gases such […]
Suicide blast kills two in Sri Lanka capital: police
January 2, 2009 (AFP) – A suicide bomber carried out an attack outside an air force base in Colombo on Friday, killing two airmen and wounding 36 other people, police and a hospital spokeswoman said.The powerful explosion came just hours after President Mahinda Rajapakse announced the army’s capture of the Tamil Tiger rebels’ political capital […]
Sri Lanka suicide bomb blast rocks capital Colombo
Jan 02, 2009 (LBO) – A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber blew himself up Tuesday near Sri Lanka’s air force headquarters just after the government announced the fall of a key rebel held town in the north, military officials and witnesses said.The attack came minutes after the government announced the capture of Kilinochchi, in northern […]
Sri Lankan troops capture key Tiger-held town
January 2, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka said Friday its troops had finally captured the unofficial capital of the Tamil Tigers and urged the rebels to lay down their arms and end their decades-old struggle for a separate homeland.In an address to the nation, President Mahinda Rajapakse called the capture of Kilinochchi in northern Sri […]