Fresh Sri Lanka violence kills 41: military

Jan 16, 2007 (AFP) – At least 30 Tamil rebels and 11 security personnel were killed in Sri Lanka on Tuesday in an upsurge of violence, officials and the defence ministry said. Sri Lankan troops backed by warplanes launched a fresh offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels early Tuesday, killing at least 30 guerrillas for the […]

‘s monetary policy

January 16, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Central Bank has handpicked few private sector professionals to lend a hand to shape the island’s monetary policy, governor Nivard Cabraal said Tuesday. Economist A D V de S Indraratne will head the Monetary Policy Advisory Committee which also includes Sohli Captain, Cubby Wijetunga, Mahen Dayananda, Prithi Jayawardene, […]

Graft costs Sri Lanka a billion dollars a year: whistle-blower

Jan 16, 2007 (AFP) – Kick-backs and crooked deals cost Sri Lanka over a billion dollars last year amounting to about a fifth of tax revenue, the country’s top official whistle-blower said. The head of the parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises, or COPE, told AFP corruption and fraud runs deep in the main foreign investment […]

‘s Asgiriya stadium

Jan 15, 2007 (AFP) – The historic Asgiriya stadium in Sri Lanka’s hill resort of Kandy is to be replaced by a brand new venue in the same area, a senior cricket official said on Monday. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary K.Mathivanan said an agreement would be signed next week with the island’s foreign investment […]

Sri Lanka troops kill five Tigers

Jan 15, 2007 (AFP) – Government forces killed at least five Tamil Tiger rebels during long-range artillery exchanges in Sri Lanka where six civilians were also shot dead, military officials said Monday.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam targeted army positions in the eastern district of Batticaloa on Sunday and troops retaliated killing three guerrillas, a […]

‘s bakery in Mumbai fights inflation, globalisation

MUMBAI, Jan 14, 2007 (AFP) – Tirandaaz Irani’s morning shift at the Yazdani Bakery and Restaurant in Mumbai’s historic Fort district is pretty much the same every day, and he’s hoping to keep it that way even as the city changes drastically around him. The nearly century-old bakery, set amid crowded streets lined by massive […]

Sri Lanka violence kills 11, commandos take Tiger bases

Jan 14, 2007 (AFP) – At least five soldiers and six civilians were killed in Sri Lanka as Tamil Tiger rebels and government troops traded long-range artillery fire in the island’s restive east, officials said Sunday. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired artillery at army positions in Mankerni in the district of […]

’s Box

January 13, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s proposal to retain 50 percent of re-insurance business in a government-backed entity, may deteriorate the quality of cover available to the insurance industry, an international risk evaluator warned Saturday. President Mahinda Rajapakse, who is also the island’s finance minister, proposed to set up a new domestic re-insurance firm […]

Swiss banks hold third highest amount of funds in world: report

GENEVA, Jan 13, 2007 (AFP) – Switzerland is the world’s third largest asset manager with over 6,900 billion Swiss francs (5,532 billion dollars, 4,280 billion euros) deposited in the country’s bank accounts, the Swiss Bankers Association said on Saturday Switzerland has a nine percent share of the global market, just below the United Kingdom with […]

Scotland Yard for further tests in Sri Lanka assassination probe

Jan 13, 2007 (AFP) – British detectives have removed “exhibits” for forensic tests to try to identify the assassins of a Sri Lankan Tamil legislator, the British High Commission (embassy) here said Saturday. A team from Scotland Yard spent 10 days in Sri Lanka advising local police probing the killing two months ago of legislator […]

Sri Lanka deploys troops as floods kill 16

Jan 13, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military has been called out to help relief operations in the island’s flood-hit regions where at least 16 people have been killed, the National Disaster Management Centre said Saturday. Military helicopters were deployed to send food for marooned people in the central and and southern regions, which were […]

Tight and Loose

January 12, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank has allowed finance companies to form subsidiaries, raised single borrower limits, but tightened provisioning requirements, the regulator said. A 40 percent limit on the acquisition of other companies has been relaxed, provided approval is gained from the Monetary Board, the Central Bank. “What this means is […]

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