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Sri Lanka says ready to talk peace as fighting rages
COLOMBO, Aug 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels waged artillery and ground battles Sunday as the weekend death toll rose to 186 by official count, but both sides said they were willing to talk peace.Policy Planning Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) made an overture […]
Running battle raise war fears in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, Aug 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels traded artillery fire Sunday, a day after at least 177 people were killed in fierce battles, officials said, amid fears of a return to full-scale war.Security forces shelled positions held by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as sporadic face-to-face […]
Sri Lankan Muslims say fighting has further marginalized them
KANTALAI, Sri Lanka, Aug 12, 2006 (AFP) – At an overcrowded mosque in Sri Lanka’s northeast, thousands of Muslim refugees displaced by fighting between government troops and Tiger rebels gather to console each other. His message blared from megaphones outside the mosque, but the men were not easily placated, demanding protection from the government, and […]
International donors express serious concern over Sri Lankan crisis
WASHINGTON, Aug 12, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s international donors have expressed serious concern over a growing humanitarian crisis stemming from the island’s ethnic conflict and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. The United States, Japan, the European Union and Norway said they were “deeply concerned” by continued violence which they feared was “seriously […]
Heavy shelling in Sri Lanka as fresh fighting flares
COLOMBO, Aug 12, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels shelled each other’s positions in the island’s embattled northeast Saturday, killing at least two people and wounding many more, officials and rebels said. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) pounded the port city of Trincomalee early in the day, killing […]
Sri Lanka government raises US $ 175 million dollars
August11 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan government 3-year dollar bond issue had been more than twice oversubscribed allowing the government to raise more money than originally sought.Successful bidders will have to make payments for SLDBs on or before August 18, after a Notice of Acceptance of Application issued by the Central Bank. Investors flocked to […]
’ Cry
Sri Lanka’s banks are asking authorities to revive stalled plans to strengthen the Credit Information Bureau (CRIB), while the sector is also facing the prospect of a relaxation of debt recovery laws. Analysts say relaxing debt recovery laws, and making it easier for defaulters to escape notice, may push up Sri Lanka’s national non-performing loan […]
Harrods designs Ceylon teas from Sri Lanka
Aug 11 (LBO) – A top UK department store says it is expanding its selection of up market Ceylon Teas by introducing more custom made designer teas to tempt the palate of its customers. A soon to be introduced Harrods “Eagle Nest” tea is manually hand rolled to exacting specifications of the posh Knightsbridge department store. […]
Big Favours
August 11 (LBO) – Sri Lanka™s Board of Investment is to expand a selective list of exporters and importers who get Green Channel or speedy clearance through customs. We are in the process of considering further investors who are eligible for the scheme and we will add on another five to ten a month to […]
Dial Free
Aug11 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Telecom’s mobile subsidiary Mobitel just launched aggressive new post-paid tariffs, on the heels of a licence to also rollout Third Generation (3G) services. œWe are approaching it cautiously. On the one hand, the price of a handset is a deterrent. So we will not be rolling out 3G infrastructure island […]
Bloggers Heaven
PARIS, Aug 11, 2006 (AFP) – Fifty million blogs — online multi-media journals — were tracked on the Internet last month, a 100-fold increase over three years, according to a new study published online. Technorati, a website devoted to tracking the growth of the worldwide “blogosphere”, claims their number has doubled every five to seven […]
PCs still changing the world at 25 years old
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 10, 2006 (AFP) – Personal computers have transformed society in a mere 25 years and they are just getting warmed up.In the short time since IBM launched its pioneering PC on August 12, 1981, teenagers have gone from hiding secrets in locked diaries to baring all on social networking websites such as […]