Category: Economy

WASHINGTON, February 10, 2011 (AFP) – Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke fended off criticism that he is ignoring the risk of rising prices Wednesday, as he faced a hostile Republican-controlled panel in Congress. “We remain unwaveringly committed to price stability,” Bernanke told the House of Representatives budget committee, rejecting claims that rising prices for food […]

Feb 09, 2011 (LBO) – Rebuilding Sri Lanka’s irrigation infrastructure after recent record floods will cost 5. 0 billion rupees (45 million US dollars) to the tax payer, with most of the damage taken by canals, officials said. The head of Sri Lanka’s irrigation department GGA Godaliyadda said systems coming under his agency which oversees […]

Feb 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will expand its dam safety program to cover more large reservoirs and will ask for additional funding from the World Bank following recent floods, officials said. D C S Alakanda, who heads Sri Lanka’s Dam Safety and Water Resources Planning Project said the talks with World Bank to […]

Feb 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank held key interest rates unchanged at its monthly monetary policy meeting Tuesday, saying inflation was stable and food prices likely to fall when supply returns to normal. The bank is ready to take “appropriate measures” to ward off any increase in prices of key commodity imports […]

February 8, 2011 (AFP) – The United Nations said Tuesday that recent monsoon flooding in Sri Lanka had hit hundreds of thousands of victims who were forced from their homes just weeks ago. “The impact on people of this second wave of floods is even greater than the first in large part as peoples’ capacity […]

Feb 07, 2011 (LBO) – A large denomination banknote issued by Sri Lanka’s monetary authority is a testament to the recent high inflation created in the country, an economist and opposition lawmaker has said. Sri Lanka’s central bank issued a 5,000 rupee note, more than twice the value of 2,000 rupee, note also issued after […]

Feb 05, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has good prospects of sustaining economic growth between 7. 0 to 8.0 percent a year if the declared economic plan is implemented, an International Monetary Fund official said. The state has now unveiled a plan to stop living beyond its means by cutting deficits, which can keep interest […]

Feb 04, 2011 (LBO) – A flexible exchange rate that moves in both directions can ward off speculative capital flows by signaling the risk of capital losses, while also improving competitiveness, an International Monetary Fund official said. Policy rates in Sri Lanka are now on a 7.0 to 8.5 percent band compared to almost zero […]

KATARAGAMA, February 4, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse promised Friday to promote economic development at all costs to make up for opportunities lost during the country’s separatist war. In an address on the country’s 63rd anniversary of independence from Britain, Rajapakse said he would press ahead with infrastructure projects and double per […]

Feb 03, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has got 216. 6 million US dollars from the International Monetary Fund despite missing one key target and lack of data for another, with the lender banking on better budgeting and inflation control. The dollar reserves are more than enough to convert the entire rupee monetary base which […]

Feb 03, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka missed a foreign reserve target set in a deal with the International Monetary Fund due to an early repayment of a loan to Iran, IMF resident representative Koshy Mathai said. The government itself has no capacity to generate foreign exchange, except by borrowing and indebting future generations. Exports […]

Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – The United States said it was “deeply concerned” about the most recent attack on the media in Sri Lanka and said such violence silences voices, undermines freedom of expression and further undermines democracy. A total of 17 journalists and media employees have been killed in Sri Lanka in the past […]