Sri Lanka coal plant to cut oil imports

Mar 21, 2011 (LBO) – The commissioning of a coal power plant this week can reduce oil imports to Sri Lanka while also helping strengthen the finances of Ceylon Electricity Board, the state power utility. “That will reduce total oil bill,” Cabraal said. Oil is an important intermediate good for economic activity, fueling both transport […]

Quake, tsunami could cost Japan $235 billion: World Bank

SINGAPORE, March 21, 2011 (AFP) – The massive quake and tsunami of March 11 could cost Japan’s economy up to $235 billion, or 4.0 percent of output, but reconstruction will spur recovery later this year, the World Bank said Monday. “If history is any guide, real GDP growth will be negatively affected through mid-2011,” the […]

” energy subsidies end up in national debt

Mar 20, 2011 (LBO) – Several years of accumulated ‘off-budget’ energy subsidies have now come home to roost in the Sri Lanka’s national debt, laying bare a tangled web of state energy price manipulation and budgeting. Sri Lanka’s Treasury, the agency that collects taxes from the people and also issues debt against future taxes collectable […]

Sri Lankans vote for rebuilding: president

March 19, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president said Saturday his party’s landslide victory in local elections was an endorsement of the government’s focus on rebuilding rural areas after decades of civil war. Results showed that Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom Alliance swept 205 of the 234 councils that went to the polls Thursday, the first […]

Sri Lankans vote for rural rebuilding: president

March 19, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president said Saturday his party’s landslide victory in local elections was an endorsement of the government’s focus on rebuilding rural areas after decades of civil war. The Tamil National Alliance, a party of minority Tamils, won 12 councils after fielding candidates in the island’s former war zones. The […]

Sri Lanka equities could be buffeted by Japan fallout: brokerage

Mar 17, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s economy may not be much affected by the devastation in Japan in the short term but a global fallout may impact commodity prices and capital flows, analysts and officials said. “The direct impact of the Japanese natural disaster on the Sri Lanka economy should be small,” Heraymila Securities […]

Sri Lanka investors get fast track to settle in Britain

Mar 17, 2011 (LBO) – New visa rules will allow investors and entrepreneurs who invest large sums of money or create jobs and “exceptionally talented migrants” to settle permanently in the UK faster, a statement said. The move is an effort to lure the wealthy and brainy from other countries like India to help the […]

Sri Lanka moves against child labour

Mar 17, 2011 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government plans to allocate more funds to a campaign to eliminate the worst forms of child labour by 2016, a statement said. “The funds will be used to train duty bearers, raise awareness and promote behavioural change amongst communities vulnerable to the worst forms of child labour.” […]

Australian PM defends boat people riot response

SYDNEY, March 16, 2011 (AFP) – Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday defended the police reaction to riots at the remote Christmas Island detention centre after “bean-bag bullets” and tear gas was used. The facility, which houses some 2,539 boat people, has been hit by a series of disturbances this week involving hundreds of […]

Sri Lankans to apply for Indian visas online

Mar 16, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankans travelling to India will be required to apply for visas online from March 25, the Indian High Commission said in a statement. “Henceforth, applicants will be required to apply online at www.indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa,” it said. Applicant will be required to download the filled-in application, sign and submit it with […]

Sri Lanka inflation stumps markets

Mar 16, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s rising inflation and negative real rates have stumped markets with bond liquidity vanishing, quotes widening and forward dollar premiums doubling amid uncertainty and lack of direction, dealers said. The weighted average prime lending rate has also started to move up slightly to 9.25 percent in the week ending […]

Fresh riot by asylum seekers on Australian island

SYDNEY, March 15, 2011 (AFP) – Australia’s remote Christmas Island detention centre was hit by a second night of riots on Tuesday, with up to 200 asylum seekers destroying closed-circuit television cameras. It followed a “significant and serious incident” on Monday when police used tear gas to quell a protest of 300 detainees. “We saw […]

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