Tag: lbo
Grid Failure
Nov 15 (LBO) – Sri Lanka was blacked out for nearly two hours Wednesday as the national grid shut down during the even peak demand hour.Power failed in most parts of the island except areas like Jaffna which is isolated from the national grid and Trincomalee in the east, residents said.Power failed shortly after 7.30 […]
Sri Lanka plans war budget
Nov 15, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka plans to announce a war budget Thursday in which it will hike defence spending next year by 45 percent amid a spiralling conflict with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, officials say. However money sent by Sri Lankans working abroad grew by 23 percent to 1.73 billion dollars and helped […]
Sri Lanka says four Tigers killed amid artillery duels
Nov 14, 2006 (AFP) – At least four Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in a fire fight in eastern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said Tuesday as sporadic artillery duels raged elsewhere.A security force patrol confronted a group of Tiger rebels at a village in the district of Batticaloa on Monday and the four rebels […]
Britain to push Sri Lanka peace bid amid child soldier charge
Nov 14, 2006 (AFP) – A British envoy arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday in a bid to salvage a tottering peace process as the former British colony faced UN charges of recruiting child soldiers.British MP Paul Murphy held talks with Sri Lankan officials handling the Norwegian-backed peace process, officials said, adding he planned to […]
Body of slain Sri Lankan MP flown to Jaffna for cremation
Nov 14, 2006 (AFP) – The body of assassinated Tamil legislator Nadarajah Raviraj was flown Tuesday to his home constituency of Jaffna for cremation the following day.Raviraj, 44, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen as he drove to work in Colombo on Friday morning.He was the second member of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to […]
Sri Lankans brace for high growth and high inflation
November 14, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may have to settle for high inflation in the coming months as the government is keen to keep up the high economic growth momentum, treasury secretary P B Jayasundara said Tuesday. Though the budget will announce measures to contain demand pressure, it may not go as far as […]
Sri Lanka faces child soldier charge as Britain tries to save peace
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – The United Nations accused Sri Lanka Monday of recruiting child soldiers to battle Tiger rebels as Britain moved to help save a crumbling peace process.Even as mourners protested the assassination of a moderate Tamil legislator, a top UN official issued a scathing attack on government security forces, accusing them for […]
British to push for Sri Lanka peace
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former colonial ruler Britain will send a special envoy to the island Tuesday to help salvage a tattered peace process, diplomats said.British MP Paul Murphy will meet with Sri Lankan leaders during a three-day visit and share his experience of the Northern Ireland peace process, the British High […]
Eight killed in Sri Lanka in fresh violence
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – At least four Sri Lankan soldiers and four Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in separate violence in the island’s embattled northeast, the defence ministry said Tuesday.Three soldiers were killed when Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a bomb in the northern district of Vavuniya on Tuesday, the ministry said, adding that another […]
Sri Lanka steps up security ahead of protest over assassination
Nov 13, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s police stepped up already tight security in the capital Monday ahead of a mass protest over the assassination of a moderate Tamil legislator and growing rights abuses, officials said.Several major roads in the city were closed and vehicle inspections intensified as anti-war demonstrators prepared to stage a march […]
’07 budget may lift taxes, foreign borrowing
November 10, 2006 (Dow Jones)–The Sri Lankan government is likely to lift taxes and increase foreign borrowing in its 2007 budget in a bid to meet bloated defense costs and fund large development projects, say analysts. They expect the budget deficit next year at 7.5%-8.0% of gross domestic product, down from an expected 9% this […]
Sri Lankan markets jittery as bullets fly ahead of next week’s budget
November 10, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lankan share prices are breaking records amidst flying bullets, but financial markets are uneasy that the government may use next Thursday’s budget to tax capital gains, analysts said. One of Asia’s best performing indexes, the island’s tiny stockmarket is up over 30 percent since January, largely on deal making […]