Tag: news
Sri Lanka BOP surplus in 2010 US$900mn
Jan 04, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka expect to have had a balance of payments surplus of 900 million US dollars in 2010, Central Bank governor Nivard Cabraal said. Gross official foreign exchange reserves reached 6.6 billion US dollars by the end of 2010, he said in a speech outlining the central bank’s monetary policy […]
Sri Lanka aims for 8.5% growth in 2011
Jan 04, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is aiming for economic growth of 8.5 percent in 2011 after growing eight percent in 2010 and expects growth to accelerate to nine percent in 2012 and 9. 5 percent in 2013, central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said. Government recurrent expenditure is estimated to decrease to 16.1 percent […]
Sri Lanka rupee strength helps rein in inflation: CB
Jan 03, 2011 (LBO) – The strengthening of the Sri Lanka rupee helped rein in inflation which was kept at a mid-single digit level in 2010, the central bank said in a statement. The average domestic prices of wheat flour and milk powder decreased while the price of sugar increased compared to 2009. The Sri […]
Sri Lanka considers banning mini-skirts
January 3, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka said Monday it was considering banning mini-skirts following complaints about women wearing skimpy clothing in the conservative island nation. Last year, US singer Akon was denied a visa to perform in Sri Lanka after Buddhist monks took offence at one of his videos that featured women in bikinis […]
Sri Lanka government heads for mid-term test
January 1, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will hold its first nationwide local elections since the crushing of Tamil Tiger rebels, a minister said, with the mid-March vote seen as a key test for the ruling party. Political sources said the local election would be a key test of the government’s popularity as the country […]
Sri Lanka inflation 6.9-pct in December
Dec 31 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s inflation in December 2010 rose 6. 9 percent from a year earlier after rising 7. 0 percent in November, the central bank said. Prices rose 1.1 percent during the month with the index rising to 228.3 in December from 225.8 in November, it said in a statement. The […]
Sri Lanka gets US food aid for refugees
Dec 31, 2010 (LBO) – The United States has given Sri Lanka 5.5 million US dollars worth of emergency food aid to support the return of refugees displaced by the ethnic war in the north, a statement said. USAID, the development agency of the US government, has provided over 75 million dollars (8. 32 billion […]
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December 30, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka is to drop all remaining references to its British colonial name “Ceylon” from state institutions, a government spokesman said Thursday. The cabinet considered a proposal to rename the Ceylon Electricity Board and decided it should be extend to other official organisations, an information ministry official told AFP. “The […]
Sri Lanka warns US over allegations in WikiLeaks cables
December 21, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Tuesday warned the United States to exercise “circumspection” in diplomatic cables after a message released by WikilLeaks suggested Colombo had colluded with murderous paramilitary groups. External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris told US Ambassador Patricia Butenis that leaked US cables contained “glaring instances of allegations totally unwarranted by […]
Chemical Move
Dec 20, 2010 (LBO) – Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) has opened an office in Sri Lanka to which it supplies ethylene and polyethylene products mainly to the plastic industry, company officials said. QAPCO’s global marketing network comprises of 28 offices and six regional warehouses. “We’ll be marketing low density polyethylene to the Sri Lankan industry,” […]
Sri Lanka rights probe urged by US lawmakers
WASHINGTON, December 18, 2010 (AFP) – Dozens of US lawmakers on Friday urged a global probe into alleged rights violations by Sri Lanka in the last stages of its civil war, saying Colombo’s own efforts do not ensure accountability. In letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 17 senators and 30 members of the House […]
Sri Lanka denies move to ban national anthem in Tamil
December 13, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka denied on Monday plans to outlaw the singing of the national anthem in Tamil after the main minority party raised strong objections to the mooted ban. The status quo will remain, said public administration minister John Seneviratne, who is in charge of managing the code of conduct for […]