Tag: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka government 2009 budget bill to parliament on Oct 9
Aug 07, 2008 (LBO) – The appropriation bill for Sri Lanka’s budget for 2009 will be presented to parliament on October 9 for its first reading, the government said Thursday. The budget speech and second reading of the budget will be on November 6, a government spokesman said. The cabinet this week approved a proposal […]
” lawmaker
Aug 06, 2008 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan ruling party lawmaker who has earned notoriety for frequent attacks on the media appears to be above the law and police powerless to stop him, a media watch dog has said. The Free Media Movement (FMM) said in a statement that it was “outraged” to record the […]
” tax
Aug 05, 2008 (LBO) — Sri Lanka’s environmental protection office is hoping to collect up to 800 million rupees from a series of taxes charged on people who own cars, mobile phones, standard light bulbs and firms that use telecom transmission towers.The Central Environmental Authority (CEA) will also charge a two percent levy on top […]
Sri Lanka minister a challenge to law enforcement: media watchdog
Aug 05, 2008 (LBO) – The culture of impunity and the continued attacks against Sri Lanka’s media were condemned by the watchdog Free Media Movement, after a TV cameraman was assaulted by thugs while covering a state event.Controversial minister Mervyn Silva grabbed the camera of a Sirasa and MTV network cameraman, while goons surrounded him […]
Bubble Deflating?
SINGAPORE, August 5, 2008 (AFP) – World oil prices fell in Asian trade Tuesday as fears about slowing US demand outweighed the increasing likelihood of heightened tensions over Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, dealers said. The storm was not seen as a threat to oil installations but operators in the crucial US petroleum industry hub said […]
Sri Lanka political parties in joint call for media safeguards
Aug 04, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s major opposition political parties have backed calls for an end to government intimidation of the media and demanded it ensure the safety of journalists. Eleven political parties have signed a joint statement defending media freedom in Sri Lanka and requesting the authorities to safeguard media freedom and guarantee […]
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in Sri Lanka
Aug 1, 2008 (LBO) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh landed in Sri Lanka to attend the 15th Summit meeting of the South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation to be held in Colombo this weekend. The city has been under tight security pending the arrival of regional leaders. Prime minister Singh arrived in the island […]
Sri Lanka inflation slows to 26.6 percent in July
July 31, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka consumer inflation in the capital Colombo slowed to 26.6 percent in July 2008 from a record 28.2 percent in June, the government’s statistics office said. High inflation has also made it more expensive for companies to borrow. In the month of July prices rose 0.2 percent compared with […]
Australia, Myanmar as SAARC observers: Sri Lanka official
July 30, 2008 (LBO) – Australia and Myanmar would be admitted as observers of the South Asian Association of Regional Corporation (SAARC) at this year’s sessions, now underway in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo, an official said.Sri Lanka’s additional foreign secretary Prasad Kariawasam told reporters after a meeting of the so-called ‘standing committee’ of foreign […]
South Asian nations side-step regional trade pact amid frictions
July 30, 2008 (AFP) – South Asian leaders meeting in Sri Lanka this weekend will discuss improving commercial ties but political and other tensions have dampened hopes a regional free trade pact will be implemented any time soon, economists say. “It took the European Union 50 years to get the euro out. We’re still just […]
Regional rivals to meet in Sri Lanka as Indo-Pak peace process hits bad times
July 29, 2008 (AFP) – The leaders of South Asian rivals India and Pakistan are to meet in Sri Lanka this week for their highest-level talks in 15 months and to see if they can hold together their embattled peace process. Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, who have fought three wars since partition in […]
Rising inflation underscores Central Bank impotence: IMF
July 29, 2008 (LBO) – Rising inflation has made it difficult for mature market central banks to print their way out of the credit crisis, and emerging markets that continue to print money may find investors shunning them, the International Monetary Fund has said.In an update to its Global Financial Stability Report IMF said the […]