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ஜனாதிபதி முன்னிலையில் ஒன்பது Qatar உடன்படிக்கைகள் கைச்சாத்து

வீரகேசரி இணையம் 1/16/2012 6:28:43


உத்தியோகபூர்வ விஜயமொன்றை மேற்கொண்டு இலங்கைக்கு வந்துள்ள Qatar - கட்டார் எமிர் ஷேக்
ஹமாட் பின் கலீபா அல் தானிக்கும் ஜனாதிபதி மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷவுக்குமிடையில் இன்று காலை கலந்துரையாடலொன்று இடம்பெற்றுள்ளதாக ஜனாதிபதி செயலகம் விடுத்துள்ள அறிக்கையில் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

இக்கலந்துரையாடலின் பின்னர் இரு நாடுகளுக்குமிடையில் ஜனாதிபதி முன்னிலையிலேயே ஒன்பது புரிந்துணர்வு ஒப்பந்தங்கள் கைச்சாத்திடப்பட்டுள்ளதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

உயர்கல்வி மற்றும் விஞ்ஞான ஆய்வுகளுக்கான புரிந்துணர்வு ஒப்பந்தம், பொருளாதார வர்த்தகம் உட்பட ஏனைய உடன்படிக்கைகளிலும் கையெழுத்திடப்பட்டுள்ளதாகத் தெரியவருகின்றது.

Company to formed by Army to undertake projects

Army Company!

Thursday, 19 January 2012 04:40

Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said that the Army will form a separate company within its management to carryout development and construction projects at a low cost by following the tender procedure of the government.

He said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has also given the directions and the necessity to form a separate institution in the army for this purpose.

“A committee has been set up to come up with proposals in establishing an institution of this sort,” he said. But it is more likely to come out as a separate directorate within the Army.

The Army has also able to save more than Rs.300 million to the government by carrying out such projects ranging from constructing houses to road construction projects, the Commander said.

Currently the Army engineers supported by a large number of soldiers from every regiment are engaged in a large number of infrastructure projects implemented by the government in all parts of the country mainly in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

They are engaged in road construction projects in Trincomalee and Batticaloa. A large number of bridges, buildings, playgrounds and parks are also being built by the Army.

The Army was also involved in certain aspects in the construction of the Suriyawewa International Cricket Stadium while the Diyagama Sports Stadium was also constructed by the Army. (Supun Dias)

Sri Lanka at risk from global slowdown: World Bank

LBO>>Economy
Rising Risk
19 Jan, 2012 07:21:35

Sri Lanka at risk from global slowdown: World Bank

Sri Lanka's post-war economic rebound is slowing and financial problems in key Western markets could reduce demand for the island's exports and hit earnings from worker remittances and tourism, the World Bank said.

It has also lowered its forecast for economic growth in the island, saying Sri Lanka is now expected to grow at 6.8 percent in 2012 and 7.7 percent in 2013. Earlier this month, Sri Lanka's central bank said Sri Lanka's
economy is projected to grow at 8.0 percent in 2012 after having grown at about 8.3 percent in 2011. The forecast was lowered from the earlier forecast of nine percent in 2012.

The World Bank said in a new report on global economic prospects that the global slowdown has been taking its toll on South Asia, with merchandise export volumes which had been growing very strongly in the first part of 2011, declining almost as quickly in the second half.

" . . . year-over-year exports in October are broadly unchanged from a year ago," it said.
"A deepening of the Euro Area crisis would lead to weaker exports, worker remittances and capital inflows to South Asia," the World Bank said.

"The EU-27 countries account for a significant share of South Asia merchandise export markets, although not as much as for some developing regions."

Moreover, the bank said, export financing from Europe, an important component of the region‟s trade credit, is particularly vulnerable to drying up, as was the experience during the 2008 financial crisis.

"At the country level, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka are particularly exposed to a downturn in European demand for merchandise," the World Bank said. "With respect to services, tourism sectors could be especially hard hit in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, although greater diversification (with booming arrivals from Asia) should provide a buffer.

However, the World Bank noted that there could be some "countercyclical benefits" for goods exporters - the so-called 'Walmart effect' - for some sectors such as for Bangladesh's garment industry.

The bank also said that a slowdown in global activity would likely translate into lower oil prices that would ease pressures on current account and fiscal balances for the oil import-dependent nations like Sri Lanka.

"Worker remittances inflows could slow markedly through second round effects of weakened domestic demand in migrant host-countries, largely located in the Arabian Gulf," the report warned.

Worker remittances inflows were the equivalent to 7 percent of  GDP in 2010.

"Despite a waning of the post-conflict rebound effects, GDP in Sri Lanka is estimated to have grown 7.7 percent in the 2011 calendar year, slightly below the 2010 pace of 8 percent," the report said.

"While growth was strong at the start of 2011, a deceleration became apparent in the second half of the year, on heightened uncertainty and weakening external demand, as reflected in a modest slowdown in industrial production growth." Given the possibility of further weakening in the global economy, efforts at greater revenue mobilization particularly in countries like Sri Lanka could pay dividends by allowing governments to maintain critical social and infrastructure programs, the World Bank said.

Governments should also look at further improving the targeting of its safety nets and capacity to respond to a crisis to improve efficiency of social safety net programs, it said.

"With markets in the United States and Europe expected to experience prolonged weakness, South Asian countries have the opportunity to re-think and pursue new sources of growth for their countries," the World Bank said.

Sri Lanka News Debrief - 19.01.2012