"The government has taken various new steps to check the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in southern part of the country. The government has declared LTTE as a terrorist organization under the provisions of the unlawful activities (prevention) act," junior Interior Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal told Indian Parliament Wednesday.

He said a three-tier system of coastal patrolling and protection by the Indian navy, coast guard and Coastal Security Group of Tamil Nadu state was operating to check possible intrusion of militants and smuggling of contraband by the LTTE. More... Discuss this story Published: Wed Feb 27 22:28:10 EST 2008

Consumer prices in the capital Colombo rose 19.5 percent from a year earlier, after gaining 20.8 percent in January, according to the median estimate of nine analysts in a Bloomberg News survey. The statistics department will release the data tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Colombo.

Sri Lanka's central bank last week kept its benchmark interest rate at 10.5 percent, the second highest in Asia, for a 12th straight meeting in a bid to cool inflation without jeopardizing economic growth. Governor Nivard Cabraal is trying to revive the island's $27 billion economy, after growth slowed to an estimated 6.7 percent in 2007 from 7.4 percent in 2006, amid renewed civil war. More... Discuss this story Published: Wed Feb 27 22:31:08 EST 2008

Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Chariman Kingsley Ranawake, who negotiated the deal, told Arab News that the Saudi officials were cooperative in completing the exit procedures quickly.

“Most of these maids, who have been in the camp for more than three months, were victims of nonpayment of salaries, harassments and torture,” Ranawake said, pointing out that they were in detention for a considerable time for no fault of theirs. More... Discuss this story Published: Wed Feb 27 22:32:44 EST 2008