Sri Lanka, May 1 -- The consumer inflation measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI) jumped in April as the higher fuel prices caused by the war in Iran fed quickly through the rest of the economy sending the prices of almost everything higher.

As a result the inflation in the Colombo district came in at 5.4 percent from a year ago, more than twice from the 2.2 percent in March.

With the jump in prices in April, the inflation is now above the Central Bank's medium term target of 5.0 percent which was earlier expected for the second half of this year.

But the war in Iran and the resulting price increases quickened the pace of prices than the earlier expected.

The prices measured monthly too rose sharply by 3.0 percent from a...