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Sri Lanka Dilshan attributes run rush to positional switch
CENTURION, September 23, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka hero Tillakaratne Dilshan says switching from the middle to top order has helped develop him into a fearsome run machine.He scored 106 to set his country up for a surprise 55-run victory over hosts South Africa at SuperSport Park on Tuesday in the opening match of the […]
Sri Lanka under pressure from rights groups over war refugees
September 23, 2009 (AFP) – Human rights groups urged world leaders Wednesday to pressure Sri Lanka over the immediate resettlement of quarter of a million war-displaced civilians held in state-run camps.New York-based Human Rights Watch said the upcoming UN general assembly as well as the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh should address the plight of […]
Sri Lanka IMF document suppressed by government decision: official
Sept 23, 2009 (LBO) – Detailed International Monetary Fund documents showing the underlying basis for a stand-by loan to Sri Lanka have not been released by a decision of the island’s government, an official said.A storm has brewing in Sri Lanka over the suppression of IMF documents. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, from the Point Pedro Institute of […]
Sri Lanka shares down on profit taking
Sept 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks fell Tuesday dragged down mainly by heavyweight Sri Lanka Telecom and banks as investors took profits from the rally in prices in recent weeks, brokers said.“The market came down mainly due to profit taking,” said Hatangala. “We saw prices dropping in banking stocks and SLT.” SLT closed […]
Bharti sweetens offer for MTN deal: report
NEW DELHI, September 22, 2009 (AFP) – India’s top mobile firm Bharti Airtel has offered a range of new concessions to South Africa’s MTN in order to seal a tie-up, a report said Tuesday.“Bharti Airtel is making a slew of last-minute concessions to sew up a deal with MTN as it awaits a political push […]
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Sept 22, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said it has upgraded Sri Lanka HNB Assurance’s (HNBA) National Long-term rating to ‘A(lka)’ from ‘A-(lka)’ with a stable outlook. Concurrently, Fitch has affirmed HNBA’s National Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) rating at ‘A(lka)’. “The upgrade of HNBA’s National Long-term rating reflects mainly the implicit capital, franchise and distribution […]
Sri Lanka airport taxis: A paradise of rent-seekers
Sept 22, 2009 (LBO) – Rent-seeking, the use of one’s time, knowledge and efforts to earn an income which is not directly contributory to the national wealth, has been frowned upon by economists for many decades. Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University economist, branded India’s economy as a paradise for rent-seekers when India had everything under control, […]
Sri Lanka economic revival better than expected: IMF
Sept 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s economic revival is better than originally expected when the International Monetary Fund approved a stand by loan, and tax revenues are improving, a review mission said in Colombo. The IMF was originally expecting 3.0 percent growth for the island for 2009 but has revised it up to 3.5 […]
Sri Lanka lawmakers fiscally clueless: legal activist
Sept 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s parliament lacked a permanent fiscal affairs committee paving the way for “mythical” budgets and lawmakers lacked capacity and research to constructively probe public spending and bodies, a legal activist has said. “Take, for example, the parliamentary oversight committee, COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) tasked with dealing with all […]
Sri Lanka plantations demand delayed tax refunds as wages rise
Sept 21, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s plantations industry is demanding that the government settle long-delayed tax refunds to help bear the cost of a wage hike estimated at an extra six billion rupees a year.Damitha Perera, chairman of the Planters’ Association, which represents the industry, said repayment of value-added tax refunds and disbursement of […]