All Blogs
Graft Block
July 6, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan civil society has developed an action plan to counter corruption with help from USAID’s Anti-Corruption Program (ACP), the United States embassy in Colombo said. The embassy says the draft plan identifies priority actions to be taken by various constituencies including government, the private sector, civil society, media, and […]
Tech Tour
July 06, 2007 (LBO) – A delegation from Sri Lanka’s information technology companies will attend the IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) summit in India to gain insights on developing the trade, Sri Lanka’s ICT Agency said. ICTA – a state agency – plans to lead the delegation to the NASSCOM IT-BPO Strategy Summit 2007 […]
‘s money printing rate hits 5.75 percent
LONDON, July 5, 2007 (AFP) – The Bank of England raised its key interest rate by a quarter-point to 5.75 percent on Thursday, the highest level for more than six years, in a bid to dampen British inflation. The BoE’s move to hike the cost of borrowing for the fifth time since August 2006 had […]
Tobacco giant tries research trick in Asia
SEOUL, July 6, 2007 (AFP) – South Korean health campaigners Friday criticised three university hospitals for accepting more than one million dollars from a US tobacco giant for research into smoking. “I don’t think my research will be used by the tobacco company to boost sales. I believe anti-smoking groups are protesting my research because […]
‘t buy cars so fast, pleads Chinese mayor
BEIJING, July 6, 2007 (AFP) – The mayor of one of China’s showpiece economic cities has urged his 11 million residents to stop buying cars in a bid to ease worsening traffic and pollution woes, state media reported Friday. The booming southern city of Shenzhen, just across from the border from Hong Kong, now has […]
Bangladesh go down fighting as Sri Lanka clinch series
July 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka saw off a record stand between two young Bangladesh batsmen to win the second cricket Test by an innings and 90 runs with two days to spare on Thursday. Bangladesh, trailing by 389 runs in the first innings, were bowled out for 299 in the final session of […]
‘t Open
July 06, 2007 (LBO) – Opening up Sri Lanka’s electricity sector to foreign competition under international free trade rules that are being negotiated could be dangerous, a senior engineer has warned. Commitments Sri Lanka might make under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), a multinational agreement covering trade in services, could be irrevocable, […]
Sri Lankan apparel to get wider access to Indian market
July 06, 2007 (LBO) – India has agreed to lift restrictions relating to fabric origins on duty free Sri Lankan apparel exports to the sub-continent market in the latest trade talks between the two neighbours, a senior official said. “Now apparel exporters to India can source their fabric requirements from anywhere,” Manel de Silva, Director-General […]
Sri Lanka central bank to retail treasuries
July 05, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank will use its regional offices to sell government securities to rural investors, the bank said, as real returns on treasuries are turning positive in a market that has been shaken with a series of aborted auctions.The bank runs the government’s debt office as an agency function […]
Retail Collection
July 05, 2007 (LBO) – HSBC has tied up with Singer Sri Lanka, a household durables firm, to use its network of outlets to collects payments for credit card bill payments for cardholders outside the capital. HSBC customers can use 162 Singer outlets throughout the island to pay settle their bills. “Our intention was to […]