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Smooth Talk
The United States says it will revive talks on a free trade agreement (FTA) with Sri Lanka but will not remove the terrorist label from the LTTE.“We will revive our talks on the FTA,” said US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Christina Rocca, speaking to the House of Representatives Committee about US […]
Repair Job
Local transport authorities want to scrap the current system of private mass transport for a more service oriented and easy to monitor system. The National Transport Commission (NTC) says reliability of services of private buses has deteriorated, while idling buses, rivalry and accidents have increased.rn rnContrary to popular belief, even productivity in the private mass […]
Dead End?
Sri Lankas public utilities need regulating, the regulatory body is manned, trained and ready to go but has nothing to regulate.The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the countrys multi sector regulator, is up and about for almost one year now but cannot do its job.rn rnThe lack of political will to implement reforms […]
Talk Shop
Insurance consultant Chandra Fernando thought very little when he signed up for a Dialog GSM connection on March 30, 1995.The 54 year old Fernando recounts that he just walked into the Dialog Arcadia Shop out of curiosity, after hearing about the new GSM cellular network.rn rnHe said he was lured by a pretty sales girl […]
Lets Chat
The United States says it is keen to pursue a trade pact with Sri Lanka and agreed to meet in October to iron out issues.US Trade Representative, Robert B Zoellick told visiting Sri Lankan Trade Minister Jeyraj Fernandopulle that the TIFA process should be deepened to facilitate business and investment issues between the two countries.rn […]
Call Waiting
Sri Lanka Telecom has picked UBS Warburg and Standard Chartered Bank as arrangers to its upcoming US$ 100 mn bond issue.The five-year loan will carry a fixed interest rate. Mobitel will use up around 65 percent of the bond, and the balance spent to retire some of SLTs existing debts and roll out its network. […]
Blowing Cold
Is South Asia actually heading towards an area of free trade or towards free floating discussions for a never never land? SARRCs committee of experts met for a third round of discussions on taking the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) forward, earlier this month in Colombo.rn rnThe next round of talks is fixed for […]
Mobile Mania
With taxes slashed and handsets smuggled in, Sri Lanka is becoming a mobile phone paradise where even the islands prisons are awash with cell phones.With the price of handsets falling by about 35 percent this year, owning a mobile has never been so affordable in Sri Lanka, where vegetable vendors, taxi drivers and pavement hawkers […]
Wake Up
Sri Lankas top trade chambers have asked the government to wake up to the realities facing the economy and for legislators to stop misbehaving in parliament.The Joint Business Forum or JBiz, says while parliament remains adjourned to accommodate political campaigning for next months Provincial Council polls, legislators are blissfully unaware of lquote adverse international economic […]
Snapped Up
The Central Bank said Monday that it had accepted US$ 144.75 mn worth of two-year bids for the first tranche of the governments US$ 100 mn issue.The bank said it received bids worth US$ 182.25 mn, when the issue opened from June 15-18.rn rnThe offer was linked to the six month London interbank offered rate […]