Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka food freedoms under fresh threat: report
Dec 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister D M Jayaratne had asked for a complete ban on fruit imports and asked for the price of wheat flour to be increased to a level people “could not afford”, a media report said. Farmers in countries like Pakistan produce better quality fruits than in Sri […]
Sri Lanka airline ups business class with flatbeds
Dec 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run SriLankan Airlines has started a 15 million US dollar upgrade of its long-haul business class product with flatbeds and personalized entertainment system, officials said. The loss-making state carrier is to get a 100 million dollar injection from tax payers this year. The airline is hoping to break-even […]
Buying Point
Dec 08, 2011 (LBO) – GroupM, which operates the media investment units of WPP, the world™s largest advertising agency group by sales, has begun operations in Sri Lanka. GroupM will act as the central buying point for WPP media agencies, which are independent global operations in their own right, a statement said. There is no […]
Sri Lanka fish exports face slowdown in Western markets
Dec 08, 2011 (LBO) – Fish exports from Sri Lanka, which is trying to make the industry a key foreign exchange earner, are being affected by slowing demand in key Western markets, a top export promotion official said. But demand is expected to bounce back, said Janaka Ratnayaka, chairman of the Export Development Board (EDB). […]
Travel Banking
Dc 08, 2011 (LBO) – Commercial Bank has opened its first 24-hour outlet near Sri Lanka’s international airport at Katunayake, north of the capital, providing access to banking facilities to travellers. Services offered include exchange of foreign currency and encashment of travellers’ cheques, a statement said. They also include opening of accounts, payment of utility […]
Fast Berth
Dec 08, 2011 (LBO) – State-run Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) is building a 125 million US dollar berth in an expanded harbor in Colombo to fill a capacity gap until a Sino-Lanka joint venture comes on stream in 2014, an official said. Colombo International Container Terminal a joint venture between China Merchant Holdings and […]
Fast Travel
Dec 08, 2011 (LBO) – About 5,000 vehicles are using Sri Lanka’s first expressway, the southern expressway, each day on average, Ranjith Pemasiri, the chairman of the road development authority, said. Revenue earned on weekends is about three million rupees a day. The southern expressway, which opened last month, cost about 70 billion rupees to […]
Sri Lanka stocks flat
Dec 08, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan closed slightly weakener Thursday, staying just above the 6,000 point mark in thin trade, with prices of two firms which revealed fraud falling sharply, brokers said. There was a crossing or off-market private deal of 458,040 shares of Distilleries Company at 150 rupees each, the price at which […]
Sri Lankan companies get faster visas for UK visits
Dec 07, 2011 (LBO) – The British High Commission has launched a fast track visa pilot scheme for 20 selected companies in Sri Lanka which do regular business with the United Kingdom. Thomas Greig, Regional Director of the UK Border Agency said the UK Border Agency and UK Trade and Investment are working together to […]
Sri Lanka carrier plans Nepal, Bangladesh flights, Indian frequencies up
Dec 07, 2011 (LBO) – State-run Sri Lankan Airlines is planning flights to Nepal and Bangladesh in 2012 and is increasing frequencies to India from December 23, the carrier said in a statement. Flights to Chennai will increase to four frequencies a day or 28 a week, from December 23. “We are developing Colombo into […]
India may award oil blocks next March
NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (AsiaPulse) – The Indian government is likely to award oil and gas blocks offered for bidding in ninth round of New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) by March next year, eight months behind schedule. “Some blocks (offered in NELP-IX) were held up due to security issues. By March next year, most of […]
Fairmont eyes 40 hotels in India in five years
NEW DELHI, Dec 7 (AsiaPulse) – Hospitality firm Fairmont Hotels and Resorts plans to operate about 40 hotels in India in the next five years across its three brands — Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel. “In the next 5-6 years, our strategy is to operate up to six hotels under Raffles brand, about 8 to 12 […]