Rate War

Sept 07, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Telecom, the island’s dominant fixed line operator, said it was offering lower rates and discounts in new subscriber packages amid intensifying competition among phone companies.Existing SLT customer switching to new packages will be charged a transfer fee while those sticking to their ‘Home’ and ‘Business’ standard packages will […]

Cost Management

Sept 07, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank is cutting costs and focusing on recoveries to put the bank back on a stronger financial footing, members of an interim board appointed by the regulator said. At bank level gross loans were 101.8 billion and bad loans were 32.1 billion rupees. Seylan reported 187.8 million […]

Freight Costs

Sept 07, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shippers say they will resist efforts by international shipping lines to raise freight rates this month at a time of over-capacity by switching to smaller lines if necessary.Global lines led by Maersk, the world’s biggest container carrier, have announced rate hikes from September 1. CMA CMG and Evergreen […]

Sri Lankan shares close 1.66-pct up

Sep 07, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed up almost across the board Monday as retail investors bet heavily on hotel stocks, while strategic investors bought into high value counters such as Commercial Bank, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) was up 1.66 percent (43.78 points) to close at 2,674.55 […]

Sri Lanka roads closed to keep economy stable

Sep 06, 2009 (LBO) – Some of Sri Lanka’s roads will remain closed despite the end of a 30-year civil war to prevent a post-Soviet style collapse of the economy, the island’s prime minister told Thai investors. “It is true the ongoing battle is over but we are still unearthing and finding various things that […]

Sri Lanka expels UN official over war comments

September 6, 2009 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan government said on Sunday it had ordered a senior United Nations official to leave the country over comments he made about the recently ended war against Tamil Tiger separatist rebels. James Elder, spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), appeared regularly on foreign television news channels […]

Suzuki Motor to build new auto plant in India: report

TOKYO, September 5, 2009 (AFP) – Japan’s Suzuki Motor Corp.plans to build a new plant in India in 2011 in a bid to meet growing demand for cars in the country, a newspaper reported on Saturday. The manufacturer of small cars and motorcycles plans to invest about 30 billion yen (323 million dollars) in construction […]

India promises 10-billion-dollar bond purchase: IMF

WASHINGTON, September 5, 2009 (AFP) – The International Monetary Fund on Saturday hailed India’s pledge to buy 10 billion dollars worth of IMF bonds, as top emerging economies pressed for a greater say in running the global economy.“I welcome the announcement by India of its intention to support the Fund’s lending capacity through the purchase […]

‘s budget airlines leave rivals in vapour stream

MUMBAI, September 6, 2009 (AFP) – India’s low-cost airlines are set to go from strength to strength as they grab market share from ailing premier carriers such as Air India, whose debts and losses continue to pile up, experts say.Big airlines such as Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Air India are being hit by falling revenues […]

Bank Issue

Sept 06, 2009 (LBO) – A 54.2 million sale of fresh voting shares in Sri Lanka’s Seylan Bank to raise 1.9 billion rupees, after it was put under new management by regulators, has attracted the interest of foreign funds, a top official said. The Ceylinco group controlled the bank through its own shares as well […]

New Zealand embarrass Sri Lanka again in T20

September 4, 2009 (AFP) – Daniel Vettori’s New Zealand recorded their second Twenty20 success over Sri Lanka in three days with a 22-run victory on Friday that helped them sweep the two-match series. Bond removed the in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan with his fifth ball, caught at deep square leg, before Kyle Mills dismissed Mahela Udawatte and […]

Sri Lanka strengthens navy to deter overseas threats

Sept 05, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s navy commissioned 90 officers and an offshore patrol vessel last weekend as it continues to expand, having defeated the powerful Tamil Tiger naval wing.Senior defence officials said the navy’s future focus will be on protecting the island’s ocean resources and patrolling the surrounding seas to ensure terrorism, which […]

Page 1751 of 3054