Author: lbostgadmin
Double Profits
May 23, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-run Bank of Ceylon’s profits for March 2009 quarter rose 106 percent to 957 million rupees, with foreign exchange gains and interest income from high yielding government securities. Bank of Ceylon’s deposits grew 5.1 percent to 332 million from December 2008 to March 2009. Group gross assets grew […]
Deck Hands
May 23, 2009 (LBO) –Sri Lanka’s ministry of port’s and aviation has signed an agreement with the government of Japan to recognize the certification of the island’s seafarers. The move will provide opportunities for Sri Lankan to work on Japanese flagged ships in future, the government’s Cabinet office said. At the signing of the agreement, […]
Sri Lanka loan to be approved in “coming weeks”: IMF
May 22, 2009 (LBO) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not yet scheduled a meeting of its board to pass a loan to Sri Lanka but the lender was hoping to give the loan in “the coming weeks”, an official said. “I think that’s something that we’re reviewing right now,” Kelly told reporters in […]
”: Central Bank
May 22, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank said a cut in the country’s rating outlook by Standard & Poor’s was “outrageous, arbitrary and biased” and the county will “be compelled to review its relationship” with the rating agency. S&P cut the outlook on Sri Lanka’s speculative ‘B’ rating to ‘negative’ from ‘stable’ citing […]
Sri Lanka IMF loan under review after war: US
May 22, 2009 (LBO) – An International Monetary Fund loan to Sri Lanka is under review and the international community needs to make an assessment of the post-conflict situation in the island, US state department spokesman Ian Kelly has said. Kelly said Clinton had spoken to UN chief Ban Ki-Moon about his trip to Sri […]
US calls for reconciliation, access to refugee camps
WASHINGTON, May 21, 2009 (AFP) – The United States pressed Sri lanka Thursday to lift restrictions on access to refugee camps in a strip of land where government forces this week crushed a three-decade-old Tamil insurgency. “We urge the government to allow the ICRC, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the UN immediate […]
Top UN official visits Tamil refugee camps: UN
UNITED NATIONS, May 21, 2009 (AFP) – A senior UN official was allowed to visit camps in Sri Lanka housing refugees from intense fighting that earlier this week ended in the defeat of a 30-year-old Tamil insurgency. Vijay Nambiar, chief of staff of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, visited camps around Vavuniya that are housing […]
UN chief to urge humanitarian access in Sri Lanka
May 22, 2009 (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon was due to land in Sri Lanka later Friday on a 24-hour mission to press its government for unfettered humanitarian access to an estimated 250,000 civilians displaced by conflict.The secretary general was expected in the evening ahead of talks Saturday with President Mahinda Rajapakse and Foreign […]
India seeks death certificate of Tamil Tiger leader: official
NEW DELHI, May 21, 2009 (AFP) – India on Thursday asked Sri Lanka to provide the death certificate for Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, a foreign ministry official told AFP. The separatist rebel chief, who was reported killed by Sri Lankan forces earlier this week, was wanted in India for planning the 1991 assassination of […]
Sri Lanka lost over 6,200 troops to beat Tigers: report
May 22, 2009 (AFP) – More than 6,200 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and nearly 30,000 wounded in security forces’ final offensive to completely defeat Tamil Tiger separatists, state television reported Friday. Rajapakse, who is also President Mahinda Rajapakse’s brother, said a total of 23,790 military men and women had been killed since 1981. He […]
Sri Lanka president dismisses threat of war crimes charges
May 22, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday brushed off calls for an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by government troops in their offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.“There are some who tried to stop our military campaign by threatening to haul us before war crimes tribunals,” Rajapakse said in a […]
Tele Rating
May 22, 2009 (LBO) – Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it has lowered its outlook on Sri Lanka Telecom’s (SLT) rating to negative from stable while confirming its ‘B+’ corporate credit rating and long-term senior unsecured debt rating. The rating action was made in step with S&P’s lowering of Sri Lanka’s sovereign rating to […]