Author: lbostgadmin
Sri Lanka Treasury Secretary asked not to resign
July 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasury Secretary P B Jayasundera, who submitted his resignation to President Mahinda Rajapaksa after a court order faulted him over a privatization deal, has been asked to continue in his position.The court said Jayasundera had acted in collusion with the current JKH chairman, Susantha Ratnayake, a director of […]
Regional rivals to meet in Sri Lanka as Indo-Pak peace process hits bad times
July 29, 2008 (AFP) – The leaders of South Asian rivals India and Pakistan are to meet in Sri Lanka this week for their highest-level talks in 15 months and to see if they can hold together their embattled peace process. Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, who have fought three wars since partition in […]
Under-achievers India hope to turn the corner
NEW DELHI, July 29, 2008 (AFP) – India travel to the Olympics without their trademark field hockey team, but determined to prove they will not compete at Beijing just to make up the numbers. The hockey stars, India’s flag-bearers at past Olympics despite winning the last of their eight gold medals way back in 1980, […]
”s den
GALLE, July 29, 2008 (AFP) – India’s batting reputation will be at stake when they attempt to solve Sri Lanka’s spin puzzle in the second Test starting here on Thursday.The tourists collapsed twice in the opening match of the three-Test series in Colombo, losing by an innings and 239 runs on Saturday. Sri Lankan spinners […]
WTO talks enter tense endgame: officials
GENEVA, July 28, 2008 (AFP) – Talks to forge a new global trade pact teetered on the brink of collapse Tuesday as the World Trade Organization said the mood was “very tense” and major powers blamed each other for the deadlock.“The situation is very tense, things are finely balanced and the outcome is by no […]
‘s central bank hikes policy rate to 9.0-pct
MUMBAI, July 29, 2008 (AFP) – India’s central bank Tuesday raised its key short-term lending rate by half-a-percentage point in an aggressive bid to tame inflation riding at a 13-year high, pushing shares down sharply. Indian shares slumped 3.6 percent after the bank announced the hike in the repo rate, at which commercial banks borrow […]
BP profits jump as oil prices smash record highs
LONDON, July 29, 2008 (AFP) – British energy giant BP said on Tuesday that its net profit rallied by 28 percent to 9.47 billion dollars (6.02 billion euros) in the second quarter as oil prices surged to record highs. BP’s revenue soared by 49 percent to 111 billion dollars in the three months to June […]
Sri Lanka retail chains to charge customers for plastic bags
July 29, 2008 (LBO) – A group of Sri Lankan retail chains will start charging customers for shopping bags from August 01, as part of a campaign with the island’s environment protection office to cut plastic waste, a top retail chain said.Retail chains will also have cardboard boxes. Plastic bags which do not degrade early […]
Steady State
July 29, 2008 (LBO) – Fitch Sri Lanka has confirmed the ‘AAA(lka)’ long term rating of state-run National Savings Bank with a stable outlook but has said low interest rates offered by the bank are shrinking its market share. Though the bank has been making profits in the last few years by keeping deposit rates […]
Higher Skills
July 29, 2008 (LBO) – The Cranfield School of Management in the UK has offered a Master of Business Administration scholarship to any member of Sri Lanka’s three leading accountancy bodies.Cranfield MBA alumni from Sri Lanka include Hatton National Bank managing director Rajendra Theagarajah, senior vice president of WNS Arul Sivagananathan and Stretchline group financial […]
Better Travel
July 29, 2008 (LBO) – An efficient public transport system will help Sri Lanka reduce its fuel bill and curb environmental pollution, a top official from the National Transport Commission (NTC) said. Nearly 70 percent of the total fuel consumption per year is by private passenger vehicles which carry less than 30 percent of the […]
Sri Lanka stocks firm as AMW buyers mop up shares
July 29, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed higher Tuesday with the Dubai construction firm that took control of Associated Motorways (AMW) yesterday continuing to buy into the stock, brokers said. Associated Electrical Corporation (AEC), the controlling shareholder of AMW which sold out, fell 4.83 percent or 77.25 rupees to 1,522.50. The All Share […]