Author: lbostgadmin
Back To The Wheel
The government has scrapped reform plans for utilities like electricity, petroleum and water.rnA donor funded government agency Public Interest Program Unit (PIPU) setup to speed up reforms will be wound-up at the end of the month.rn rnThe agency helped set up the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), a multi sector regulator that is ready to regulate […]
Naked Truth
Visiting Singaporean Premier asked Sri Lanka to come up with an overall competitive package and not just incentives, if it wants to lure foreign investors.“Sri Lanka is a good place to invest in, but it is not the only place,” Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, told a gathering of local business people in Colombo on […]
Purring Off
Lion Air is swapping its large Avro aircraft for a smaller Shorts plane as it scrambles to stay afloat amidst falling passenger numbers.The airline presently shares the domestic aviation market with Expo Aviation and Serendib Air.rn rnWhen the government re-opened the domestic aviation sector, Lion Air and Expo Aviation were among the first to offer […]
Recycling Debt
The Central Bank says it will re-issue Rs. 7 bn worth of two-year treasury bonds and Rs.44,837 mn in treasury bills to the debt market, as part of its borrowing programme for July.Of the Rs. 46,837 bn worth of treasury bills maturing, the bank has opted to re-issue only Rs.44,837 bn worth of paper. The […]
Going Blue
Sri Lanka may have missed the bus with the green revolution, but the blue can work in the islands favour, say local scientists. With hungry mouths increasing faster than food production, the world is looking to a lquote blue revolution to provide some of the solutions.rn rn”Most scientists are now of the opinion the green […]
Not Their Style
The Freedom Alliance Government says recent security scares are not the LTTEs style, but suspect other interested parties working to frighten citizens and foreign investors. Media spokesperson and Minister of Shipping and Aviation Mangala Samaraweera told reports on Thursday that recent security scares are more of a conspiracy to create a fear psychosis within the […]
Hideaway
Sri Lankas government admitted Thursday that somernmilitary personnel supported and possibly sheltered a renegade rebel leaderrndespite Tamil Tiger warnings that such acts would damage efforts to end thernislands 19-year civil war.rnIn March, rebel leader Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, also known asrnKaruna, broke away from the main Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam faction,rntaking with him 6,000 of the separatist […]
Harvesting Time
Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd. may reap substantially higher revenue if an international call routing agreement with Indias Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. takes effect, Asia Securities said in a research report Thursday.Earnings for the fixed-line operator could increase by at least Rs.500 mn in 2004 if Bharat Sanchar Nigam makes use of the international call routing […]
Chug Chug
The Transport Ministry is going on reverse gear, repelling the Railways Authority Act and replacing it with fresh legislation.Transport Minister Felix Perera told Lanka Business Online that Cabinet on Wednesday had given him the go ahead to repeal the Railway Authority Act and introduce new legislation.rn rnThe new Act will look to revert to the […]
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 […]
Big Jump
Sri Lankas import bill for April overtook the countrys export revenues, despite higher earnings from money spinners like apparels and tea, the Central Bank said Wednesday.Trade deficit for April widened for US$ 259 mn from US$ 230 mn, as foreign inflows from tourism, ports, private transfers and net inflows of portfolio investments eased the pressure […]
Hard Landing
Sri Lankas economic growth is expected to have fallen sharply in the first quarter of 2004 from the previous three months, as the services sector suffered from the islands political turmoil.The average estimate of several economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires put first quarter GDP growth at 5.2% on year, down from 6.9% in the […]