Author: lbostgadmin
Gone
An electoral candidate was shot dead in Eastern Sri Lanka Monday in the first political killing in the run up to parliamentary polls in April, police said.A gunman stormed a hospital in the town of Batticaloa and fired at Sinnathamby Sunderapillai who was receiving treatment for gunshot injuries suffered in an attack on Saturday, police […]
Bigger Capacity
Dubai based Emirates Airlines said Monday, that it was adding five new services to Colombo in March, substantially increasing seat and cargo capacity to and from the Indian Ocean island.The new services routed Dubai-Colombo-Male-Dubai commence March 20 and will bring the total number of services operated by the airline to Colombo to 22 a week.rn […]
Success Secrets
An expert on fiscal federalism says knowing when and how to change state institutions according to changing needs is essential for a government to be successful. Robert Inman, a Professor from University of Pennsylvania said that successful democracies should be capable of responding to changing realities of economy and people.rn rnldblquote Federal system is a […]
On the back of IT
Leading IT companies including Oracle, Sun Microsystems and Intel are planning to open offices here on the back of one opened by Microsoft, a top bureaucrat told LBR.Three large call center projects are also slated for launch within next two months, one a captive center for a top insurance firm and two by leading Business […]
Labours Love Lost
Free trade zone employees, at the end of the supply chain are under increasing pressure to keep costs down as retailers and brand owners offload costs and risks to the supply chain. Governments competing to attract investment and boost exports according to the report is putting further pressure on workers at the bottom of the […]
Chartered Standards
Institute of Charted Accountants is working on two new accounting standards to improve disclosure and measurement of complex financial instruments, at the heart of spectacular bankruptcies in the US.Accountants say these two standards modeled on IAS 32 and 39 will make reporting on derivatives more transparent.rn rnThe complex nature of derivative and other financial instrument […]
Precautious Bank
Peoples Bank provided a massive Rs. 1.7 bn for its property portfolio to comply in advance with a new Central Bank ruling.Provisions for bad debts by banks are made after deducting the value of the collateral for the loan.rn rnUnder the new mandatory haircuts announced by the regulator, banks will only be allowed to setoff […]
Yes Prime Minister
Confident of 113 seats in the bag, the Freedom Alliance is now working on strategies to push the number above 120.Winning the April poll is among the remaining chances President Kumaratunga has to extend her term in power, which technically end in 2005 November.rn rnIn theory, if the Executive Presidency is abolished after an Alliance […]
Gaping Hole
rnrn Inrnthe 2004 pre-election budget report, the Treasury says handouts for drought costrnRs. 900 mn, transport sector Rs. 1.8 bn, backward wages for the health sectorrnRs.1.7 bn and Rs. 800 mn for a snap poll.rn Inrnaddition to that, a further Rs. 1.5 bn has been doled out since last November,rnto cushion import prices of oil, […]
Buffer Stock
Sri Lankas gross official foreign exchange reserves stood a provisional US$ 2.33 bn, up 37.0 percent from US$ 1.70 bn in December 2002, the Central Bank said Friday. rnrn rn rn rn End Dec. 2003rn US$ bn rn rn End Dec. 2002rn US$ bn rn % Change rn rn rn Gross Official Reserves rn 2.33 […]
High Jump
Mobile operator Celltel Lanka signed up for a US$ 21 mn syndicated loan to deploy its network islandwide by August.Under the fifth phase, Celltels GSM network will add 85 new coverage sites and increase present coverage by 250 percent.rn rnldblquote We will have coast to coast coverage, with capacity to add a new switching system […]
Phone Bill
Full year 2003 revenues for SLT gained marginally, dispelling industry forecasts for a drop driven by halved IDD billings, but closed with a 16 per cent fall in net profits. Group net profit was at Rs. 2.38 billion, down from Rs. 2.68 billion in 2002 mainly due to a Rs. 710 million voluntary retirement scheme […]