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Sri Lanka forex reserve target missed due to Iran repayment
Feb 03, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka missed a foreign reserve target set in a deal with the International Monetary Fund due to an early repayment of a loan to Iran, IMF resident representative Koshy Mathai said. The government itself has no capacity to generate foreign exchange, except by borrowing and indebting future generations. Exports […]
Sri Lanka gets more cash, path open for reforms: IMF
Feb 03, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has got 216. 6 million US dollars from the International Monetary Fund despite missing one key target and lack of data for another, with the lender banking on better budgeting and inflation control. The dollar reserves are more than enough to convert the entire rupee monetary base which […]
Sri Lanka Treasuries yields ease
Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasury bills yields eased at Tuesday’s auction with the government raising 21. 5 billion rupees after offering 11 billion rupees in bills for roll-over. The 3-month yield fell one basis point to 7. 00 percent, the 6-month yield also fell one basis point to 7. 09 percent and […]
Sri Lanka shares end up 0.99-pct
Feb 02, 2011(LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed up Wednesday with active trading seen in the food and beverage sector as well as in index heavy stocks like John Keells Holding, brokers said. The All Share Price Index closed at 7,262. 26, up 0.99 percent (71.49 points) while the Milanka Price Index of more liquid […]
Islamic Banking
Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has given a commercial banking license to Amana Bank, a statement said. Islamic banking is an emerging alternative to the interest-based banking practice and is gaining popularity across the world’s communities. “Amana Bank will be Sri Lanka’s first licensed commercial […]
Bank Issue
Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – The Colombo Stock Exchange has approved a public share offer by Sri Lanka’s Union Bank to raise 375 million rupees by issuing 15 million ordinary shares at 25 rupees each, a statement said. CSE has approved in principal the application for listing on the main board of the bourse. The […]
Arson Protest
February 1, 2011 (AFP) – Dozens of Sri Lankan journalists took to the capital’s streets Tuesday to condemn an arson attack on an independent website that was blamed by its editor on the government. Reporters, photographers and employees of privately-run media joined a demonstration in central Colombo a day after the arson attack on the […]
Sri Lanka whale watching boats warned to be careful
Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s growing whale watching boats will have to develop and follow good practices so that whales will not be disturbed and scared away and the safety of passengers is also assured, a biologist has said. Sometimes boats converged on whales and there was danger of whales being chased. Sri […]
‘s Bharti reports dive in profit, hit by Africa costs
NEW DELHI, February 2, 2011 (AFP) – India’s top mobile phone firm Bharti said on Wednesday quarterly net profit slid 41 percent, hit by costs from its new Africa business and foreign exchange losses, but was upbeat on its future. But Bharti began last month rolling out its ultra-fast third-generation (3G) telecom services which analysts […]
Sri Lanka offers amnesty to 50,000 army deserters
February 2, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s military on Wednesday offered to discharge all its 50,000 deserters without disciplinary action to mark the country’s independence anniversary. Officers and enlisted men who have been absent without leave can report to their regiments and then be released from their duties, military spokesman Major General Ubaya Medawala said. […]
Sri Lanka fabric maker rating downgraded
Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka has downgraded Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills (HMGT) to ‘BBB(lka)’ from ‘BBB+(lka)’ with a negative outlook, a statement said. HMGT’s liquidity was adequate based on unutilised facilities of 8.3 million dollars as at end-September 2010. “The downgrade primarily reflects HMGT’s lower operating margins,” it said. “The company’s inability […]
Sri Lanka fabric maker in Rs626mn December quarter loss
Feb 02, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan fabric maker Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills made a loss of 626 million rupees (5.6 million US dollars) in the December 2010 quarter following provisioning after an audit inquiry into a fraud, a statement said. The company said the discrepancies forced it to make an additional provision of almost […]