Category:
Sri Lanka sets minimum hotel rates
September 16, 2009 (AFP) – With tourism booming in Sri Lanka following the end of decades of ethnic conflict, authorities have ordered hotels in the capital to increase room rates and curb an aggressive pricing war.Luxury hotels in Colombo will be forced to charge a minimum of 90 dollars a night, while stays in cheaper […]
Learning Experience
Sep 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylinco Sussex College, a unit of the troubled Ceylinco Group, is to be managed by Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka (MBSL), which has taken over or is overlooking several troubled firms.More than 5,700 students are at 20 Ceylinco Sussex College branches island-wide, studying for national exams in the […]
Done Deal
Sept 16, 2009 (LBO) – The London Stock Exchange (LSE) said it will acquire Sri Lanka’s MillenniumIT for 30 million US dollars (sterling 18 million), with the deal to be completed by mid-October.MillenniumIT, a technology firm which develops securities trading software will replace LSE’s existing trading platform and continue to service its exiting clients. MilleniumIT […]
Sri Lanka Janashakthi Insurance expands in former war zone
Sept 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Janashakthi Insurance said it was expanding rapidly in the north and east, setting up branches and hiring more staff in the former zone. Janashakthi last weekend opened two brand new offices in Chavakachcheri and Chunnakam in the northern Jaffna peninsula, it said in a statement. “The two new […]
Top UN official to press Sri Lanka for rights probe
September 16, 2009 (AFP) – A top UN official was expected in Sri Lanka Wednesday to press for a probe into possible rights abuses during the final stages of the military’s victory over Tamil rebels.UN under secretary general for political affairs Lynn Pascoe was sent by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who has voiced concern […]
Sri Lanka expands state by 305,000 people since 2004
Sept 16, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has expanded an already bloated state sector by 305,060 persons since 2004, including 43,981 in 2009, data released by the island’s finance ministry showed.Deputy finance minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said the government was continuing to give state jobs and 1,000 people would be absorbed to state-run Bank of Ceylon […]
Sri Lanka foreign reserves top US$4.0bn
Sept 15, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s gross foreign reserves have topped 4.0 billion US dollars on September 10, the highest in the island’s history, the Central Bank said. The Central Bank also acquired dollars by directly swapping domestic assets to a foreign fund manager. The central bank started to collect foreign reserves after floating […]
Sri Lankan stocks down 0.85-pct on profit taking
Sep 15, 2009 (LBO) – A rally in Sri Lanka share prices that lifted them to a 30-month high skidded to a halt Tuesday as retail investors took profits from an overheating market, brokers said.The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed down 0.85 percent (24.26 points) to end at 2,837.99, while the Milanka […]
Looser Words
Sept 15, 2009 (LBO) – A travel advisory on Sri Lanka has been further relaxed with a reduced level of terrorist threat, in the island, the British High Commission in Colombo said. The UK relaxed its travel advisory to parts of the Eastern province after Tamil Tiger separatists were defeated in May, though British travelers […]
UK Move
Sept 15, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Millennium IT will be acquired by London Stock Exchange and its faster trading software would replace the British bourse’s existing platform, a media report said. The report said LSE could pay around 50 million sterling pounds (about 9.4 billion rupees) to buy the technology firm. Britain’s Financial Times […]
India win Sri Lanka tri-series after Tendulkar ton
September 14, 2009 (AFP) – Sachin Tendulkar hit his 44th one-day century to lead India to a 46-run win over Sri Lanka in the final of the limited-overs tri-series here on Monday.Tendulkar, the world’s leading Test and one-day scorer, made 138 off 133 balls as India piled up 319-5 after batting first in the day-night […]
Sri Lanka demands EU trade concessions without rights probe
September 15, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will not submit to an investigation into its rights record to qualify for extended trade concessions from the European Union, a government minister said Tuesday.The deputy minister of state revenue, finance and planning, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, said Colombo wanted an extension of the EU generalised system of preferences (GSP […]