Category: Industry
In-Shoring
Sept 22 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan telecom firm shifted its call centre out of the capital to a lower-cost central region of the island, in a trendsetting move that other firms could follow to their advantage. Suntel, unit of Sweden’s Telia which runs a wireless fixed network in the island, shifted its customer service […]
Four South Asian nations, including Sri Lanka, accused of doping offences
COLOMBO, Sept 21, 2006 (AFP) – Athletes from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal tested positive for banned substances at last month’s South Asian Games here, an official said on Thursday. “We have sent the preliminary investigation reports to the four countries and are awaiting their response”, Sri Lanka’s National Olympic Committee president Hemasiri Fernando […]
Trade Fiasco
Sept 21 (LBO) – Another round of Indo-Lanka trade talks ended this week, with no firm agreement on resuming controversial duty free exports of vanaspati oil from Sri Lanka to India. The Vanaspati Association of Sri Lanka says however that they have been kept in the dark about talks. Vanaspati is a hydrogenated vegetable oil […]
Talk Cheap
Sept 20 (LBO) – Payphone operator Tritel Services Limited said Wednesday it would slash outgoing call charges by 33 percent, expanding reach into rural markets. œOur priority focus is on rural communities as well as the less affluent urban community who find fixed telephony and mobile services too expensive and out of their reach, Ananth […]
Live Trading
Sept 20 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Millennium Information Technologies (MIT) said Wednesday it had developed an automated trading system for the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Live trading began on September 11 with the new system, resulting in record trading volumes of 3761 trades compared to 759 trades on the same day the year before, MillenniumIT said […]
Private Space
Sept 20 (LBO) – The government has offered private traders space on board state chartered vessels carrying food to war torn Jaffna on possible commercial terms, to build up a buffer stock ahead of monsoon rains in November that would make passage difficult. The government has been sending essential food items like rice to the […]
Airlines, tour operators see no disruption in Sri Lankan traffic to Thailand after coup
Sept 20 (LBO) – Tourist and business traffic from Sri Lanka to Thailand is expected to go on as normal following a military coup there, with few inquiries and cancellations, tour operators and airlines said. Thailand is popular among Sri Lankans as a leisure and shopping destination for with business travel contributing. Our operations will […]
Luxury resort and spa chain Banyan Tree shelves plans for Sri Lanka
SINGAPORE, September 20 (LBO) –Singapore-based luxury resort and spa chain Banyan Tree has shelved plans for Sri Lanka, as the leisure industry takes a beating amidst an upsurge in violence. The luxury leisure operator recently opened a spa at Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo, besides a managing the Deer Park Hotel in Giritale under its […]
Price Cushion
SINGAPORE, September 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka said Tuesday it was moving towards eliminating oil subsidies that are threatening to blow a hole in the nation’s budget and asked lenders for financial help to tide over oil shocks. Public Administration minister Sarath Amunugama said the government has responded appropriately to the sustained sharp rise […]
Commercial potential of cricket remains untapped
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19, 2006 (AFP) – Asia remains a vast area of untapped commercial possibility for cricketing authorities but all the elements are in place for this to change.That’s the way Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief executive Syed Ashraful Huq sees the future for a sport he believes is on the cusp of being […]
Small Talk
Sept 18 (LBO) –Telco operator Lanka Bell said Monday it was re-branding its short message service through fixed line phones, to appeal to a wider audience. The investment has paid off rich dividends, with Lanka Bell’s customer base soaring by more than 90,000. A company official said subscriber base had now topped 300,000 following new […]
Online Jazz
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 18, 2006 (AFP) – Internet search titan Yahoo announced plans on Monday to trumpet its revamped search page and enhanced features in a global ad campaign complete with trademark company yodel. “We are bringing back that Yahoo spirit uniquely in an updated, celebratory way,” Allen Olivo, company vice president of worldwide marketing, […]