Category: Industry
SriLankan flight diverted over bomb claim
Sept 22, 2013 (LBO) – State-run SriLankan Airlines said its flight to London’s Heathrow airport was diverted to Stansted after a passenger claimed that he had a parcel bomb.The passengers had been transferred by Heathrow by coach. A British national had claimed that he had a bomb on board just as SriLankan’s UK503 was beginning […]
Sri Lanka construction industry targeted by Milcris
Sept 20, 2013 (LBO) – Milcris (Pvt) Ltd, a construction consultancy with Sri Lankan origins which caters mainly to international projects in the Middle East says it is now targeting the domestic market. “We do not want to disturb or we are not competing with local companies. Our competitors are international giants,” De Silva said. […]
Tele Target
Sept 19, 2013 (LBO) – Broadband customers of Sri Lanka Telecom, the islands sole wireline operator, topped 350,000 by June 2013, the firm said amid an expansion of its fibre optic network capacity. Sri Lanka Telecom offers ‘triple play’ with voice, data and television through its PEOTv service. Sri Lanka Telecom has been boosting its […]
Ford to step down as Sri Lanka cricket coach
COLOMBO, September 18, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka will seek a new coach after South African Graham Ford declined to extend his two-year term beyond January, cricket officials said on Wednesday.“The national coach has indicated of his unavailability to continue after his contract expires in January 2014,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement. “He […]
‘s Krrish: minister
Sept 18, 2013 (LBO) – India’s Krrish group has paid another installment for state land given to their project including interest for delays investment promotion minister Lakshman Abeywardene said. The project has become controversial due to payment delays and has come under fire from the opposition for not being awarded on open tender. At the […]
Sri Lanka Shangri La hotel to start building in October
Sept 18, 2013 (LBO) – A 450 million US dollar project by Hong Kong based Shangri La in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo will begin construction by end October investment promotions minister Lakshman Abeywardene said.The project is still in the planning stages with promoters saying soil conditions required design changes. “We have been told the planning […]
Sri Lanka, China to close free-trade deal: Colombo
COLOMBO, September 17, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka and China will finalise a free-trade agreement ahead of a Commonwealth summit in Colombo in November, a government minister said on Tuesday.Sri Lanka entered into a controversial free-trade agreement with neighbouring India in December 1998 during Sri Lanka’s bloody separatist conflict, but both sides have been bickering […]
Strategic Focus
Sept 17, 2013 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said it had confirmed an ‘AAA(lka)’ domestic rating of Sri Lanka’s Citibank branch (CitiSL) with a stable outlook, amid a contracting loan book.Its loan book contracted by 18% in H113 and 9% in 2012, in contrast to loan expansion in the overall banking system, reflecting CitiSL’s focus on […]
Changing Environment
WASHINGTON, September 16, 2013 (AFP) – The World Bank must be more selective and flexible in its work as its faces rising financial constraints and challenges from rivals, according to an internal strategy document seen Monday.The choices include greater risk-taking, cutting back on bureaucracy and adapting commercial-like work with the private sector, moves which would […]
Sri Lanka tourist arrivals up 26-pct in Aug; India, China surge
Sept 16, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals surged 26.1 percent in August 2013 from a year earlier to 100,224, with India, Germany and China surging, official data showed.Middle East which was also lacklustre this year was up 75.4 percent to 8,683 in the month with visitors so far up 4.0 percent 35,931. East […]
Japan to be nuclear free as last reactor switched off
TOKYO, September 15, 2013 (AFP) – Japan is to start the process of switching off its last working nuclear reactor Sunday for a scheduled inspection with no restart in sight due to public hostility towards atomic power.No one is officially recorded as having died as a direct result of the meltdowns at Fukushima, but tens […]
Rail Connection
COLOMBO, September 14, 2013 (AFP) – A train linking the political home of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tiger rebels with the rest of the island rolled into service on Saturday after a 23-year interruption, officials said.The Sinhalese-dominated government is under international pressure to promote ethnic reconciliation and investigate allegations of war crimes by its forces in […]