Long Voyage

March 04, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hemas Holdings has got two seats on the board of directors of Mercantile Shipping Company, a ship owner and operator in which it acquired a stake last year.Hemas group director Imtiaz Esufally and Irshad Mushin, director – maritime transportation of Hemas group, have been appointed non-executive directors of […]

Pakistan hunts attackers of Sri Lanka cricket team

LAHORE, March 4, 2009 (AFP) – Pakistan stepped up a manhunt on Wednesday for the armed militants behind a deadly ambush targeting Sri Lanka’s cricket team, which has plunged the troubled nation deeper into crisis.It was the first deadly direct assault against a sports team in nuclear-armed Pakistan, where over 1,600 people have died in […]

Sri Lankan cricketers rushed to hospital on return from Pakistan

March 4, 2009 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s wounded and shaken cricketers flew home to Colombo Wednesday and were rushed straight to a local hospital, a day after being attacked in a deadly ambush in Pakistan, officials said. There were emotional scenes as relieved relatives welcomed home the 25-member tour party, who were led from a […]

Cricketer ambush an attack on Sri Lanka-Pakistan relations: United States

Mar 04, 2009 (LBO) – An armed ambush of the Sri Lanka cricket team, which visited Pakistan when India pulled out of a tournament, was an attack on peaceful relations among the two South Asian nations, the United States said. Several Pakistan policemen who were protecting the players died in the attack. “This is not […]

Three Sri Lanka cricketers wounded in Pakistan shooting: minister

March 3, 2009 (AFP) – At least three players in the Sri Lankan cricket team were hurt in a gun attack while being driven to the Lahore cricket stadium in Pakistan on Tuesday, Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said. The team bus came under fire as the players headed to the Gaddafi stadium for the third […]

Sri Lankan cricketers hurt in Pakistan attack: police

LAHORE, March 3, 2009 (AFP) – Masked gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan cricket team’s bus in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Tuesday, killing at least eight people and wounding six team members, police said.Sri Lankan officials said six team members — five players and a coach — were wounded and that […]

Pakistan attackers laid siege then fled: police

LAHORE, March 3, 2009 (AFP) – The attackers who ambushed Sri Lanka’s cricketers near a Pakistani stadium mounted a sophisticated assault using rockets, grenades and guns before escaping in stolen cars, police said. Witnesses said the attack started with an explosion at 08:40 am (0340 GMT) as a convoy carrying the Sri Lankan national team […]

Sri Lanka Ceylinco Insurance veterans promoted

March 03, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Ceylinco Insurance said it has appointed Rajkumar Renganathan and Ajith Gunawardena, chief executive directors of the company’s Life and General insurance divisions, as joint deputy chairmen of the company with immediate effect. A company statement also said its funds were invested according to regulatory guidelines and that only […]

Outlook Cut

Mar 03, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has cut the credit outlook of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the island’s largest fixed access operator, to ‘negative’ from ‘stable’ after the sovereign rating outlook was lowered last week. Fitch said SLT’s long-term foreign currency rating of ‘B+’ and local currency rating of ‘BB-‘ were unchanged. Its domestic […]

Downgraded

Mar 03, 2009 (LBO) – The ‘AAA(lka)’ rating on Sri Lanka’s Dialog Telekom was cut by two notches to ‘AA(lk)’ Fitch Ratings, following price competition which is weakening margins and rising costs, Fitch Ratings said. Dialog’s rating of its outstanding redeemable preference shares reflected the subordinate nature of the instrument. Though Dialog has started a […]

Profit Standard

LONDON, March 3, 2009 (AFP) – Emerging markets bank Standard Chartered said Tuesday that net profit jumped a fifth to 3.41 billion dollars (2.69 billion euros) in 2008, leaving it well-placed to face the global slowdown. Despite the gain in profits after tax, Standard Chartered was not immune to rising bad debts linked to the […]

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