Category: Industry
Sri Lanka listed for GSP+ extension subject to probe outcome
Dec 11, 2008 (LBO) – The European Commission has listed Sri Lanka among countries to which it is extending from next year the GSP Plus duty free trade deal but subject to the eventual outcome of an eligibility probe. Trade experts said the listing, which had earlier been expected only by December 15, means Sri […]
Emirates to use polar route in fuel saving flight
Dec 11, 2008 (LBO) – Emirates Airline plans to launch a non-stop direct flight from Dubai to San Francisco in the United States using a polar route to test ways to save fuel and reduce harmful carbon emissions.Emirates said in a statement it worked closely with government agencies in Dubai, Russia, Iceland, Canada and the […]
Sri Lanka in ADB-funded regional tourism effort
Dec 11, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is among five countries included in an Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded plan to promote south Asian regional tourism and simplify cross-border tourist movements.“Together with the investment project, the technical assistance will enhance the positioning of the sub-region in both intraregional and international markets as one of the […]
Sri Lanka clothing exporter goes east with US aid
Dec 10, 2008 (LBO) – Brandix Lanka, a top Sri Lankan clothing exporter, has got US aid to train workers in a new factory it has set up in the island’s east which the government is trying to develop after driving out Tamil Tiger rebels.The US Agency for International Development and Brandix Lanka are working […]
Interbank Deal
Dec 10, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s public listed Commercial Bank of Ceylon says it has sought legal advice over a derivative deal with state-run People’s Bank which was sold to a state petroleum distributor. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has halted payments to banks which provided a complex derivative to state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation after […]
Formula Politics
Dec 10, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejected a price-formula for fuel amidst growing public displeasure at exorbitant pump prices set by government for both petrol and diesel. Opposition activists had already gone to court asking for relief on petrol over-pricing in particular. Official data shows that the wholesale price of refined […]
Export Formula
Dec 09, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan industrial exporters say the lack of a transparent price formula especially for diesel has increased their production cost against foreign competitors, especially at a time when the rupee is also overvalued. In Sri Lanka petroleum pricing has become heavily politicized since 2004, after the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a […]
Sri Lanka hydro power firm to fast-track Uganda project: report
Dec 10, 2008 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan hydro-power firm which has developed a string of private plants in the island, has been engaged to speed up a stalled hydro-electric project in Uganda, a media report said. D’Ujanga said the new firms were expected to speed up the project despite being involved in a larger […]
SME Funds
HONG KONG, December 8, 2008 (AFP) – Global banking giant HSBC has set up a 5 billion US dollar fund to help small and medium sized businesses get access to credit during the global financial crisis, the bank said.The fund represents money “over and above” what the London-based bank would normally lend in the current […]
Domino Effect
Dec 08, 2008 (LBO) – The effects of a payment halt on derivatives by a state-run oil distributor is spreading far into Sri Lanka’s banking sector, hurting capital, interbank transaction integrity and international relationships, market participants say.Two weeks ago, CPC chairman Ashantha de Mel said outstanding exposures of Citibank to CPC were 400,000 barrels, Standard […]
Health Focus
Dec 07, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hemas group has officially opened a new 1.5 billion rupee hospital in Wattala, north of the capital Colombo, saying the move marks its entry into the healthcare service industry. The 100-bed Hemas Hospital was built in collaboration with the Columbia Asia Hospital Chain, a hospital operator in Asia, […]
Trishaw Knights
Dec 7, 2008 (LBO) – Often blamed for road accidents, but first on the scene to ferry victims of accidents or bomb blasts, Sri Lanka’s errant tuk tuk drivers are learning first aid skills to save lives.Drivers of the tiny auto-rickshaw taxis, commonly called “autos”, “trishaws”, or “three-wheelers” are being taught pre-hospital care to prevent […]