Sri Lanka stadium set to host England

Sept 28, 2007 (AFP) – The tsunami-hit Galle International Cricket Stadium has overcome a heritage hurdle and is on track to host Sri Lanka’s third Test match against England in December, an official said Friday. The curator of the picturesque ground in the southern resort town of Galle, Jayananda Warnaweera, said construction work could be […]

Last Lap

Sept 28, 2007 (LBO) – India’s Mahanagar Telephone Nigan Limited (MTNL) has submitted a bid over 100 million US dollars for the Sri Lankan telco Suntel, press reports from India said. A Press Trust of India report said a decision on the bid is expected within two weeks. Suntel, owned by Sweden’s Telia, runs a […]

Cell Value

Sept 28, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Dialog Telekom celco’s Malaysian parent, Telekom Malaysia, has announced the spin off of its mobile phone business into a separate firm to realize its full value and focus on expansion, news reports said Friday. The new unit, TM International, worth 8.2 billion dollars, would be the holding company […]

Sri Lankan vegetable oil exporters demand removal of import tax

Sept 27, 2007 (LBO) – Exporters of ‘vanaspathi’ vegetable oil to India have called on Sri Lanka to remove a 25 dollar per tonne levy on raw material imports, if the industry is to survive. India has already imposed a quota for the product, to protect a domestic industry. Vanaspathi a type of hydrogenated vegetable […]

Northern Power

Sept 27, 2007 (LBO) – A Malaysian firm which has bought a listed construction firm in Colombo has said it had bought an independent power producer (IPP) which will supply Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna peninsula. MTD has also been interested in an expressway Sri Lanka hopes to build between its capital Colombo and the central […]

Row over Sri Lanka stadium ahead of England tour

Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s tsunami-hit cricket stadium at Galle is embroiled in a heritage row as it races to host the final Test of the England tour in December, officials said Thursday.Jayananda Warnaweera, the curator overseeing its reconstruction, said conservationists had objected to a new building at the stadium that could obstruct […]

Custom Trained

Sept 27, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and Australia are tying up to start professional courses for customs men in the island and the South Asian region, officials said. Sri Lanka’s Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) and the University of Jayawardenepura is linking with the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies (CCES) at the Canberra […]

Going Well

Sept 27, 2007 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka which confirmed the AAA (lka) national rating of Citibank’s Sri Lanka branch said its interest margins were boosted by dollar financing of the island’s government. In the first half of the year net interest margins and forex gains had allowed pretax profits to improve to 2.7 percent […]

Split Order

WELLINGTON, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) – The New Zealand government on Wednesday ordered the country’s dominant phone company Telecom to split into three units in a bid to level the playing field in the telecommunications industry.But investors took the latest news in their stride, with shares rising six cents at 4.36 New Zealand dollars by […]

Niche Demand

Sept 26, 2007 (LBO) – A new Sri Lankan apartment developer says there is unmet demand in niche markets, though high interest rates from an expanding budget deficit have started to affect the overall property market. “There is a demand for quality apartments. One should stick to niche markets,” Gishanka De Silva, director DGS Holdings […]

New Course

Sept 26, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is planning to revamp the Central Freight Bureau, a state agency that at the time controlled the shipping business, into a research body, officials said. The new organization hopes to provide research material of commercial value to the shipping community. Ranjith de Silva, additional secretary to the Ministry […]

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