Eyeing China, Clinton urges India to take leader role

CHENNAI, July 20, 2011 (AFP) – US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged India on Wednesday to be more assertive in Asia, reflecting US desire for New Delhi to emerge as a counter-weight to Chinese power. Speaking in the Indian city of Chennai — a southern trading port looking out towards east Asia — Clinton […]

Sri Lanka names squad but not skipper

July 20, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka on Wednesday announced its one-day and T20 squad for Australia’s tour of the island next month, but stopped short of naming a skipper. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was named captain for the just concluded tour of England, was included in the 20-man squad scheduled to play five ODIs and […]

Sri Lanka bond pricing guidance tightened

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Pricing guidance to fund managers on a billion dollar sovereign bond for Sri Lanka has been tightened from an initial 6.5 percent to around 6.3 percent amid strong demand, financial market sources said. Sri Lanka has reported lower inflation and high growth of around 8.0 percent and the government’s budget […]

” by Fitch

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has assigned Sri Lanka’s forthcoming US dollar-denominated global bonds due 2021 an expected ‘BB-(exp)’ rating. “The final rating is contingent on the receipt of final documentation conforming to information already received,” it said in a statement. As the currency of settlement is specified as US dollars, the rating […]

Sri Lanka Treasuries yields flat

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Yields on Sri Lankan Treasury bills stayed steady at this week’s auction, the government debt office, which is a unit of the central bank, said. The three-month yield was 7.11 percent, six-months 7.19 percent and the 12-month yield 7. 25 percent, all unchanged from the previous week. The debt office […]

Sri Lanka launches billion dollar sovereign bond

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has launched a sovereign bond to raise a billion dollars from global capital markets, with a ‘book building’ process starting with Asian fund managers, financial sources said. The process of ‘book building’ or taking orders from fund managers starts as Asian markets open and moves to Europe as […]

Sri Lanka stocks up 0.1-pct

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka share prices closed mixed with the main index up just 0.10 percent after a roller-coaster ride that saw it briefly in negative territory and some interest in the hotel sector, brokers said The main All Share Price Index closed at 6,682.46, up 0.10 percent (6.76 points) while the […]

Rail Move

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has revived cargo transport into Colombo port by rail after a lapse of four decades with a shipment of export containers by SG Logistics, part of the newly listed Expolanka Holdings group. Niroza Gazzali, chief executive of SG Logistics, said they were working closely with Sri Lanka Railway […]

Higher Grade

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings has upgraded Sri Lanka Telecom’s (SLT) long-term foreign currency rating to ‘BB-‘ from ‘B+ with a stable outlook. At the same time, Fitch confirmed its long-term local currency rating at ‘BB-‘ and national long-term rating at ‘AAA(lka)’. The action follows Fitch’s upgrade of Sri Lanka’s sovereign long-term foreign […]

SriLankan Airlines to link eastern resorts by floatplane

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines plans to extend its floatplane services to the island’s east coast where new resorts are being developed as a tourism boom continues after the end of a war. The national airline’s subsidiary, SriLankan Air Taxi, will also spread its wings to destinations in the north, which like the […]

Sri Lanka Brandix gets latest energy management standard

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan apparel exporter Brandix has got latest global energy management certification less than a month after its release which it said would give the firm a competitive edge as an eco-friendly manufacturer. The Brandix Group claimed it has become the first apparel manufacturer in the world to receive ISO […]

Sri Lanka peace dividend in low rates, higher capex: Treasury Secy

July 20, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is seeing a peace dividend in the form of lower interest rates, taxes, inflation and higher capital expenditure after a 30-year war ended, Treasury secretary P B Jayasundera said. He said defence expenditure which was about 5.0 percent of gross domestic product during the war years, has now […]

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