Sri Lanka ratings lifted amid global turmoil

July 19, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank, which manages the government’s debt welcomed an underlying sovereign rating and an outlook upgrade from two international agencies, at a time when bond markets in the US and Europe are in turmoil. Sri Lanka has already started a series of meetings or ‘investor updates’ with bond […]

Sri Lanka stocks slump one-pct

July 19, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka share prices slumped Tuesday for the second day after last week’s brief rally, with losses in index-heavy stocks and newly listed ones, brokers said. The main All Share Price Index closed at 6,675. 70, down 1.02 percent (68.49 points) while the more liquid Milanka index fell 0. 82 […]

Digital Network

July 19, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Telecom, a firm in which Malaysia’s UT group is a key shareholder, will invest 6. 0 billion rupees over the next two years to migrate fully into a digital network, chief executive Greg Young said. Earlier in the week, SLT’s mobile unit Mobitel said it was investing 5. […]

India reveals massive uranium discovery

NEW DELHI, July 19, 2011 (AFP) – A new mine in south India could contain the largest reserves of uranium in the world, a government official said in remarks reported Tuesday, signalling a major boost for the energy-hungry nation. The government has been seeking new supplies of uranium, which is refined into nuclear fuel, but […]

Sri Lanka sovereign rating outlook raised by S&’s

July 19, 2011 (LBO) – Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has raised its outlook on Sri Lanka’s long-term foreign currency sovereign credit rating to positive from stable. “The outlook on the long-term local currency rating is stable. The transfer and convertibility (T&C) assessment is unchanged at ‘B+’,” a statement said. “We revised our outlook on […]

Sri Lanka may not take last IMF loan tranche: Fitch analyst

July 19, 2011 (LBO) – There is a “strong possibility” that Sri Lanka may not take the final tranche from the International Monetary Fund under a 2. 6 billion US dollar bailout program Fitch Ratings Asian Pacific director Art Woo said. IMF’s last review team decided to end quarterly reviews and move to 6-monthly reviews […]

Sri Lanka stocks down 0.5-pct

July 18, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka share prices weakened Monday after a slight two-day rally last week, with several recently listed stocks among the losers, brokers said The main All Share Price Index closed at 6,744.19, down 0.48 percent (32.84 points) while the more liquid Milanka index fell 0.98 percent (61.81 points) to close […]

Regional Expansion

July 18, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s port expansion projects in the capital Colombo and Hambantota in the south, can benefit from expanding regional trade as India and China grows, a media report said. ‘South-South’ trade could account for 40 percent of world trade in 2030 from 18 percent now, according to a Standard Chartered […]

Northern Revival

July 18, 2011 (LBO) – Loans worth 4. 6 billion rupees have been disbursed in Sri Lanka’s war-torn north to revive livelihoods and businesses under Central Bank sponsored credit programmes since the conflict ended in mid-2009. The programmes helped promote livelihood and income generating activities among conflict-affected households and refugees in the Northern Province, a […]

Bank Rating

July 18, 2011 (LBO) – RAM Ratings Lanka has confirmed Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka’s (MBSL) long- and short-term financial institution ratings at AA- and P1, a statement said. At the same time, the long-term rating of AA- for the company’s 186.80 million rupee Unsecured Unlisted Public Debentures has also been confirmed. All the long-term […]

Poor Signal

July 18, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission has fared poorly in a recent telecom regulatory and policy framework survey conducted by think tanks Lirne Asia and Institute of Policy Studies. “But the uncertainty reduces the investment. It also creates an opportunity for what in economics politely is called rent seeking.” Sri Lanka’s […]

India signs deal to end ethnic unrest in tea hills

NEW DELHI, July 18, 2011 (AFP) – India was to sign a deal Monday to grant autonomy to an ethnic group in the Himalayan tea-growing area of Darjeeling in an effort to end decades of often-violent demands for a homeland. Bimal Gurung formed the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha pressure group in 2007 and rebelled against the […]

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