Charging

July 11, 2011 (LBO) – Directors of an unregulated finance company in Sri Lanka’s Ceylinco group including its chairman Lalith Kothelawala have been charged following a two and a half year probe, media reports said. Separately, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has earlier issued orders on the Golden Key after depositors sought repayment. The Sunday Island […]

Credit Trend

July 11, 2011 (LBO) – Credit to business from Sri Lanka’s commercial banks rose 33. 9 billion rupees in May 2011 to 1,664. 4 billion rupees, with rupee denominated loans rising 30.5 billion rupees and forex loans rising 3. 4 billion rupees, official data showed. In the year to May commercial bank loans to business […]

Retail Skills

July 11, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lankan fashion retailer ODEL has appointed an international retail sales specialist William R Pinkston, III, as its Chief Operating Officer, a statement said. In his career, Pinkston has specialised in store operations, expense reduction and control, product and visual merchandising, brand development, store concept design and project management for […]

‘s richest man attacks Western charity ethos

NEW DELHI, July 10, 2011 (AFP) – India’s wealthiest man Mukesh Ambani on Sunday criticised Western philanthropy as counter-productive and said his own country’s approach to charity gave more self-respect to the needy. Ambani, who heads petrochemical giant Reliance Industries, said that rapidly-growing India could create a more sustainable model in which businesses were an […]

”: Indian PM

NEW DELHI, July 10, 2011 (AFP) – South Asian nations must make greater efforts to fight terrorism without relying on outside help, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a regional conference in New Delhi. Stressing that South Asia could prosper as a whole, Singh said there was a need to develop a “culture” in which […]

US suspends $800 mn in Pakistan military aid

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2011 (AFP) – The United States is withholding some 0 million in aid to Pakistan, almost a third of the . 7 billion in security assistance it provides each year to Islamabad, President Barack Obama’s chief of staff confirmed Sunday. Relations between the key allies, always tricky, have drastically deteriorated since US […]

Support Service

July 11, 2011 (LBO) – Cairn India which is exploring for petroleum resources off Sri Lanka has called for proposals for oil spill response equipment and services as it prepares to drill its first well in August this year. The company announcement said delivery of equipment could be either at Colombo or Chennai in south […]

Sri Lanka exports up 37-pct in April

July 11, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s exports rose 37 percent in April 2011 to 745. 7 million US dollars driven by a 41 percent gain in industrial exports to 574 million US dollars, while imports also rose 53 percent to 1.5 billion US dollars, the Central Bank said. Intermediate goods rose 34 percent to […]

Peace Dividend

July 10, 2011 (LBO) – Singer Sri Lanka, a consumer durables firm, a top retailer of televisions, refrigerators and sewing machines says sales in the former war-torn north and east of the country has doubled since a 30-year war ended two years ago. “Now, North-east is giving 6.5 percent percent of the sales,” chief executive […]

‘s slowing economy

NEW DELHI, July 10, 2011 (AFP) – Not long ago it was the toast of investors, but India’s appeal has taken a hit, with bearish sentiment building thanks to worries over stubbornly high inflation and widespread political corruption. “If we had the right supportive economic ecosystem and big-ticket reforms, 10 percent growth would not have […]

Sri Lanka holds Briton over war crimes video: media

July 9, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has arrested a Briton for allegedly helping a British TV channel produce a documentary accusing Sri Lankan troops of war crimes, a media report said on Saturday. A Colombo magistrate on Friday agreed to a police request to detain the suspect, a British citizen of Sri Lankan origin, […]

Sri Lanka presses Pakistan to lower tariffs

July 10, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is pressing Pakistan to reduce import duties on key exports from the island with the issue to be taken up again at a forthcoming meeting in Colombo following talks in Islamabad. Pakistan would consider reducing high tariffs imposed on certain Sri Lankan agriculture products, the statement said. Analysts […]

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