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Sri Lanka president guest of honour at Games close
NEW DELHI, October 12, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will be the guest of honour at Thursday’s closing ceremony of the Delhi Commonwealth Games, where participants include nations deeply critical of his rights record. “I can confirm that the Sri Lankan president will be the guest of honour. He will also be […]
Sri Lanka should be re-assessed by US business: Asst. Trade Rep
Oct 13, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka should be re-assessed by US businesses after the end of a 30-year war as the country moves forward in a peaceful environment though ethnic reconciliation remained a challenge, a top US trade official said. “We think that political reconciliation could be greatly accelerated with economic growth. We need […]
Sri Lanka fund manager sells capital protected plan
Oct 12, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s largest fund management firm is selling an investment plan which allows cautious savers participate in a stock market upside but be protected from a steep fall by putting the bulk of the money in debt. “If you are an investor who wants higher returns (because interest rates are […]
Sri Lanka stocks fall 4.4-pct
Oct 12, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s benchmark share index plunged 4.4 percent Tuesday wiping out 95 billion rupees off stock values in a steep correction amid some margin calls on retail investors brokers said. The index is now down 8.5 percent from an October 01 peak of 7,147 points. Sri Lanka is still the […]
Tighter Margins
Oct 12, 2010 (LBO) – The efficiency in Sri Lanka’s banking system can be improved with interest margin tightening at least 150 basis points over the next nine months to 5. 0 percent with banks remaining profitable, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said. Profits are needed to build capital to buffer deposits. “About a year […]
Sri Lanka tourism industry should focus on niche: officials
Oct 12, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourism future lies in focusing on niche products and not in the mass market, given its small size and excess capacity in competing destinations, industry officials said. The country’s target of attracting 2. 5 million visitors and adding 25,000 rooms by 2016 might not be achievable nor desirable, […]
Bangladesh stock market boom fuels dire warnings
DHAKA, October 12, 2010 (AFP) – A flurry of cooling measures has failed to end a record-breaking bull run at Bangladesh’s main stock market, with regulators now warning of an imminent crash that could devastate the broader economy. The main Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) general index has hit new highs nearly every day for the […]
Kandy man Manju boxes for sweet success
NEW DELHI, October 12, 2010 (AFP) – Manju Wanniarachchi could win Sri Lanka’s first Commonwealth Games boxing gold medal in 72 years on Wednesday in the highlight of a final day of bouts in which British fighters dominate. But the 24-year-old — dubbed “the David Beckham of India” — was one of four home boxers […]
‘s ex-army chief
October 11, 2010 (AFP) – Thousands of protestors marched through the streets of Sri Lanka’s capital Monday, demanding the release of ex-army chief and opposition leader Sarath Fonseka who is serving a 30-month jail term. Activists led by Fonseka’s Democratic National Alliance (DNA) and his wife Anoma marched to the maximum security Welikada prison in […]
Gas Wrap
Oct 12, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government is expecting to wrap up the purchase of Shell’s gas unit in the island within a month, Sirisena Amarasekera, who heads the state committee in charge of the deal said. Sri Lanka’s information minister Keheliya Rambukwella has said the government was planning to sell down a 49 […]
Trio of labour market specialists wins 2010 Economics prize
STOCKHOLM, October 12, 2010 (AFP) – Three labour market experts, including one blocked for a top post at the US Federal Reserve, won the 2010 Nobel Economics Prize Monday for research that has had an impact on employment reforms worldwide. The Nobel jury said the work of Peter Diamond and Dale Mortensen of the United […]
Sri Lankan stocks close flat
Oct 11, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed flat after early morning gains were lost brokers said, while a large deal on Aitken Spence pushed turnover to almost seven billion rupees. The All Share Price Index closed at 6,834.61, up 0.01 percent (1.00 points), while the more liquid Milanka index fell 0. 11 percent […]