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Sri Lankan shares close up 0.87-pct
Sep 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed up Wednesday in an end-quarter rally with buyers chasing plantation sector stocks, and hotel stock extending gains, brokers said. The All Share Price Index was up 0.87 percent (25.39 points) to end at 2,938.64 while Milanka index liquid stocks gained 1.15 percent (37.47 points) to close […]
Fresh Capital
Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state-owned Bank of Ceylon said it has bought a 10 percent stake in Seylan Bank, once part of the troubled Ceylinco group.Bank of Ceylon said in a stock exchange filing that it bought 13 million Seylan shares at 35 rupees a share, amounting to an investment of 455 […]
Sri Lanka Aitken Spence in deal to manage south Indian hotel
Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence Hotels has struck a deal to manage another hotel in south India as part of an expansion in the sub-continent, a senior official said.The company has said several more hotels are scheduled to commence operations under its management within the next two years.Malin Hapugoda, managing director […]
Sri Lanka plantations say productivity link to future wages
Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s plantations industry has said new wage models are being considered in talks with labour unions after managing to link worker productivity to wages in recent negotiations.Dhamitha Perera, chairman of the Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA), said the recent near 40 percent wage hike, raising a worker’s daily wage […]
India over the moon with water discovery
BANGALORE, September 25, 2009 (AFP) – India on Friday hailed the discovery of water on the moon as a triumph for its lunar programme as the country aims to cement its reputation as a serious player in the space industry.“There could be much more interesting facts.We will talk about all of it once we have […]
Sri Lanka insurance upgrade on national rating, Fitch says
Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings said it was correcting a previous announcement on Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC), saying it had upgraded its National Long-term rating, and not the National Issuer Default Rating. It said in a statement the announcement corrects the version issued on 14 August 2009. According to the corrected version, […]
Sri Lanka inflation slows to 0.7 percent in September
Sept 30, 2009 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo rose 0.7 percent in September from a year earlier, down from 0.9 percent in August, the government’s statistics office said.The monetary authority, which keeps the rupee pegged to the US dollar, has relaxed policy rates, but has been engaging in steady “quantity tightening” […]
Sri Lankan shares up 0.56-pct
Sep 29, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan shares closed up Tuesday as investors bet on an expected rally in the coming weeks when market liquidity is lifted by refunds from two Initial Public Offerings (IPOs), brokers said.Hatton National Bank closed at 163.25 rupees, up 1.25, while DFCC Bank closed flat at 151.00 rupees. Sampath Bank […]
Sri Lanka spice traders thwart protectionist move
Sept 29, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan spice traders say they have thwarted an attempt by few processors to push the government to impose an export tax that would have benefited their own industries but hurt growers, mostly small farmers.Pepper light berries are used to make high value products from the extracted oil while nutmeg […]
Sri Lanka wage hike seen eroding plantations profitability
Sept 29, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan plantations companies relying mainly on high grown teas such as Maskeliya Plantations and Namunukula Plantations would be worst hit by a recent wage hike, an equities research report says. These are mainly small-holder farmers in the island’s southern districts making low-grown teas, which account for over 60 percent […]
‘s major species at threat: Australian report
SYDNEY, September 29, 2009 (AFP) – Almost 10 percent of the world’s mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish are in danger of extinction due to climate change and other factors, according to an Australian report released Tuesday.“We have a long way to go, we have discovered and named only about a quarter of Australia’s estimated […]
India drops arms scandal case against Italian: report
NEW DELHI, September 29, 2009 (AFP) – India on Tuesday said it was dropping a graft case against an Italian involved in the arms scandal that ended Rajiv Gandhi’s premiership 20 years ago, the Press Trust of India reported. Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium told the supreme court the case against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi would […]