Category:
Sri Lanka Spence Hotel losses double in June
Aug 11, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings said losses more than doubled in the quarter ending June 2009, considered the off-season in the tourist industry, with the downturn in arrivals worsened by global recession. The company said in a stock exchange filing that its net loss rose 137 percent to 114 […]
‘s Exxonmobil signs 21 bln dlr India deal: minister
MELBOURNE, August 11, 2009 (AFP) – Energy giant Exxonmobil’s Australian arm has signed a gas supply contract with India’s Petronet worth 25 billion dollars (21 billion US) over 20 years, Energy Minister Martin Ferguson said Tuesday.Ferguson said the liquefied natural gas (LNG) deal heralded a new trading partnership between Australia and India. “I hope this […]
‘s Andaman Islands
PORT BLAIR, August 10, 2009 (AFP) – A huge 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the Andaman Islands in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday, triggering panic as people fled their homes amid initial warnings of a possible tsunami.A tsunami alert issued for India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh was later cancelled by the Pacific Tsunami Warning […]
Sri Lanka lawmaker says election spending should be capped
Aug 11, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka should cap election spending to prevent honest politicians being crowded out and criminal elements entering the parliament, a breakaway ruling party politician has said. “One of the proposals I have submitted for consideration for the next manifesto is to have some form of a cap for election spending […]
Sri Lanka exports, imports fall in June
Aug 11, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s exports fell 18.0 percent to 3.1 billion US dollars and imports 36.7 percent to 4.4 billion US dollars in the 6-months to June, and the trade deficit contracted 59.9 percent to 1.2 billion US dollars, the central bank said.Agricultural exports were down 18.2 percent to 725.3 million US […]
Sri Lanka has space for commercial borrowing under IMF program: officials
Aug 11, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has ample space for foreign borrowing under a 20-month International Monetary Fund program, which has set a ceiling of 1,750 million US dollars for new commercial loans, officials said. A US dollar bond issue, sold mostly to domestic buyers with access to foreign exchange, matures this week. “A […]
Sri Lanka collects US$739.35mn US dollars since float
Aug 10, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank has collected 289.10 million US dollars from forex markets in July, bringing the total to 739.35 million US dollars since the float of the currency in March, the latest official data shows. The IMF has put in conditions to prevent inconsistent policy in the future, requiring […]
Sri Lankan shares down 0.27-pct
Aug 10, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan share prices fell Monday, dragged down by index heavy blue chips as investors stayed away, waiting for corporate earnings, brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Price Index (ASPI) closed down 0.27 percent (6.76 points) to end at 2,522.77 Monday, while the Milanka index of liquid stocks lost […]
Financial Reality
Aug 10, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan commercial banks which seem to enjoy wide interest margins on the surface have low profitability, amid high taxation and rising bad loans, a senior banker has warned.“Capital providers would probably not think of banks as a prime sector to invest in this market” Nihal Fonseka, chief executive of […]
Tele Calls
Aug 10, 2009 (LBO) – Profits of Sri Lanka Telecom group, fell 75 percent to 375 million in the June 2009 quarter, while revenues stayed flat at 11.74 billion rupees, with growth in data and mobile sectors, the company said. Operating costs rose 26 percent to 7.39 billion rupees, partly on account of Mobitel network […]
”” futures: Indian FM
MELBOURNE, August 10, 2009 (AFP) – “Dubious” Australian colleges are ruining the future prospects of young Indian students and trashing the country’s reputation abroad, India’s foreign minister said in comments published Monday.S.M. Krishna, visiting Australia to express concern over a wave of street assaults on Indian students, said there was concern in New Delhi about […]
Indian car sales jump 31 percent
NEW DELHI, August 10, 2009 (AFP) – Indian car sales jumped for a sixth straight month in July, climbing an annual 31 percent, as new launches and cheaper finance boosted demand, industry figures showed Monday. Domestic passenger car sales rose to 115,067 units in July from 87,901 units a year ago, the Society of Indian […]