Category:
Chartered Profits
June 01, 2008 (LBO) – Standard Chartered Bank of Sri Lanka posted 44 percent growth in profits for the 2008 March quarter following a 22 percent growth in interest income, the published interim results showed. Standard Chartered’s deposit base grew at a slower pace of six percent to 55.59 billion rupees. Total assets stood at […]
Banking Numbers
June 01, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s National Development Bank said group net profit for the March quarter rose 16 percent to 349 million rupees from a year ago with loan growth slow but with a tight control on bad loans. Total group income went up 45 percent to three billion rupees in the quarter […]
Sri Lanka hydro power capacity boosted by heavy rains
June 01, 2008 (LBO) – Heavy monsoon type rain from Saturday is bringing much needed water to Sri Lanka’s hydro power generation system though parts of the island are threatened by floods. Hydro complexes in the upper reaches of the Kelani River in particular had received more than 100 millimeters of rain yesterday, with some […]
Florida, Michigan restored in blow to Clinton
WASHINGTON, June 1, 2008 (AFP) – The Democratic Party dealt a severe blow to Hillary Clinton’s fading White House hopes, restoring renegade states Michigan and Florida to its presidential convention, but with halved voting power.Barack Obama, 46 was left two giant strides closer to making history as the first black presidential nominee, with only three […]
Bolt electrifies with 100m world record of 9.72sec
NEW YORK, June 1, 2008 (AFP) – Jamaica’s Usain Bolt clocked a 100m world record of 9.72sec Saturday to electrify the Reebok Grand Prix athletics meeting.The 21-year-old broke the previous record of 9.74 set by compatriot Asafa Powell in Rieti, Italy, on September 9, 2007. With a favorable wind of 1.7m/sec, Bolt finished ahead of […]
State Fat
June 01, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka needs to market price energy and consumers are now not only paying for the rise in international prices, but also for the high expenditure involved in operating the public sector, a think tank has said. Referring to official statements that the fuel import bill this year may be […]
Sri Lanka should watch external sector developments: economist
June 01, 2008 (LBO) – A strong balance of payments position and a strong currency is giving stability to Sri Lanka’s external sector. But it is at odds with the high inflation the country has been seeing in recent months. Q: What about the EU? Is the situation better there? A: In the EU it […]
Wireless Access
May 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s wireless operator Lanka Bell has launched wireless broadband services offering hi-speed internet connectivity for home and enterprise users, the company said. “For home users it could be a great aid to education and social interaction.” Lanka Bell says it has a subscriber base of nearly one million. The […]
Blast in Sri Lanka capital Colombo
May 31, 2008 (LBO) – An explosion in a southern suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo around 9.00 pm local time Saturday has left several persons injured, the military and witnesses said. Tamil Tigers have been waging a separatist war for more than three decades and authorities have blamed the group for a series of […]
Blast in Sri Lanka capital kills two
May 31, 2008 (LBO) – A grenade blast in a southern suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo late Saturday has killed at least two persons, police said. Tamil Tigers have been waging a separatist war for more than three decades and authorities have blamed the group for a series of explosions, some using suicide attacks […]
‘s southwest coast
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, May 31, 2008 (AFP) – The first rain from India’s annual monsoon, crucial to millions of farmers and the health of the overall economy, hit the southwest coast on Saturday. The southwest monsoon sweeps the subcontinent from June to September and is an economic lifeline for the 235 million farmers in India where just […]
Dubai bans sale of cigarettes to under 20s
DUBAI, May 31, 2008 (AFP) – The Gulf emirate of Dubai on Saturday banned the sale of tobacco to anyone under the age of 20 with immediate effect and barred young people from public areas in which smoking is allowed.The anouncement was made in public advertisements in Arabic-language newspapers as part of a “Youth Without […]