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‘s Murali, Mahela in ICC award shortlist
MUMBAI, Oct 22 (AFP) – Pakistani paceman Mohammad Asif has been shortlisted for an ICC award despite testing positive for a banned substance, it was announced here on Sunday. “Asif is eligible for the award as the period under consideration was before the doping offence,” said Malcolm Speed, chief executive of the International Cricket Council […]
Peace brokers face tough battle in clearing way for Sri Lanka peace talks
Oct 22 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s warring parties were bracing for talks aimed at saving a tattered truce, but arranging next weekend’s parley is becoming a logistical “minefield” that could blow up before the meeting begins. Peace broker Norway’s breakthrough last week, when it coaxed the rebel Tamil Tigers to talks, appears to have been […]
Sporadic fire in Sri Lanka on run up to peace talks
Oct 22(AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels set off a Claymore mine and fired on troops in northern Sri Lanka Sunday, wounding three people, the defence ministry said amid moves to arrange peace talks next weekend.Four previous peace attempts ended in failure.The powerful blast went off in the Jaffna peninsula while troops were on a cordon-and-search […]
‘s cinnamon exports, following new standard
Oct 19, 2006 (LBO) – The European Union has lifted year long restrictions on Sri Lanka’s cinnamon exports, following approval of a new standard for the spice.The disagreement stemmed from sulphur residue levels in Sri Lankan shipments, with the EU not having a fixed standard on allowable levels, until now. “Exports to Germany came to a […]
”’ from Fitch
October 20, 2006 (LBO) – Citibank N.A. a unit of the Citigroup Inc., retained its AAA (lka) from Fitch Ratings Lanka Ltd, the agency said Friday. The local unit’s rating draws strength from its parent, Citigroup Inc (rated ‘AA+’). Given that the domestic entity is a branch using the ‘Citibank’ brand name and is operationally […]
HSBC Sri Lanka secures a AAA (lka) rating from Fitch
October 20, 2006 (LBO) – HSBC Bank’s Sri Lankan unit has been rated AAA (lka) by Fitch Ratings Lanka for their long-term senior debt. ‘AAA’ (lka) is the highest rating assigned to in issuer or issues. The bank joins the local triple A club, which was earlier limited to Citibank N.A., Dialog Telekom, National Savings […]
Best Deals
Oct 20, 2006 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines says it will consider lowering fuel surcharges on tickets in January if oil prices continue to fall, while it also expands further into Indian metropolitan cities this winter. The airline is currently buying jet fuel at 1.92 dollars a gallon, down from the highs of 2.28 dollars a […]
Sri Lanka lowers tourist arrival targets, as Australia issues tough travel warning
Oct 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may still cross the half a million tourist arrival mark this year though falling short of targets, even as Australia issued a tough warning on Friday not to travel to the troubled island. Fighting between Sri Lanka government and Tamil rebels have escalated in recent months, with some […]
Sri Lanka slaps limits on non-essential imports to curb credit growth
October 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has imposed fresh restrictions to limit imports of 44 non-essential items like electrical goods, chocolates, palm oil and cosmetics, in a bid to curb excessive credit growth. “A 50 percent margin deposit on the invoiced value of the imports should be placed by the importers at the time […]
Sri Lanka rupee gains despite negatives
October 19, 2006 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan rupee closed stronger at 105.70 against the U.S. dollar Thursday, gaining more than a rupee and shaking off losses made earlier in the week, dealers said. Dealers believe extra dollars flowed through a portfolio investment, and state banks which are usually on the buying side also stayed […]
Speedy transfers
October 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s People’s Bank, has tied up with global money transfer giant Western Union, to enable their customers to remit funds to their families here. “This is a 240-250 billion dollar market and we have around 16 percent of market share in this field,” Kapur said. Over a million Sri […]
Tourism campaign in India boosts Indian visits to the island
Oct 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has seen a 22 percent jump in Indian visitors during a six months promotional campaign across top metro cities India, a local industry group said Thursday. The Sri Lanka – Small Island, Big Trip campaign ran from March to August this year across Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore […]