Tag: business

JAIPUR, January 21, 2011 (AFP) – Nobel-winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk and fellow writer Kiran Desai have pulled out of Sri Lanka’s main literary festival, Pamuk’s publisher said on Friday, following pressure from press freedom groups. Reporters Without Borders and a Sri Lankan rights group had targeted foreign writers in a campaign that called on […]

Jan 21, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Piramal Glass Ceylon, a unit of India’s Piramal Glass said profits in the December 2010 quarter rose more than five fold to 190 million rupees from 28. 6 million a year earlier. The firm which makes glassware saw revenues grow 28. 2 percent to 1,166 million rupees according […]

Jan 20, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Jaffna hospital, the main state health facility in the former war torn northern peninsular is being upgraded with a 2. 9 billion rupee grant in a three year project which began Thursday, the Japan International Co-operation Agency said. A central facility to house surgeries, intensive care, diagnostic imaging, […]

January 19, 2011 (AFP) – The United Nations on Wednesday sought 51 million dollars to meet the urgent needs of more than one million people affected by recent monsoon floods in Sri Lanka. Bragg will end her visit on Friday after meeting with senior Sri Lankan government officials. The UN issued the appeal as its […]

January 18, 2011 (AFP) – Hundreds of flood victims in Sri Lanka besieged a district office in the eastern town of Kathankudi complaining about unfair distribution of emergency food aid, police said Tuesday. Local media reports said three civil servants were hospitalised after being attacked by the furious crowd, but police said they were unable […]

Jan 18, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s recent floods will have minimal impact on long term inflation and will not need a monetary response but there will be ‘some economic impact’ from crop losses, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal said. Large swathes of rice fields in Sri Lanka east and north central areas went under […]

WASHINGTON, January 16, 2011 (AFP) – China’s President Hu Jintao said Sunday the international currency system was “a product of the past,” but it would be a long time before the yuan is accepted as an international currency. Asked about the view that appreciation of the yuan would curb inflation in China, Hu suggested that […]

BRUSSELS, January 14, 2011 (AFP) – The European Commission decided on Friday to release two million euros (. 7 million) in emergency humanitarian aid for the victims of devastating floods in Sri Lanka. The assistance will be distributed through international aid agencies to provide emergency food aid, water and sanitation, and emergency relief items. “When […]

Jan 14, 2011 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has improved its score in an economic freedom index for 2011 compiled by US based heritage foundation and the Wall Street Journal, but the increasing non-tarrif barriers and state expansion has dragged the score down. Sri Lanka improved its score by 2.5 points to 57.1 making it the […]

Jan 14, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is raising 250 million US dollars from the sale of two blocks of land to developers who will build hotels and shopping complexes near the main beachfront in the capital Colombo, a government minister said. Hong Kong based Shangri-La hotels and state-run China National Aero Technology Import and […]

WASHINGTON, January 13, 2011 (AFP) – The World Bank warned Wednesday the global economy could return to the dark days of the 2008 crisis, with slowing growth and rising commodity prices. After the recession in 2009 and the 2010 rebound, the multilateral institution said, 2011 is expected to be a year of deceleration. In its […]

Jan 14, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka could loosen monetary policy if it is balanced by tightening fiscal policy to manage inflation, a senior World Bank economist said South Asian nations struggled with large deficits and high inflation from past loose policy. Sri Lanka has a pegged exchange rate where the country’s inflation is externally […]