Tag: economy

HONG KONG, September 17, 2010 (AFP) – The price of gold struck a record high above 1,280 US dollars an ounce in Hong Kong trade on Friday. Gold is seen as a safe haven investment and also a hedge against inflation. The precious metal rose to 1,280. 20 US dollars an ounce in afternoon trading, […]

JAKARTA, September 17, 2010 (AFP) – The International Monetary Fund warned Friday Indonesia must make fighting corruption a priority if it wants to build on its progress as one of the world’s best-performing economies. Southeast Asia’s biggest economy expanded 4.5 percent in 2009, the third fastest in the Group of 20, and is poised for […]

September 17, 2010 – Sri Lanka’s military more than halved the estimated death toll from an accidental blast at an explosives depot on Friday, saying 27 people had been killed instead of 60. The nearest hospital to the site of the accident, in the town of Batticaloa, said several people injured in the blast had […]

Sept 16, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will rebuild two fishery harbours in the north of the island as part of a strategy to develop maritime resources in the region which is recovering from a war, a government minister said. “This is a clear indication of the governments vision in moving forward in the development […]

Sept 16, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s economy is estimated to have grown by 8.5 percent during the second quarter of 2010 from a year earlier, which is the highest quarterly growth rate recorded since 2002, the government’s statistics office said. Higher costs had reduced chicken production by 5.2 percent and eggs by 0.9 percent. […]

TOKYO, September 15, 2010 (AFP) – Japan on Wednesday intervened in currency markets for the first time since 2004 in a bid to stem the yen’s appreciation against the dollar, Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said. The dollar had hit a fresh 15-year low of 82. 86 yen in Tokyo before gaining sharply following the intervention, […]

Sept 15, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Securities and Exchange Commission has ordered brokering firms to “absolutely refrain” from giving credit for clients to trade in stocks as rising prices reduced the immediate risk of delaying payment. In Sri Lanka purchases have to be settled in three days (T+3). However clients could continue to get […]

Sept 14, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s statistics office has completed most of the preliminary work to conduct its first island-wide population count in 30-years with a ‘pilot census’ to begin in October, an official said. The census office started piling work a new building in Battaramulla, near Sri Lanka’s parliament Tuesday. The 62 year […]

HAVANA, September 14, 2010 (AFP) – Cuba has announced plans to slash one million state jobs and encourage the growth of its emerging small business sector in a gamble it hopes can keep its communist system and floundering economy afloat. Workers laid off from government jobs will no longer be sent home with partial pay, […]

Sept 14, 2010 (LBO) – Standard & Poor’s has raised its long-term foreign currency sovereign credit rating on Sri Lanka to ‘B+’ from ‘B’ and the long-term local currency rating to ‘BB-‘ from ‘B+’ with a stable outlook, a statement said. At the same time, Standard & Poor’s confirmed the ‘B’ short-term rating on the […]

Sept 14, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka budget deficit up to June 2010 is on track with projected numbers though deficit monetization in subsequent weeks points to greater net cash deficits, official data show. Tax revenues picked up 16.0 percent to 309 billion rupees in the first six months of the year from a year […]

Sept 13, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has been ranked 83rd in the latest Forbes Best Countries for Business list, behind India which was placed 77th but ahead of Pakistan at 92 and Bangladesh at 109. Denmark tops the list, followed by Hong Kong in second place, New Zealand in third, Canada in fourth and […]