Tag: Finance

May 31, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and Thailand inked agreements on tourism, technology, business during a visit by Thai Prime Minister Yinluck Shinawatra to the island, who had bilateral talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.Thai deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul and Sri Lanka’s foreign minister G L Pieris, technology minister Patali Ranawaka inked the deals […]

May 31, 2013 (LBO) – Consumer prices in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo rose 7.3 percent in the 12 months to May 2013 accelerating from 6.4 percent in April mostly due a power tariff hike, data from the state statistics office showed. The Central Bank cut interest rates last month despite advice from the International Monetary […]

May 27, 2013 (LBO) – A business delegation from Korea will be visiting Sri Lanka in June to meet partners in Sri Lanka, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said.The delegation is interested in meeting businesses in liquor, ship maintenance and conversion, steel, tourism, vehicle components, housing and construction, the chamber said. The delegation which will […]

May 28, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa had been promised more funding by head of the Export Import of Bank of China, Li Ruogu during talks in Beijing, his office in Colombo said. President Rajapaksa is on a four day visit to Beijing. The Exim Bank chief will extend support for road […]

May 28, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka and China will negotiate a free trade deal and Chinese support has been pledged for a planned expressway to the north of the island following a state visit by President Rajapaksa to Beijing.During bilateral meetings, agreement had been reached to set up two committees that will work towards […]

May 27, 2013 (LBO) – A post-war growth spurt is temporary and there was no ‘structural shift’ to eight percent a year from six, needing policy changes, an economist said, echoing a call by the International Monetary Fund to improve policy. Harsha De Silva, who is also a legislator for the opposition said while there […]

May 27, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka current administration is breaking the law in withholding information that should be filed in parliament under a fiscal responsibility law, which should be corrected from this year, a legislator has said.In the first three months of the year state and SOE borrowings from the banking system rose to […]

May 26, 2013 (LBO) – Bank credit to Sri Lanka’s state enterprises and central government surged to 100.6 billion rupees in March 2013 from 36.7 billion a month earlier, official data shows, perhaps the highest ever in a single month.But the broader public sector deficit with loss making energy enterprises was 8.6 percent of GDP […]

May 24, 2013 (LBO) – An economic policy forum in July aims to focus attention on critical areas of the economy that need more attention of policy makers, Sri Lanka’s Ceylon Chamber said.There had already been a focus on infrastructure development, north-east reconstruction, development of the less developed regions, and priority on agriculture and food […]

THE HAGUE, 2013 (AFP) – Europol on Wednesday said 18 people, mostly Sri Lankans, were arrested in joint police raids in Britain and France on suspicion of being part of a human trafficking ring that smuggled South Asian immigrants into Britain. “During the joint operation, 11 suspects were arrested in the UK and seven in […]

May 23, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s opposition parties should call more general strikes to improve attendance among state workers, a government minister said following a failed strike over an electricity price hike.Also in Sri Lanka budget deficits bordering 20 percent of gross domestic product, partly financed with central bank credit (printed money) had driven […]

SINGAPORE, May 23, 2013 (AFP) – Oil extended its losses in Asian trade on Thursday on a stronger dollar after the US Federal Reserve hinted that it could ease its massive stimulus policy soon, analysts said. “The reality is that US crude inventory remains high, indicating weak demand as the driving season approaches,” said Spooner. […]