Dire Straits

May 23, 2006 (LBO) – Cash strapped retail fuel supplier Lanka IOC has put a break on future imports, citing an unpaid 7.44 billion rupee subsidy payment at the centre of a dispute with the government. A unit of the Fortune 500 Indian Oil Corp., Lanka IOC says they have sufficient stocks to cover 43 […]

Continuing violence slowing down aid projects: World Bank

May 19, 2006 (LBO) – An upsurge in violence in the north east part of Sri Lanka could slow down progress post-conflict development projects, a top World Bank official said Friday. The bank, which lends around 80-100 million dollars to Sri Lanka each year, has a few medium-term projects in the north east. “We are […]

Sinking Further

May 17 (LBO) – Petroleum retailer Lanka IOC, Friday reported a 7.1 billion rupee loss for the year ended March 31, as the Sri Lankan government fail to settle its subsidy bills. A unit of the Fortune 500 Indian Oil Corp., LIOCs financial health has been deteriorating since total subsidy claims climbed up to 7.695 […]

U.S. gives million dollars to spruce up tsunami shelters

May 18, 2006 (LBO) – The United States Thursday gave Sri Lanka a one million dollar grant to upgrade and improve the living conditions in 40,000 transitional shelters built after the December 2004 tsunami. Nearly 20,000 people still live in transitional shelters, of which around 40 percent are in need of upgrades, the U.S. said […]

Quantum Leap

May 17, 2006 (LBO) – Runaway global oil prices is expected to cost Sri Lanka 2,250 million dollars this year, the government said Wednesday, in a broad hint that a retail fuel price revision was around the corner. Sri Lanka is a net oil importer, with last year’s fuel bill climbing up to 1.64 billion […]

Sri Lanka joins ADB initiative to combat corruption

May 17, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Wednesday joined an Asian Development Bank- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development initiative to develop an action plan to combat corruption. “Knowledge – Commitment – Action against Corruption in Asia-Pacific”, a book that explores innovative reforms discussed at the ADB OECD 5th Regional Anti-Corruption Conference for Asia-Pacific in […]

Lame Excuse

May 16 (LBO) – A top economist tells Sri Lanka not to delay petroleum pricing reforms by taking cover behind potential oil reserves. Sri Lanka is a net oil importer, with a fuel bill in the region of 1.6 billion dollars (160 billion rupees) last year, over 800 million dollars the year before, driven upwards […]

War fears batter investor confidence in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, May 16, 2006 (AFP) – Fears Sri Lanka could return to civil war have punched a hole in investor confidence and wiped millions of dollars off the value of local shares, analysts said Tuesday The tiny Colombo Stock Exchange has shed nearly 53 billion rupees (5.3 million dollars) of its value since the crisis […]

Foreign loans, overseas remittances, keep Sri Lanka floating

May 15 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s balance of payments (BOP) has recorded a 150 million dollar surplus for the three months to March, the Central Bank said Monday as it maintained key interest rates for the fifth straight month. The balance of payments is a record of the island’s total payments to foreign countries, including […]

New Wing

May 11 (LBO) – The government has given state oil giant Ceylon Petroleum Corporation the go ahead for a feasibility study to double capacity at its Sapugaskanda refinery. “We have got Cabinet approval for a feasibility study as well as a million dollars to fund the study,” M H M Fowzie, Minister for Petroleum Resources […]

Breaking Ground

May 11 (LBO) – Sri Lanka began construction of it first coal power plant on Thursday in Norachcholai on the island’s West Coast, amidst protests by environmental lobbies. The 300 Megawatt plant is being built at a cost of 455 million dollars, largely funded by a 20-year concessionary loan from the China Export and Import […]

Violence, oil cast shadow on Sri Lanka

May 11 (Dow Jones)–The course of Sri Lanka’s peace process has become crucial to the country’s economy, as high oil prices threaten double-digit inflation. High oil prices may also force the central bank to hold back an anticipated cut in interest rates, which could have spurred the economy and offset some of the pressure caused […]

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