Feb 04 (CP) Colombo- Sri Lanka's Embilipitiya Paper Mill officially starts operations today under a new management. The paper mill was leased to Perth Engineering and Maintenance (WA)(Pvt).Ltd of Australia under the programme of restructuring the loss-making state enterprises.

Feb 04 (BR) Pakistan is the second largest trading partner of Sri Lanka in the SAARC region. A substantial growth in bilateral trade is seen in both exports and imports, especially after Pakistan-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (PSFTA) was implemented in 2005.

Feb 04 (DN) SriLankan Air Taxi will operate daily scheduled flights to Mahawilachchiya Tank, Anuradhapura from February 4 to 11, 2012, providing fast and comfortable transfers to the exhibition venue of Deyata Kirula.

Feb 03 (CP) Colombo- Sri Lanka has decided to permit foreign owned companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka as "Margin Providers" to lend credit to investors of the Colombo Stock Exchange.

Feb 03 (Reuters) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Friday said it was encouraged by Sri Lanka's monetary and exchange rate policy changes amid a sharp drop in foreign exchange reserves and significant widening of the current account deficit.

Feb 03 (eTN) To those veterans of the travel and tourism industry, the formerly known Blue Lagoon in Thalahena is indeed the Holy Grail: officially Sri Lanka’s first planned resort, as well as being the amazing Geoffrey Bawa’s first resort design. Back in its day, however, the property was small and was reliant on the seasonal inflow of Scandinavian tourists.

Feb 03 (Bloomberg) Sri Lanka unexpectedly raised interest rates to contain credit growth and inflation after the island’s economy expanded the most since at least the 1970s following the ending its decades-long civil war.

Feb 03 (DN) Bandaranaike International Airport has embarked on a rapid expansion plan with a view to becoming a dominant force in the international aviation market. Under the second phase of the BIA expansion project, a new aerodrome which has the ability to land nine airplanes is being put up.

Feb 04 (LBO) Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa warned of possible fallout from a weak global economy during a speech to mark the island's independence from British rule.

Feb 04 (Island) Government is encouraging cruise ship stop overs as an addition to its booming post-war tourism boom, a statement said on Friday. The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said in a statement that they along with the officials of the Sri Lanka Port Authority, welcomed the Carnival PLC luxury cruise liner ‘Arcadia’ with 2, 100 tourists onboard at the Colombo Harbor.

Feb 03 (CP) Colombo- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has commended the Sri Lanka Central Bank's to raise the monetary and exchange policy rates and the government's commitment to reduce the budget deficit.

Feb 03 (CP) Colombo- Sri Lanka's Central Bank today said it has decided to increase both the Repurchase rate and the Reverse Repurchase rate by 50 basis points each to 7.50 percent and 9.00 percent, respectively for the first time since 2007.

Feb 03 (Reuters) COLOMBO- Sri Lanka's central bank depreciated the rupee currency by 20 cents on Friday after it surprised the markets by tightening monetary policy with a 50 basis point policy rate hike earlier in the day.

Feb 03 (LBO) Sri Lanka's Textured Jersey Lanka, a unit of Brandix, an apparel export group, said net profit fell 11 percent to 409 million rupees in the nine months ending December 31, 2011 from a year ago.

Feb 03 (Island) The government yesterday expressed confidence that the boycott imposed by the Tamil Nadu state on Sri Lankan exports of confectionery products such as biscuits and chocolates was only a temporary setback and that the matters would be ironed out before long.

Feb 01 (Reuters) COLOMBO- Sri Lanka may take action to cool down continuing high credit growth in the economy which has caused some concern, the island nation's central bank governor said on Wednesday.