Tokyo rubber futures tick higher in low volume
BANGKOK (Reuters): Tokyo rubber futures edged higher on Wednesday as speculators bought in anticipation of a drop in supply in coming weeks during the dry season, but gains were limited by thin trading ahead of year-end holidays, dealers said.
Vietnam’s Dec coffee exports ease 8.5 pct y/y-govt
HANOI (Reuters): Vietnam exported an estimated 150,000 tonnes, or 2.5 million bags, of coffee in December, a drop of 8.5 percent from the same month last year, the government said on Wednesday.
Asia Rice: Weak demand pushes prices down further
BANGKOK (Reuters): Asian rice prices dropped further this week due to thin demand ahead of the year-end holidays, but intervention by the Thai government and Vietnam’s industry association was likely to limit the falls, traders said on Wednesday.
Iraq buys 150,000 tonnes of rice from India, Pakistan
HAMBURG (Reuters): Iraq’s state grain board has provisionally purchased about 150,000 tonnes of rice from Pakistan and India in an international tender for at least 30,000 tonnes which closed on Dec. 18 with offers remaining valid until Dec. 22, European traders said on Tuesday.
Wheat up on short covering, soy softer
SINGAPORE/HAMBURG, (Reuters): U.S. wheat futures rose in European trade on Wednesday on end-of-year short covering while soybeans continued to be burdened by selling pressure after their sharp rally on Tuesday, traders said.
Mahaweli Reach Hotel wins Star Award
The Mahaweli Reach Hotel was the recipient of a premier award for large scale businesses in the services category at the recently concluded star awards 2011 conducted by the Ministry of industries of the Central Province for businesses that have demonstrated excellence whilst contributing to the economic progress of the region.
Indonesia to relax visa restrictions on Sri Lanka
Indonesia is to relax its visa policy on Sri Lanka from next year. Bangladesh is the other country they have decided to relax their Visa policy from next year.
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently on the immigration red list of 13 countries whose citizens are feared to have the potential to create trouble for Indonesian law enforcers and intelligence officers. According to the immigration office, only 10 percent of Sri Lankans legally entering Indonesia exited the country, while the remaining 90 percent could no longer be located.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees revealed that there were more than 2,800 refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia, most of who came from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
Global hotel rates outperform year-to-date pace in November
The leisure and corporate hotel markets returned solid results globally for bookings and rate growth in November, according to data released by Pegasus Solutions in its The Pegasus View report.
Coral Rock gets a makeover; emerges bigger, better and stronger
By Kshanika Argent
As recently as little over a year ago, Coral Rock was no different from a few other small, run down beachside hotels in Hikkaduwa. After the tsunami and years of neglect, the small establishment fell into an almost blasé state, happy to get by with whatever came their way.
Commercial Bank launches ‘Paymaster’
Commercial Bank launched ‘Paymaster’ recently, enabling corporate institutions to male Employees Provident Fund (EPF) payments in a convenient manner – yet another innovative electronic total payment solution from the bank. The launch function was held at the Ceylon Continental Hotel
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