Author: lbostgadmin
Different Strokes
April 18, 2007 (LBO) – Fledgling Islamic insurer, Amana Takaful Insurance (ATI), which was listed on the second board of the Colombo bourse last November, has reported a 57 percent growth in premium collections it the audited accounts for 2006. The company’s shares last traded at 31.50 at the close of market in April though […]
Merchant Rating
April 18, 2007 (LBO) – Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka, a listed subsidiary of the state-owned Bank of Ceylon, has received a AA3 rating for its proposed 600 million-rupee debenture, Lanka Rating Agency (LRA) said Wednesday. LRA says MBSL’s growth is capped by its funding. “The rating of the proposed debt issue is similar to […]
Trishaw Finance
April 18, 2007 (LBO) – A small Sri Lankan finance company to which specializes in funding three-wheeled auto-rickshaws is showing high profitability, Fitch Ratings which assigned the firm a BB+ (lka) rating said Wednesday. About 95 percent of the assets of Trade Finance and Investments (TFI) in the 9-months ending December 2006 was in three-wheeler […]
Squeezed Through
April 18, 2007 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka Wednesday confirmed Ceylease Financial Services Ltd’s (CFS) national long-term rating at ‘BBB-(lka)’ with a stable outlook, despite worsening solvency.Fitch says there is implied support from state-owned Bank of Ceylon, rated AA (lka), which owns 50 percent of the company. At the end of the 2006 financial year […]
Sri Lanka spends 54% percent of tax revenue on government jobs; unemployment down to 6.5%
April 17, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has spent 54 cents out of every tax rupee collected last year on government jobs and pensions, while plans are afoot to hire 20,000 more people into the already bloated public sector. Official data has revealed that last year the government spent 233 billion rupees on government salaries, […]
’s east
COLOMBO, April 17, 2007 (AFP) – Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels gunned down four people in Sri Lanka’s north and eastern regions as violence continued during traditional New Year celebrations, the military said Tuesday.The conflict has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972.Two men were shot dead early Tuesday in Batticaloa district, 300 kilometres (190 miles) […]
Under-strength Sri Lanka lose to Australia by 7-wickets
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, April 16, 2007 (AFP) – Australia captain Ricky Ponting scored an unbeaten 66 as the champions stretched their unbeaten run at the World Cup to 26 games and 20 consecutive wins with a seven-wicket Super Eights victory against an under-strength Sri Lanka here Monday. Australia had a minor wobble when occasional off-spinner […]
Aussies mystified by Vaas and Murali absence
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, April 16, 2007 (AFP) – Australia’s Andrew Symonds admitted he was stunned to see Sri Lanka rest frontline bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan from their World Cup Super Eights clash on Monday. Australia face New Zealand in their last Super Eights game here on Friday Symonds smashed an unbeaten 63 as […]
Sri Lanka ponder rest repeat against Ireland
ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, April 17, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan, who were controversially omitted for the crushing World Cup defeat by Australia, could also sit out Wednesday’s clash against Ireland.Their absence, and that of already injured quick Lasith Malinga, meant the 1996 World Cup winners went into Monday’s loss to […]
Sri Lanka seeks ICC compensation on aborted tournament
April 16, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka wants compensation from cricket’s world governing body for a cancelled tri-series last year that it says caused a loss of 12 million dollars, a top official here said Monday.The series involving India, South Africa and the hosts was cancelled in Colombo in August when the Proteas abandoned the […]
World Cup takes steps in wrong direction
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, April 17, 2007 (AFP) – From the country that gave you Riverdance, Ireland can now boast The Chicken and The Ferret.The Irish team’s World Cup campaign, which has accounted for Pakistan and Bangladesh, has also spawned a couple of new moves which would definitely look out of place at all self-respecting nightclubs. Captain […]
Resting stars leave Sri Lanka fans fuming
April 17, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan cricket fans Tuesday expressed frustration and disappointment over their team’s tactics in resting top players for the World Cup clash against Australia.Sri Lanka, already assured of a place in the semi-finals, kept out star bowlers Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan for the Super Eights match in Grenada on […]