Category: Industry
Ms. Nurse
The Ministry of Health hired 2,000 new nurses on Monday to ease pressure on public sector demand for trained nursing staff. The country has around 16,000 trained nurses working in the public health sector but there is an immediate shortage of around 5,600 nurses in government hospitals.rn rnThe new appointments will be absorbed by Sri […]
Travel Brews
The idea of a lquote tea resort is growing within Watawala Plantations, to entice high-spending tourists to have a hands-on experience in tea making.Upto 15% of unproductive estate land has been earmarked for the tea resort and will sell rooms to an average US$ 200 per-night. rn rnWatawala Plantations CEO, Vish Govindasami said the firm […]
Right Practice
The CIMA Division Sri Lanka will host its annual conference next week, showcasing success stories of companies that have leveraged best practices to make a dent in the global marketplace. With global best practices a must-have, the conference follows on from last years theme of lquote Repositioning Sri Lanka Globally, with best practices among the […]
Mixed Blessings
Emirates Airlines on Monday announced a fuel surcharge on airline tickets purchased from selected markets, including Sri Lanka.Passengers buying tickets from Sri Lanka, pay an additional Rs.500 for a one-way journey and Rs. 1,000 per return ticket, the airline said.rn rnldblquote Emirates Airline is not implementing across-the-board ticket price surcharges in response to rising fuel […]
Interesting News
Commercial Bank of Ceylon saw its earnings take a dip during the first quarter of 2004, largely due to losses from its primary dealer subsidiary and higher taxes.Group profits were down 6.9 percent to Rs. 319 mn for the three month period to March 31, from Rs. 343 mn reported during the same period 2003.rn […]
Achilles Heel
Sri Lanka Telecom plans to send out the backlog of customer bills from the end of this month, but subscribers will be billed on a shorter cycle.SLTs new US$ 20 mn billing system went through technical glitches in its implementation stage, leaving over 800,000 customers chatting non-stop since last December.rn rnThe new system includes an […]
Study Hall
The Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) is trying to leverage growing local and regional interest in people management to position Sri Lanka as a human resource (HR) activities hub in the region. IPM will host its annual lquote HR Conference and Service Providers Exhibition at the BMICH on May 19th and 20th followed by the […]
Fire Fire!
The Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL) is studying the Sri Lankan industry and international practices to modernize and reform the insurance regulatory framework in the country.IBSL is trying to bring modern regulatory practices to an industry that has seen little regulatory supervision during the last half century.rnWhen the IBSL took over, there were concerns […]
Profit Centre
Moving ever closer to a long proposed IPO, Software solutions developer Virtusa Corporation recently completed its Series D round of financing, securing US $20 million. The fourth round of funding for Virtusa was led by Focus Ventures, with participation from existing investors Sigma partners, Charles River Ventures and Globespan Capital Partners.rn rnThe fresh infusion increases […]
Jetlag
Tough competition from bus services plying the North and East routes and the expected slowdown in the number of Sri Lankan expatriates returning to catch a glimpse of their once time home could force local operators to absorb the increased cost of jet fuel and keep ticket prices at the current levels. A senor official […]
Spoilt Brats
The latest threat to Colombos privileged is small, pesky and deadly. Municipal authorities reveal that Colombo citys better off are under attack by dengue mosquitoes.rnrnThe Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) says that 70 percent of all reported dengue cases in Colombo now come from upper and middle class families.rn rnldblquote Four to five years ago 60 […]
Thumb Tags
Sri Lankans applying to enter the US will be electronically fingerprinted with effect Wednesday, as the US toughens security laws at its embassies and consulates in 120 countries. Together with the standard digital photograph, the fingerprinting process will be the second biometric indicator on all visas to the United States.rn rnldblquote It is designed to […]