SriLankan Airlines gets another Airbus A320

Dec 17, 2010 (LBO) – SriLankan Airlines has taken delivery of another Airbus A320 aircraft as it continues to expand its global route network, a statement said. The newest arrival swells SriLankan’s fleet to 15 aircraft four A320s, five A330s, five A340s, and a De Havilland Twin Otter. The A320 will join the narrow-body fleet […]

Sri Lanka turns to heritage homes

Dec 17, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government is encouraging owners of heritage homes to convert them into tourist accommodation as it gets ready to meet an influx of visitors after the end of a war, officials said. Sri Lanka received its 600,000th tourist this month and plans to attract at least 700,000 visitors […]

Finance Upgrade

Dec 17, 2010 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka has upgraded Singer Finance (Lanka) Limited’s (SFL) national long-term rating to ‘BBB+(lka)’ from ‘BBB(lka)’ with a stable outlook, a statement said. SFL is a registered finance company and a fully-owned subsidiary of SSP. It has a network of six branches and six service centres in Sri Lanka. […]

Share Demand

Dec 17, 2010 (LBO) – An initial public offer by Singer Finance (Lanka) to raise 400 million rupees was oversubscribed 120 times, drawing applications worth 48 billion rupees, a statement said. The IPO is mainly to fund Singer Finance’s hire purchase business growth which is reawakening after the 2008-09 business downturn. Updated The firm had […]

Sea Travel

Dec 17, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s cabinet of ministers had given the nod for two ferry services to be set up with India between Colombo and Turicorin and Thalaimannar and Rameswaram, the government said. A large number of Sri Lankans also travel to India on business and pilgrimages. The government’s information office said a […]

Sri Lanka Shangri-La leisure project would be US$500mn: minister

Dec 16, 2010 (LBO) – Hong Kong based leisure group Shangri-La will invest 500 million US dollars in a hotel project on the main beachfront of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo, a government minister said. The land is expected to be sold for 75 million US dollars according to reports. “The Shangri-La group has come forward […]

Commemorative Coin

Dec 16, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s central bank has issued a 5,000-rupees commemorative coin to mark its 60th anniversary which will be sold to the public from next month, a statement said. The ‘Frosted Proof’ crown sized silver commemorative coin is the first multi-coloured coin issued by the central bank. The limited issue of […]

Sri Lanka hotels, industry to face higher power tariffs

Dec 16, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s industries and hotels will face sharply higher power costs of around 25 to 100 percent under new tariffs proposed for 2011, industry representatives told a public hearing called by the regulator. Sri Lanka’s industry has been getting subsidized power, though most of the subsidies went to domestic users […]

Sri Lanka gets US$500mn worth tourism proposals for 10 islets

Dec 16, 2010 (LBO) – Eleven leisure firms have submitted proposals worth 500 million US dollars to build hotels and other leisure facilities in 10 islets off Sri Lanka’s North Western coast, an official said. Chairman of Sri Lanka’s tourism development authority Nalaka Godahewa said the bids closed on December 03 and successful parties will […]

Sri Lanka to protect Buddhism with low power tariffs

Dec 15, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has further cut tariffs to places of worship in proposed new rates for 2010 to protect Buddhism, which was an obligation of the state, power ministry secretary M M Ferdinando said. Under proposed tariffs for 2011 the lowest tariffs for religious establishments would go down from 2. 50 […]

Sri Lanka power utility cuts losses with rain

Dec 15, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state run Ceylon Electricity Board has turned a small profit in the three months from June to August helped by heavy rainfall, which has allowed the utility to maximize hydro generation, according to power ministry data. The utility has made profits of 772 million rupees in the three […]

Sri Lanka power ministry defends new tariffs

Dec 15, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s power ministry has defended new subsidies to state entities in tariffs proposed by the regulator for 2010 and rejected concerns that the move increased the opacity of government fiscal operations. The ministry says offices such as government agents give essential services to the public and cannot afford the […]

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