Hospital Expansion

Sept 13, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Asiri Hospitals group has acquired a firm with land in the central hill country capital of Kandy with approval to build a hospital, a stock exchange filing said. In April Asiri Hospital said it had bought a 40-bed hospital in the island’s southern Matara area for 160 million […]

Sri Lanka tourist arrivals up 35-pct in August

Setp 13, 2010 (LBO) – Tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka was up 35.7 percent to 55,898 in August led by Indians and Britons, with visitors during the first eight months up 46.7 percent from a year earlier, tourism office data showed. In the first eight months Western Europe generated 162,500 visitors up 50.4 percent, South […]

Basle III

ZURICH, September 12, 2010 (AFP) – Banks will be required to lift their reserves substantially under “landmark” new rules drawn up Sunday by central bankers and regulators seeking to prevent a repeat of the recent financial crisis. The new regulations, called Basel III, would force banks to more than triple their current reserves and would […]

Location Lure

Sept 13, 2010 (LBO) – Service providers in the trade hubs of Dubai and Singapore have shown interest in a new port in southern Sri Lanka where a request for proposals from businesses has been issued, an official said. “To attract volumes to Sri Lanka we must have capacity; otherwise we might not attract regional […]

Sri Lanka Wayamba defeated by South Africa Warriors

PORT ELIZABETH, September 11, 2010 (AFP) – A dream start for South African franchises in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament continued on Saturday as Eastern Cape Warriors defeated Wayamba Elevens by seven wickets. South African President Jacob Zuma and Spanish singing megastar Enrique Iglesias were among those who witnessed star-less Highveld Lions shock the Sachin […]

‘s Mumbai in opener

JOHANNESBURG, September 10, 2010 (AFP) – The Champions League Twenty20 tournament got off to a thrilling and surprise start Friday with local outfit Highveld Lions of South Africa defeating star-studded Mumbai Indians by nine runs. Opener Vandiar led the way at one of the most famous world cricket venues with his runs coming off 48 […]

Sports Backing

Sept 10, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s schools sports need private sector support, especially for an upcoming meet that will see children from former war-torn areas taking part in a big way, the education minister has said. The education ministry has also started a s scholarship program for talented students who are financially constrained. “There […]

Taxpayer Pressure

Sept 10, 2010 (LBO) – The United States aid agency has suspended a programme to train youth in Sri Lanka’s former northern war zone for jobs in the outsourcing industry, an American lawmaker who opposed the project said. Congressman Tim Bishop said he hailed the suspension of the 10 million US dollar training project by […]

Implied Support

Sept 10, 2010 (LBO) – Fitch Ratings Lanka has confirmed Merchant Credit of Sri Lanka Ltd’s (MCSL) National Long-term rating at ‘BBB(lka)’ with a stable outlook, a statement said. The affirmation reflects the implied support from MCSL’s main shareholder and Sri Lanka’s largest bank – state-owned Bank of Ceylon, rated ‘AA(lka)’/Stable, it said. “Fitch believes […]

Sri Lanka to get weekly tourist flights from Brussels

Sept 09, 2010 (LBO) – Weekly charter flights are to be launched between Brussels and Sri Lanka bringing Belgian and other European tourists from October 31, Jean Deboutte, Ambassador of Belgium to Sri Lanka said. Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Belgium Ravinatha Aryasinha told the meeting the weekly charter flights will be by Jetair, a leading […]

Rural Credit

Sept 09, 2010 (LBO) – Branches of state banks in Sri Lanka’s war-torn northern and eastern areas topped the lists for giving loans under central bank supported credit schemes for rural agriculture development. Central Banks in high inflation countries including Zimbabwe have engaged in such quasi-fiscal activities starting many agriculture credit schemes. Central Bank ‘re-finance’ […]

Knowledge Forum

Sept 09, 2010 (LBO) – Academics and officials in Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna peninsular has debated ways to transform the agrarian and fisheries area to a knowledge-based economy with better education, a think has said. He had said that that though Jaffna (North in general) is endowed with limited natural resources (‘moola valam)’ it is […]

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