Category: Industry
Sri Lanka eco-lodge on track for global award
Sept 08, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan eco-lodge built in the shape of an elephant has been nominated for a top slot at the World Travel Awards, its operators said. KumbukRiver, in Okkampitiya in the Buttala area is about 250 kilometres away from the capital Colombo and are among the eight lodges nominated for […]
Doing Ok
Sept 07, 2007 (LBO) – Fitch Rating Lanka has confirmed the ‘AA(lka)’ national long-term rating of DFCC Bank, the ‘AA(lka)’ rating of its senior debentures and the ‘AA-(lka)’ rating of its subordinated debentures. The bank’s major shareholders include entities related to the Stassens Group which hold 30.7 percent of its equity and Bank of Ceylon, […]
Hard Place
Sept 07, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s HSBC branch defended its record in the island following a threat by the country’s opposition leader to cancel its license in the future over its involvement in a planned international bond issue. Opposition United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has earlier said that parliamentary approval has not been […]
Djokovic and Ferrer set up US Open semi
NEW YORK, Sept 6, 2007 (AFP) – Serb shot-maker Novak Djokovic and Spanish grafter David Ferrer on Thursday set up a US semi-final showdown for a possible challenge to top seed and defending champion Roger Federer.Dvkovic, the 20-year-old revelation of the year, showed remarkable composure in defeating Spanish veteran Carlos Moya 6-4, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1. […]
Freight Brand
Sept 07, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Hayleys conglomerate is setting up its own freight forwarding operation under a new brand name in India after parting company with its joint venture Indian partner, company officials said. “We’re doing it on our own without any partnership,” an official said. “We’re setting up a new operation – […]
Full Toss
Sept 07, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Insurance, has announced an agreement with the Sri Lanka Cricketers’ Association to be the official life insurance provider for all its members. The life insurance cover offered by the company would be extended to national cricketers of the past, the company said in a statement. The association and […]
Kero Hurdle
Sept 6, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka would make a fixed payment to poor households on income support from this month but limit a promised subsidy to fishermen to one month, a senior minister said. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation would make a 4,000 rupee one-off payment to 16,036 fishermen for the month of August at a […]
‘s best but cannot end drought
NEW YORK, Sept 5, 2007 (AFP) – Andy Roddick has tested Roger Federer, even forced the world number one to make some astonishing shots.But for the 14th time in 15 matches, the top US player could not beat the Swiss tennis magician. Three-time defending champion Federer beat Roddick for the 10th time in a row […]
Roaming Call
Sept 06, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lankan mobile operator Mobitel has launched two international roaming services for customers travelling overseas. One service is the loyalty programme for in-bound international roaming customers, launched in collaboration with Travelling Connect, a global provider of loyalty management services to the telecommunication industry. A statement by Mobitel, a subsidiary of […]
More Cash
Sept 06, 2007 (LBO) – Massachusetts-based Virtusa Corp., an IT services firm with operations in Sri Lanka that raised 57 million dollars from a NASDAQ listing last month, said its first quarter profit fell slightly. “The company’s effective tax rate increased from 3.6 percent in the first quarter of fiscal 2007 to 20.4 percent in […]
Regressive Tax
Sept 06, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has dropped a controversial fixed levy from mobile phones which would have hit the poorest phone users the hardest, but slapped a 7.5 percent tax on calls, telecom minister Rauf Hakeem told parliament Thursday. The government initially proposed a fixed 50 rupee charge which would have hit the […]
Sri Lanka leisure firms asked to list in Maldives
Sept 06, 2007 (LBO) – Maldives has asked Sri Lankan firms operating resorts in the atoll nation to sell a part of their stake through a stock market flotation, a senior minister said. Two of Sri Lanka’s top leisure groups — Aitken Spence & Co. Ltd and John Keells Holdings Ltd — have significant presence […]