Category: Other
Switching Channels
Sri Lankas independent election chief took over state-owned radio and television stations amid allegations that their programs were highly biased towards the presidents party. Dissanayake said he appointed a “competent authority” to run stations until the conclusion of the election which begins with voting Friday and ends with the declaration of results a few days […]
Battered To Be Better
Last year Sri Lankas six top local banks collectively made Rs. 8.3 billion in profits, up from just Rs.2.9.rnbillion in 2001.rnrnrn Behind part of the profitsrnlay bond profits from a falling interest rate environment.rn The Central Bank was able torncut rates because for the first time in almost a decade the Treasurys fiscalrnpolicy was in […]
Tough Run
NatWealth Corp., says the fund misappropriation allegations in the State media are politically motivated, baseless and a distortion on facts.The retort came Thus., following up the State medias second onslaught on the Mahapola Trust fund management subsidiary.rn rnThe allegations has also halted moves by DFCC to invest in NatWealth, and slowed efforts to grow the […]
Checkmate
Moves by DFCC Bank to invest in National Wealth Corp. were put on hold following defamatory reports by the state media on Tuesday.NatWealth, which is a fully owned subsidiary of the Mahapola Trust Fund, has denied allegations of misappropriation of funds.rn rnState news reports alleged that Rs. 3.16 bn in Mahapola Funds were illegally transferred […]
Bad Luck
The Mahapola Trust Fund and GTECH filed a counter case in courts Tuesday to fight a fundamental rights petition against the launch of its online lottery. The case is due to be taken up on March 25.The Development Lotteries Board (DLB) got an interim injunction on Monday from the Supreme Court preventing Mahapola from launching […]
Super Power
The Supreme Court sought time till March 29, to give President Chandrika Kumaratunga an opinion on the controversial tax amnesty law.President Kumaratunga had used her constitutional powers on March 8 and asked the Supreme Court for its opinion.rn rnThough the Constitution requires an opinion to be given within 10 days, the five-member Bench presided by […]
Oven Fresh
In 1912, one man with a life savings of 75 cents turned a tea kiosk into one of the largest biscuit manufacturers in the country. With a third generation at the helm, Maliban talks of going public as it charts a course of new growth.Exports are expected to lead that drive, with new markets mapped […]
Say Watt?
As the drought, dubbed as the worst in the last fifty years, drained the hydro reservoirs making it hard for the electricity utility to meet peak consumer demand, the government stepped in saying it would pump in Rs. 3 billion to secure emergency power to shore up the national power grid.Water inflows to the hydro […]
Baddegama II
Last year alone, severe drought and floods hit the Southern Sri Lanka alternatively leaving many families homeless and poor.rnBut for the villages in the Hambantota district these conditions are a part of their lives.rnThe district has to also deal with issues like economic migration, malnutrition, unemployment and diseases, a direct result of the arid weather.rn […]
Political Chessboard
Politicians of all hues and sizes have thrown their hat into the ring for next months snap poll. But smaller parties championing the Sinhala Buddhist, Tamil and Muslim votes are jostling to play the trump card in Sri Lankas next parliament. rnrn Inrnthe second in a series of political updates, Vajira Premawardhana ManagerrnResearch at Lanka […]
Bouncing Up
With court room and board room battles firmly behind, the diversified Richard Pieris Group made it to the news this week to pick up two plantation companies. The acquisition is the latest, after picking up Sathosa and getting a tentative foot into financial sector through Pramuka Bank.Its been a while since the once family controlled […]
Labour Of Love
Ten years of trying and the biggest bargaining tool in the local economy saw the light of day at the Labour Ministry on Wednesday bearing the harmless title lquote The Labour Code of Sri Lanka.The Labour Code of Sri Lanka brings together 26 of the most important labour legislation in Sri Lanka that directly influence […]