Thomas Bata dies

Thomas Bata, the Czech-born industrialist who headed the global shoe empire bearing his family’s name from the 1940s to the 1980s, has died in Toronto, aged 93.

Bata, son of the privately owned company’s founder, came to Canada to expand the family usiness, starting production in 1940. Later that ecade, the company’s eadquarters were moved

to Toronto under Bata’s leadership when the family’s Czech factories were nationalised by the communists.

Charity tea auction

The Charity Tea Auction and awards ceremony of the Ceylon Specialty Tea of the Year Project- 2008 will be held on September 10, Wednesday at the auditorium of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at Nawam Mawatha Colombo 2 from 12.00 to 1.30 p.m.

This is the first ever Charity Tea Auction in Sri Lanka where all proceeds of the auction will be donated to support the education of Tsunami affected children in Kalutara district under the project “Back to School” organised by Rotarac Club of Colombo.