Fourth ‘Ease of Doing Business’ forum on this Thursday

?The fourth ‘Ease of Doing Business’ forum is scheduled to be held on October 1 at Miloda Centre Auditorium Colombo 1. This event, chaired by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake, will bring on the spot solutions for business entities to uplift the business environment in Sri Lanka. 

Tourism stakeholder cautions not to kill the goose laying golden eggs

A leading tour and hotel operator in the country called on the industry stakeholders to become sustainable and not kill the goose that lays the golden egg. “This industry has the potential to cure many, if not all the ills of the country. It is in fact the low hanging fruit.

Public servants to fill leisure sector HR dearth long shot: Dinesh

?Getting public servants to switch careers to the leisure sector to address the human resource shortage in the sector would not be the way to address the issue, according to National Human Resource Development Council Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody.

Rupee hits new record closing low

?REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee closed at a fresh record low yesterday as dollar selling by exporters helped the currency recover from a record intra-day low, offsetting demand for the greenback by importers, dealers said.

Lankan private health sector poised for strong sustainable growth: Fitch

Sri Lanka’s private health sector is poised for strong sustainable growth for the foreseeable future, international ratings agency Fitch Ratings said.

Marriott’s new resort and spa in Weligama uses ACL fire retardant cables

ACL Cables PLC has supplied 100 percent of the wiring for international hotel chain Marriott’s new resort and spa in Weligama. 

ETA Melco celebrates 35 years in Sri Lanka

?ETA Melco, the global leader in providing end-to-end solutions in vertical transportation celebrated 35 years of their market presence in delivering excellence in a gala event held at the Grand Ballroom of Galadari Hotel on 10th September 2015.  

ABC T&I appoints Appollo Distributors as Maxell re-distributor

ABC Trade & Investments (Pvt) Limited, one of Sri Lanka’s leading IT products companies and the authorized distributor in Sri Lanka for Maxell Consumer Batteries, has appointed Appollo Distributors (Pvt) Ltd as a re-distributor for Maxell batteries. 

Turkey-Sri Lanka business chamber inaugurated

The Turkiye-Ceylon Business Chamber was inaugurated this week to promote bilateral ties and exploit opportunities between the two countries and the world.

An international perspective of the Sri Lankan real estate market

?Aside from noticeable evidence, the growth of the economy, specifically the real estate and tourism sectors in Sri Lanka, have been repeatedly publicised over the post-war period. Yet, how do international investors perceive it?

Seylan Scholar partners Adyapana 2015 as Official Banker

?Seylan Bank, redefining the boundaries of higher education joins Adyapana 2015 as the official banking partner organized by Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services and driven by St. Thomas’s College Old Boys’ Association for the tenth consecutive year.  

Hayleys Industrial Solutions organises joint seminar on performance tyres, technical rubber goods an

?Rhein Chemie Additives, a Lanxess Business Unit affiliated to Hayleys Industrial Solutions, jointly organised a technical seminar for performance tyres, technical rubber goods and latex products recently at the Kingsbury Hotel. 

Ceylon Chamber Import Section to mark 80th anniversary

The Import Section of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), which is regarded as the largest grouping of local importers, will mark its 80th anniversary on November 22, 2015, thus marking an eventful and productive service contributed to the Sri Lankan economy.

Excon 2015 to enable rapid infrastructure development in Sri Lanka and SAARC region

?Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Indian High Commission organised a preview on Excon 2015 – South Asia’s largest event for the construction equipment industry.

Home Lands Skyline launches Luxe Residencies

One of the leaders in the Sri Lankan real estate industry – Home Lands Skyline Pvt. Ltd., a fully owned subsidiary of Home Lands Pvt Ltd headed by Nalin Hearth recently added another brand to the company’s flagship condominium project ‘Luxe Highway Residencies’...

Rupee depreciates 7% so far this year: Central Bank

Sri Lanka’s rupee has depreciated by around 7 percent against the US dollar so far this year with the Central Bank’s decision to allow greater flexibility in the determination of the exchange rate. 

IASL urges govt. to facilitate long-awaited industrial, labour reforms

The Industrial Association of Sri Lanka (IASL) called on the government to facilitate long due reforms to the industrial sector and the labour market.

PM explains why post-secondary education under three ministries

?Post-Secondary education was divided into three ministries in order to create a “crash course” to develop the tertiary education sector, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said.

Economist suggests voluntary career shift to bridge leisure skill shortage

The government should present the public sector with a voluntary opportunity to switch careers to the leisure sector to address an acute human resources shortage in the latter, according to a renowned economist.

Eurozone loans to private sector increase slightly: ECB

AFP - Growth of loans to the private sector in the euro area, a gauge of economic health, is picking up speed, albeit very slowly, European Central Bank data showed yesterday.

Volkswagen shares up four percent ahead of appointment of new CEO

AFP - Shares in auto giant Volkswagen shot up more than four percent in early trading on the Frankfurt stock exchange yesterday ahead of the widely anticipated announcement of its new chief executive.

Oil prices edge up but Iran supply expectations cap gains

AFP - Oil prices edged up in Asian trade yesterday following a decline in US crude inventories, although heavier buying was tempered by expectations a return of Iranian crude into the market will further increase global supplies.

Japanese FM commends Ambassador’s “outstanding” chef

Kenichi Suganuma, Ambassador of Japan, formally awarded the Foreign Minister’s Commendation to Muneyuki Izawa, Chef for Ambassador of Japan in Sri Lanka on behalf of the Foreign Minister of Japan at a special ceremony held at the Embassy in Colombo recently.

Rupee softer on import demand; stocks flat

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee was slightly weaker yesterday  due to importer demand for dollars, although some exporter dollar sales and inward remittances slowed its fall, dealers said.

Amazon launches video services, new devices

AFP: US online giant Amazon said Thursday it was launching its streaming video service in Japan along with its Fire TV devices. “Prime members in Japan now have unlimited 24/7 streaming of thousands of US and Japanese movies,

Indonesia pledges 29% emissions cut by 2030

AFP - Indonesia has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent by 2030 through stepping up protection of forests and boosting the renewable energy sector, but observers criticised the plan as lacking in detail.

Benefits of Toastmasters Clubs in corporates outweigh costs: senior bankers

The benefits of establishing a Toastmasters Club in a corporate far outweigh the cost incurred and the benefits such a movement could add to the company’s staff and the culture cannot just be narrowly measured in terms of monetary terms,

SEF holds annual awards and felicitation ceremony

The Serendib Education Foundation (SEF) had its annual awards and felicitation ceremony recently at the MICH Hall Colombo 6. The event was attended by dignitaries, donors, scholarship award winners and key members of the SEF.

CA Sri Lanka student wins best speaker award at Int’l CA Students Conference in India

Arosha De Silva, a student of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), recently won the best speaker award and was adjudged the first runner-up among 24 other speakers at the International CA Students Conference in Indore, India.

Nytra brings new dimensions to education in Sri Lanka

The MBD group, India is proud to pioneer augmented reality for education and learning in Sri Lanka with the launch of Nytra, an augmented reality app. Poised to bring a whole new dimension to education and classroom learning,  The MBD group, India is proud to pioneer augmented reality for education and learning in Sri Lanka with the launch of Nytra, an augmented reality app. Poised to bring a whole new dimension to education and class