African officials gather in Egypt to talk mega trade pact

?AFP - Senior officials of three African economic blocs met in Egypt yesterday to start hammering out details of a free trade agreement that could develop a common market spanning the continent.

Conservationists press Jakarta to follow industry lead on forests

AFP - Conservationists are urging the Indonesian government to listen to business and start taking deforestation seriously after a major paper giant joined the growing ranks of companies pledging to stop clearing forests.

Emirates touches down in Bali

?Emirates, a global connector of people and places, has commenced a daily nonstop service to the island of Bali in Indonesia. Flight EK 398 from Dubai arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on June 3, 2015 at 21.40 Bali time. Emirates, a global connector of people and places, has commenced a daily nonstop service to the island of Bali in Indonesia. Flight EK 398 from Dubai arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on Jun

Retail VAT continuous to haunt Cargills performance

?The Value Added Tax (VAT) extended to wholesalers and retailers with effect from 2013, continues to hamper the country’s largest retail chain, Cargills (Ceylon) PLC...

Microimage Mobile Media features broadcast solutions

Microimage Mobile Media, Sri Lanka’s leading and perhaps the only Broadcast Software technology company featured its flagship solutions at BroadcastAsia 2015 at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore recently. 

ACCA and Ceylon Tobacco hold round table conference on finance partnering

?The ability of finance to provide the insight needed for better decision-making is rapidly becoming a requirement today. Finance partnering therefore is increasingly viewed as the most effective way for in house finance teams to add value to a business. 

Jude Condrad elected as IATA Agents Association of Sri Lanka President

?Himpras Tours (Pvt) Limited Managing Director Jude Condrad was elected as the President of the IATA Agents Association of Sri Lanka, during the 27th Annual General Meeting of the association.

Orion City awarded LEED Silver Certification

?Orion City, best known for its provision of premium commercial and office infrastructure, added yet another achievement to its list of accolades recently by achieving a LEED Silver certification with a total of 53 points in the LEED BD+C: New Construction (v2009) category.

G7 summit

?US President Barack Obama (2nd R) is greeted by a girl and a boy in traditional Bavarian costume next to Bavarian State Premier Horst Seehofer (R) and the US ambassador to Germany John B Emerson...

Thirty three ICTA-initiated free WiFi zones for travelling public

?The  government’s free WiFi programme  made a significant mark with the setting up   free Wifi zones recently benefitting  the travelling public, says the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA). 

SAP appoints new Managing Director for SAP Indian Subcontinent

?SAP has announced the appointment of Deb Deep Sengupta as the new Managing Director for SAP Indian Subcontinent to drive its growth strategy and operations in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Citrus Waskaduwa hosts Ms. Earth 2014

?The crowning beauty for Ms. Earth 2014, Jamie Harrell resided at Citrus Waskaduwa during her stay in Sri Lanka. Ms. Earth 2014 was invited to be a judge at Derana Miss Sri Lanka Contest 2015.  The crowning beauty for Ms. Earth 2014, Jamie Harrell resided at Citrus Waskaduwa during her stay in Sri Lanka. Ms. Earth 2014 was invited to be a judge at Derana Miss Sri Lanka Contest 2015.  By winning the Miss Philippines Earth 2014 title,

Koala showcases premium glassware and flatware offerings for Hospitality sector

?Ceyoka (Member of Nawaloka Holdings), the nation’s leading diversified company, through its fully-owned subsidiary Koala (Pvt.) Ltd - a name synonymous with a range of stylish interiors and ...

The 3 most important functions of your business and how to automate them

?Let’s face it. As much as we like to talk about International Standards, Innovation, Marketing or even HR, it is virtually impossible to run a business that hasn’t gotten the above three functions right  unless you are running a purely services-oriented business. 

CA Sri Lanka to launch groundbreaking qualification for FAO industry

?In yet another pioneering venture, which will change the face of the country’s finance and accounting outsourcing (FAO) industry, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka)...

Sri Lanka one of the growth markets: Alcatel Lucent

Sri Lanka will be one of the main key markets for Alcatel-Lucent, which is a France-based company according to  Matthieu Destot, the vice president and head of Alcatel Lucent Enterprise who briefed the media recently on focused markets and growth strategies. 

Abans unveils LG G PAD 8.0 feature-packed Android tablet

?Abans has just unveiled the LG G Pad 8.0 LTE, an affordable and feature packed Android Tablet  which is setting a higher standard for connectivity in emerging 4G markets to satisfy consumer demand for speed and convenience wherever they are.

Anantaya Resort & Spa wins TripAdvisor ‘Certificate of Excellence’

?TripAdvisor, the world’s largest and best known travel site, has awarded Anantaya Resort & Spa Chilaw the ‘2015 Certificate of Excellence’ in recognition of the hotel’s consistently great reviews from TripAdvisor travellers.

Cinnamon pioneers comprehensive research on domestic traveller trends

?In a pioneering move, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts commissioned the first-ever independent research survey on domestic travellers to gain insights into their needs and behaviours...

JLanka becomes first Solar company to reach 5GWh Green Energy Generation milestone in Sri Lanka

?Sri Lanka’s pioneering solar power solutions provider, JLanka Technologies achieved the 5 GWh (Giga Watt Hours) Green Energy generation milestones with company’s island wide installations since 2011. 

Sustainable consumption – John Keells way

?Human prosperity need not cost the earth. Living sustainably is about doing more and better with less. It is about knowing that rising rates of natural resource use and the environmental impacts that occur are not a necessary by-product of economic growth.

Emirates Skywards gives members 15 million reasons to travel

?Emirates Skywards, the award-winning frequent flyer programme, will celebrate its 15th anniversary this year by giving 15 lucky members the chance to win one million Skywards Miles each.

Eurozone bank stress tests set for 2016: report

?AFP - Europe’s banking supervisory board will carry out stress tests of big eurozone banks in 2016, according to an interview with the watchdog’s president Daniele Nouy released on Saturday.

NDB ‘Ithuru Karana Maga’ advocates careful consumption

?This June, the World Environment Day is celebrated around the globe under the theme, ‘Seven Billion Dreams, One Planet. Consume with Care’, which expresses the challenge of creating opportunities for inclusive and sustainable economic development....

Chinese biz delegation here for B2B meetings this week

?A 48-member high powered business delegation from China organised by the Beijing Lansing Century Exhibition Company Ltd. in association with Lanka Exhibition & Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd. will be visiting Sri Lanka to coincide with the Construction Expo 2015 in Colombo. 

SANASA Bank PBT up 261% to Rs. 205 mn for 1Q

?SANASA Development Bank PLC (SDB) recorded a 261 percent increase in its Profit Before Tax (PBT) for Q1 2015 over the same period in the previous year, closing the quarter with Rs. 205.45 million. 

Kelani Cables grants scholarship to Seevali Central School student

?Kelani Cables PLC, Sri Lanka’s number one brand in secure electrical and communication cables, honoured Thashmila Samarasekera of Rathnapura Seevali Central School with an Educational Scholarship.

Overcoming challenges of marine pollution for healthy oceans

The World Ocean Day is celebrated June 8 every year. This year’s theme to mark the day is ‘Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet’.  The selection of this theme highlights the growing threat of marine pollution that needs effective and sustainable solutions.  By Athula Senaratne  The World Ocean Day is celebrated June 8 every year. This year’s theme to mark the day is ‘Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet&

Lanka Hospitals a national and international resource for professionally qualified nurses

Lanka Hospitals PLC has opened its doors to foreign student nurses from the Asian region. Following an agreement with the Maldivian government, from 2008 onwards, two batches of approximately 30 Maldivian student nurses every year are given clinical training at Lanka Hospitals.  

SHRM Launches first of its kind HR Certification Program in Sri Lanka

SHRM, Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest association devoted to Human Resource Management, along with Association of Human Resource Professionals (HRP), Sri Lanka today announced the launch of the SHRM Certification program. This HR certification program would be a first of its kind, in Sri Lanka. The launch was attended by Ms. Achal Khanna, CEO, SHRM India, Ms. L. Chiranthi Cooray, President, HRP and a host of other