China approves 10 international agricultural parks

REUTERS: China has approved plans to establish international agricultural demonstration zones in 10 countries, the agriculture ministry said on Monday, as Beijing looks to extend its influence in the global farm sector.

Colombo Dockyard delivers ‘Elutharakai’ passenger ferry to Jaffna

Colombo Dockyard successfully delivered the 40-passenger ferry built for the Jaffna District Secretariat recently at the Colombo Dockyard premises.  

NTB upgrades Pettah branch

Nations Trust Bank’s branch at Pettah (Bankshall Street) has been refurbished and is now equipped with a more spacious interior with even more facilities such as a 24/7 cash deposit machine (CDM), business banking, leasing and hire purchase, investment products, trade financing, factoring, remittance services and all other banking services. 

Save Your Monkey announces official launch with ‘Amaya’

Saveyourmonkey.com, Sri Lanka’s pioneering Insurtech startup which began operations earlier this year, announced their official launch following the trilingual launch of Sri Lanka’s first digital insurance agent, ‘Amaya’. 

Emirates’ A380 flight to Colombo, an important signal for tourism industry

Emirates’ much-anticipated one-off A380 flight to Colombo on August 14 reflects the airline’s commitment to the destination and its tourism industry and is an opportunity for Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) to show the world that it is ‘A380-ready’ for when demand for travel to Sri Lanka necessitates scheduled flights with this iconic twin-deck super-luxury airliner, says Emirates Area Manager Sri Lanka and the Ma

Changes in Pan Asia Bank’s director board

Pan Asia Bank recently announced of two changes to its Board of Directors. 

Sunshine’s Govindasamy calls for ramping up skills of local workers

“Our labour force should step up and needs exposure to a higher level of skills if Sri Lanka is serious about seizing maximum advantage of the ‘One Belt-One Road’ (OBOR) initiative” expressed Sunshine Holding’s Group Managing Director, Vish Govindasamy, speaking at the ‘Belt and Road initiative – transformative opportunity for Sri Lanka’ panel at the recently concluded Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Sri

Plastindia Foundation invites Sri Lanka for next year’s exhibition

Plastindia Foundation of India invited Sri Lanka’s plastic industry players to take part in the largest plastic exhibition, to meet new plastic equipment suppliers and manufacturers.

SriLankan achieves superior level of on-time performance in 2017

SriLankan Airlines has recorded a consistently superior on-time performance during the first six months of this year, in comparison with its peers. The latest statistics by the global flight data tracker Flightstats.com ranks Sri Lanka’s national carrier as the fifth most punctual among 40 of the world’s leading airlines.

EFC announces first ever ILO accredited Executive Diploma in Employment Relations

Collaborating with an employers’ organization for the first time, the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization, (ITC - ILO) recently entered into an MoU with the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) in launching an Executive Diploma in Employment Relations in October this year. 

Royal Institute of British Architects opens Sri Lanka branch

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the parental body of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, established a branch in Sri Lanka last week named ‘RIBA Members : Sri Lanka’, the second RIBA membership group to be formed in the Asia Pacific region. 

Nine points to consider before making investment decisions

Given the recent stock market trends, you may be wondering whether you should make changes to your investment portfolio.  At times some investors, including bargain hunters and mattress suffers, make rapid investment decisions without considering their long-term financial goals.  

Sri Lanka–Malaysia Business Council holds 23rd Annual General Meeting

The Sri Lanka – Malaysia Business Council was inaugurated on February 23, 1994 under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka. 

Struggling Singapore Airlines offers crew unpaid leave

AFP: Singapore Airlines said yesterday it is offering cabin crew unpaid leave in a cost-cutting measure as it struggles to keep up in an increasingly tough market. 

Toyota, Mazda announce tie-up over electric vehicles, US factory

AFP: Japanese auto giant Toyota and smaller rival Mazda said yesterday they agreed a capital tie-up to focus on joint development of electric vehicles, while building a US$1.6 billion factory in the United States which will create up to 4,000 jobs.

APU Malaysia signs MOA to use Forestpin Analytics

Rimbun Forensic Advisory Sdn Bhd, the partners representing Foresptin in Malaysia, signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Asia Pacific University Malaysia (APU) to enhance the undergraduate and postgraduate learning experiences on Forensic Accounting software. 

Dreamron introduces SLES-free shampoo

People around the world prefer the use of shampoo over soap because of a number of reasons.  Most of them use it to because it clears away any foreign residue, some of them because it gives a good smell or some people use them as treatments for the scalp or hair. 

Rupee, stocks little changed; dull trade ahead of long weekend

REUTERS: The Sri Lankan rupee was little changed yesterday, as mild importer demand for the dollar offset light greenback sales by banks in dull trade ahead of the long weekend, dealers said. 

Wild Stone’s promotion to give away brand-new Royal Enfield Motorbike

Wild Stone, a renowned brand of men’s body deodorant, recently introduced to the Sri Lankan market by American Remedies, announced the launch of a special promotion for consumers at an event held in Colombo.

Commerce Minster says 40% of Sri Lanka’s SMEs in food sector

A huge sub-sector within Sri Lanka’s crucial Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) that directly impacts national food supply and security is being positioned for exports. Encouraged by raging exports in this sector, Sri Lanka has begun work on the country’s first ever international standard food testing and safety centre that directly focuses even the village food producers in the country. 

Nestlé Professional continues to support Lankan chefs and uplift culinary industry

Nestlé Professional, Nestlé’s out-of-home food and beverage solutions provider, joined hands with the Chefs Guild of Lanka to become the Diamond sponsor for Culinary Art Food Expo 2017. The partnership marks Nestlé Professional’s strong long-standing commitment to help develop the local culinary professionals.

Global refiners brace themselves as China cements oil market dominance

REUTERS: China is on pace to overtake the United States as the world’s biggest oil importer this year, cementing its status as Asia’s most pivotal oil market actor that will increasingly dominate the region’s fuel trade. 

ReeBonn Cosmetics unveils superior face wash range

ReeBonn Cosmetics (Pvt.) Ltd, one of the foremost herbal cosmetic companies operating in Sri Lanka, has introduced an assortment of brand-new face wash products with enhanced quality. All these products come in user-friendly containers.

Central Bank’s FIU signs key MOUs with China and Bhutan

The Financial Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (FIU-Sri Lanka) entered into Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the China AML Monitoring and Analysis Centre and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Kingdom of Bhutan at the 20th Annual Meeting of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), held in Colombo recently, to share financial information in facilitating investigation and prosecution of persons suspected of be

NDB Toastmasters Club receives international accolades at Ovation 2017

National Development Bank PLC (NDB) initiated the NDB Toastmasters Club on October 31, 2013 and joined the Global Toastmasters fraternity. Since its inception, NDB Toastmasters Club has completed four very successful years and has helped many staff members to improve on their communication and leadership skills whilst giving them confidence to participate in many professional forums. 

LG TWIN Wash saves time, space, water and energy

LG, one of the most popular global brands for home appliances, continues to redefine how we get our laundry done with its latest addition to the LG washing machine range – LG TWINWash. 

Taste of Ceylon Tea on a plate

Ceylon Tea will get a makeover this August when Michelin Star Chefs Tom Aikins and Jason Atherton infuse their award-winning brand of cuisine with the best tea in the world at the first-ever Ceylon Tea Festival. 

Waters Edge wins Big at Culinary Art & Food Expo 2017

Adding further accolades to its already extensive local and international award portfolio, Colombo’s favourite suburban hotel, Waters Edge, and its culinary team performed outstandingly at the recently concluded Culinary Art & Food Expo, which was held at the BMICH.

Supreme Court shoots down tax reforms

AFP: Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has effectively shot down a sweeping overhaul of the island’s tax system, calling the proposed legislation unconstitutional, the country’s parliament speaker told lawmakers yesterday.

Exhibition provides access to European organic markets

Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)is hosting an Organic Pavilion at the ongoing ProFoodProPack 2017 exhibition, which is being held at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Center, in order to promote Sri Lanka’s organically certified agricultural products to the European market.