Tourist arrivals in October up 14%

The tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka grew a healthy 13.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 150,419 in October, the data released by the state tourism office showed. 

CCC slams govt. for imposing price controls on high-demand drugs

Sri Lanka’s premier trade chamber, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), yesterday in a strongly-

Sri Lanka Design Festival

An aspiring designer perusing products exhibited at the Sri Lanka Design Festival 2016, organized by 

Port City work in full swing

Sand is dredged from the sea and sprayed during reclamation work currently being carried out for the 

TrailSL 2016 completes journey

TrailSL 2016, the 28-day journey from North’s Point Pedro to South’s Dondra, to raise US $ 5 million 

Monetary Board verdict on bond scam soon

The Monetary Board is soon expected to come up with its verdict on the alleged treasury bond scam 

French travel agents’ association commits to boost tourism into SL

Les Entreprises du Voyage (LEV), the French travel agents’ and tour operators’ association, yesterday committed to helping boost tourism into Sri Lanka while kicking off LEV’s annual congress, which the island nation is hosting this year.

Tea exporters demand sustainable economic model from government

The Tea Export Association (TEA) last week requested the government to introduce a proper 

IFC pledges support to Commerce Ministry’s SME & women biz initiatives

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group has extended its support t

World Bank to provide US $ 85mn for R&D in Sri Lanka

The World Bank will be providing Sri Lanka US$ 85 million in funding to improve the country’s Research and Development (R&D) due to the lack of external funding into the field.

Tourism Minister reverses decision to abolish minimum room rate next year

The country’s tourism authorities have reversed their stance on the minimum room rate applied on 

No headroom for external borrowings next 2 years: economist

Despite the 3-year engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to act as a 

World’s oldest working full-rigged ship arrives in Colombo

The world’s oldest working full-rigged ship, SS Sørlandet from Norway, has arrived in Colombo. The ship is on a two-year circumnavigation of the world, with 70 high school students from A+ Academy.  During their stay in Colombo, they will greet the Sri Lankan maritime students and the ship will be part of several events hosted by the Royal Norwegian Embassy. Nicknamed ’The Pearl of Norway’, she is quite a beauty with

CB’s power to bailout troubled finance companies challenged

Former Deputy Governor Wijewardena says notion of taxpayers’ money being used to pay defrauded depositors flawed

Seasonal delicacies

A hairy crab farmer in China steering his boat past crab breeding farms in Yangcheng Lake in Kunshan. 

Boom in construction sector

Workers clean glass panels at the West Tower of the World Trade Center in Colombo. A number of residential and mixed high-rise buildings are currently being built in Colombo with the country’s construction sector reviving after a temporary setback n 2015 (Reuters photo)

Fight for daily wage continues!

Despite Tuesday’s signing of the Collective Agreement for a daily wage of Rs.730 for the next two 

New wage agreement unsustainable: planters

The Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) which signed the Rs.730 daily wage tripartite agreement 

Exports decline for 17th consecutive month in July

Recording a contraction for the 17th month in a row, Sri Lanka’s exports fell by 4.4 percent year-on-year (YoY) in July to US $ 891.2 million extending the first seven months’ contraction to 5.6 percent YoY to US $ 6.0 billion, the latest data released by the Central Bank showed.

PM calls for innovation, technology and right skills to speed up development

As Sri Lanka looks to speed up its development pace to become a high income economy by 2030, 

Germany to help Sri Lanka achieve development goals

The Government of Germany will extend its full cooperation to Sri Lankan government in its endeavours to achieve the set development goals under good governance, Ambassador of Germany to Sri Lanka Juergen Morhard said.

Sri Lanka affirms commitment to ‘SheTrades’

Sri Lanka yesterday affirmed its commitment to ‘SheTrades’ call to action, pledging to contribute to 

Local sugar industry attracts foreign interest

Foreign investor interest in the local sugar industry is rising, with discussions underway to provide 

JICA loans Rs.47bn to support Sri Lanka’s development agenda

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has taken steps to grant Sri Lanka Rs.46.6 billion (JPY 33 billion) to enable the government to maintain financial stability, continue the development agenda within the next five years and achieve its development goals.  

US Exim Bank chief pledges support to strengthen Lankan exports

US Exim Bank Chairman Fred .P. Hochberg has stated that his bank will assist Sri Lanka to strengthen its exports. 

Thirsty Taiwan makes splash on global whisky scene

AFP - An upstart Taiwanese whisky is outshining veteran brands on the global stage as the island 

Robots to boost Lankan manufacturing sector productivity

In a bid to help boost the productivity of the labour scarce local manufacturing sector, Danish 

Ceylon Shipping Corp. takes delivery of second ship

S t a t e - o w n e d C e y l o n Shipping Corporation (CSC) received its latest ship ‘Ceylon Princess’, which arrived at the Colombo Port yesterday. Ceylon Princess, the second ship belonging to CSC, 

SriLankan to pay Rs.25bn for aircraft order cancellation

The Sri Lankan government will be paying Rs. 25 billion to the Netherlands-based world’s biggest 

Lower food prices ease September inflation

A man sits on a domestic gas tank while having his breakfast at a food stall on a road near a main market in Colombo. Sri Lanka’s inflation stood at 3.9 percent during the 12 months to September, edging down from 4 percent in August, helped by lower food prices (Reuters photo)