ADB chief pledges more funding; wants better fiscal management

Impressed with the changes witnessed in the economy that is in the hands of a unity government, visiting Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Vera crowned Ms. Tourism Sri Lanka 2016

The Ms. Tourism Sri Lanka International 2016 beauty pageant concluded last Sunday on a high note with Vera Branda Dukstra from the Netherlands winning the crown.

Inspecting Mattala Air Port

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe on Saturday visited the Southern district of Hambantota on an inspection tour to observe the progress of some of the development projects. Picture shows the PM arriving at the Mattala Air Port, flanked by Housing and Construction Minister Sajith Premadasa and Law and Order Minister Sagala Ratnayake. Pic by Pradeep Pathirana 

Singapore Air Show

Visitors look at a US Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft on display at the Singapore Airshow in Singapore yesterday. Asia’s largest aerospace and defence event is taking place from February 16 to 21. AFP

CSE Chief says positivism is need of the hour

As the global and local economic outlooks continue to be grim for Sri Lanka, the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) Chief yesterday stressed positivism of any form is essential at the moment to help turnaround the dampened situation faced by bourse.

President in Berlin

German Chancellor Merkel and Sri Lanka’s President Sirisena review the guard of honour at the Chancellery in Berlin 

PM hints at taxing capital

The government yesterday hinted at moving towards taxing capital, reversing its current tax policy approach of serving all—both super rich, rich and poor—with more or less with the same spoon.  

Sri Lanka takes part in SATTE

The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) participated in South Asia’s Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) 2016 held in New Delhi

The Ship for World Youth Leaders

The ceremony to welcome world youth leaders participating in “The Ship for World Youth Leaders” took place at the  

Farmers protest

Farmers throw objects near the Agriculture ministry in Athens during a demonstration against the pension reform yesterday. Fears that Greece will exit the eurozone, a “Grexit”, could revive if Greek authorities do not come up with “credible” reforms, notably on pensions, a senior IMF official had said. AFP

Marching against ETCA with India

A number of professional bodies in the country yesterday organized a protest march in Colombo against the proposed Economic...

Nepal billionaire’s Zinc Journey brand launched in Sri Lanka

Nepal’s only billionaire Binod Chaudhary’s CG Group launched the ambitious Zinc Journey brand in Sri Lanka yesterday in partnership with several local leading hospitality companies.

Rural folks embrace renewable energy

Sri Lanka expects to generate 100 percent renewable energy for local consumption by 2050. The picture shows a cadjan-thatched hut in Panama, Eastern Province, belonging to a fisherman, with a solar panel on the roof

Sri Lanka aims self-sufficiency in renewable energy by 2050

Sri Lanka will aim at generating 100 percent renewable energy for local consumption by 2050 while exporting non-renewable energy to the SAARC region, top government officials said.

Rotterdam cruise liner calls at H’tota port

Holland America’s 230-metre long passenger liner ‘Rotterdam’ with 1164 passengers and 598 crew on board docked at the Hambantota Port at about 7.00 a.m. yesterday. 

Iran-Japan biz talks

Iranian Economic and Finance Minister Ali Tayebnia (2nd L) speaks during talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (R), following a signing ceremony of an investment agreement in front of Japanese and Iranian business persons at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo yesterday. Tayebnia is on a five-day visit to Japan. AFP

Celebrating Independence

Sri Lankan military personnel march during the country’s 68th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo yesterday. 

All set to mark Independence Day

Special Task Force (STF) soldiers with gas masks sit on an armoured vehicle during a rehearsal yesterday for the country’s 68th Independence Day celebrations in Colombo

Laugfs breaks ground for US $ 30mn pharmaceutical manufacturing plant

??By Chandeepa Wettasinghe One of th e younges t conglomerates in Sri Lanka, Laugfs Holdings PLC, broke ground on one of South Asia’s largest pharmaceuticals manufacturing plants in Koggala recently, making a grand entrance to the country’s health sector. 

Consumer prices ease in January

Sri Lanka’s consumer prices in January rose 0.9 percent from a year earlier, slowing from the previous month’s 2.8 percent, data from the Department of Census and Statistics showed yesterday.

Sri Lanka’s largest granary to be opened in Buttala

Sri Lanka’s largest granary with state-of-the-art facilities constructed in Buttala, Moneragala, is to be declared open on the 31st of this month, a Finance Ministry statement said. The opening ceremony of the granary

ADB to increase financial assistance

?Sri Lanka is slated to get US $ 1 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as financial assistance in 2017, a Finance Ministry press statement said. 

Blood ivory

?Buddhist monks look at African elephant tusks (blood ivory) seized by Sri Lanka Customs to be destroyed, before they held prayers for the dead elephants, at Galle Face Green in Colombo yesterday (REUTERS PHOTO)

Ravi K requests DIFC help setting up Colombo Int’l Finance Centre

?Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake recently held a special discussion with Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) Governor Essa Kazim to bolster financial relations between the two nations.  

Hirdaramani opens Rs.450mn apparel factory in Mullaitivu

?One of the country’s leading apparel manufacturers, the Hirdaramani group, ceremoniously opened its latest Rs.450 million factory in Mullaitivu yesterday. 

Ravi meets top envoys in Davos

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake who attended the ‘World Economic Forum 2016’ in Switzerland this week, met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi opens liaison office in Colombo

Sri Lanka is likely to witness a surge in foreign direct investment (FDI) from Japan with latter’s premier bank sounding upbeat and pledging to commit to a long-term economic relationship with the island nation.

Precious agarwood!

?Sadaharitha Plantations, a leading commercial forestry company in the country, has come up with an innovative solution to produce agarwood, a highly valued raw material used in the production of perfumes.

Traditional skills in lapidary arts

?A traditional Sri Lankan lapidary engaged in his craft in the Galle Fort during the Galle Literary Festival 2016 held last week

Sri Lanka aims to lure US $ 5bn in FDIs next three years

Confident that the Yahapalanaya has paved the way to bring nothing but fortune to the nation, a top Cabinet Minister said Sri Lanka aimed to attract foreign direct investments (FDIs) of US $ 5 billion within the next three years.