SLIM – NASCO invites entries for 2017 for the 17th consecutive year

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) is pleased to announce that entries are now open until 6thJune 2017 for the eagerly-anticipated National Sales Congress (NASCO) 2017 and invites 

Laboratory accreditation imperative for high quality patient care :Dr. Siriwardena

The greatest commitment of a health care provider is to heal the patient while practicing evidence-based medicine. 

Vitawell expands to Rajagiriya

Vitawell, Sri Lanka’s first specialist nutraceutical company, recently launched its second store in Nawala-Rajagiriya; in its efforts to enhance the offer of ‘whole body nutrition’ to a wider customer base.

Japan to bring forward target for increased generic drug use -sources

REUTERS: Japan will bring forward a target to boost the use of generic drugs by six months to September 2020, two government sources with direct knowledge of the matter said yesterday.

Sun Pharma tanks 7% on Taro’s weak results

The Hindu Business Line: Sun Pharma fell to its six-month low after Taro reported weak results. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries declined as much as 7 per cent to Rs 601.50 to its lowest since November 9.

Apeksha IVF sends Sri Lankan consultants for ART training at MARC

Apeksha IVF recently succeeded in sending the first batch of consultants on training at the Manipal Assisted Reproduction Centre, Manipal University India. 

Baraka black seed oil helps fight influenza, viruses and allergy symptoms

Seasonal changes give rise to various airborne illnesses. Moving from wet weather conditions to dryer conditions the prevalence of viruses, allergies and other related infections have been observed.  Withering the storm of this environment it is important to guard oneself by enhancing one’s immunity. The natural defense to ward off the storm is the secret to good health and a happy life.

US approves Sanofi, Regeneron arthritis drug

AFP: US federal regulators have given the green light to French pharmaceutical company Sanofi and its US partner Regeneron to market a drug to treat the chronic inflammatory condition, rheumatoid arthritis.

Sri Lanka’s search for sustainable policy up in smoke

Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy hit the nail on the head last week when he stated that the government must get its policy framework right, in terms of revenue, interest and exchange rates. He stressed the need to overhaul the regressive tax system and replace it with a model with better composition and sustainability. With interest rates also at unsustainable low levels, he noted the need to improve the quality of public expenditu

Beijing’s new weapon in economic war: Chinese tourists

Slapping import bans on products like mangoes, coal and salmon has long been China’s way of punishing countries that refuse to toe its political line.

Dialog-powered Google I/O Extended confab draws record crowds ever

Google I/O Extended, the largest developer conference organised outside the United States by tech giant Google, took place in Colombo last week as the Google Developer Group of Sri Lanka joined hands with Dialog’s Ideamart team for the second consecutive year.

Microsoft empowers local businesses to build cloud solutions via Azure

Microsoft Sri Lanka recently hosted an Azure Discovery Day for an audience of start-ups, independent software vendors (ISV) and small and medium-sized business enterprises (SME).  The event unveiled the recent developments and expanded services from the enterprise-grade cloud computing platform: Microsoft Azure.  

Digital revolution conference ‘Disrupt Asia’ to kick-start in July

Disrupt Asia 2017, a conference and exhibition focused on digital revolution organized by the government’s IT facilitation and development arm, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) will take place at Hilton Colombo on July 12.

SLTC’s Udari to present on spherical robot at American Control Conference 2017

Udari Madhushani, a Research Assistant at the Sri Lanka Technological Campus (SLTC), has been invited to present her novel findings on spherical robots at the 2017 American Control Conference (ACC) to be held in Seattle later this month. 

SLT to recognize digital excellence at Zero One Awards Night

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) has announced the approach of the SLT Zero One Awards (SLT 01Awards) Night, which will take place on May 30, at The Hilton Colombo. 

Dr. Web Security Space Rescue Pack saves users from encryption ransomware

PanAudio Private Ltd takes great pride in representing the Russian antivirus company, Doctor Web, in Sri Lanka. Doctor Web is a unique product used by the Russian defence forces that is dedicated to providing security against the threat landscape of malware on the World Wide Web.

Graded hotels gain marginally over informal sector in 2016

The graded hotel segment has been able to prune the relative growth of the informal and supplementary accommodation sector in 2016 according to Central Bank data, a situation which may continue to favour the graded sector in the future due to government intervention.

Dialog paves way for 5G with successful Massive MIMO trial

Sri Lanka’s leading telecom services provider, Dialog Axiata has carried out South Asia’s first successful trial of next-generation, Massive MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) technology.

Aitken Spence to introduce Heritance brand to Maldives

Sri Lanka’s Aitken Spence Hotels and Resorts is to introduce its Heritance brand to the Maldives with the opening of Heritance Aarah next year, according to Maldivian news website Maldivian Insider. 

Proposed Sri Lanka-Malaysia FTA advances into scoping stage

Discussions on the proposed Sri Lanka-Malaysia free trade agreement have advanced into the scoping stage, where both parties conduct feasibilities on the benefits and costs of entering into intimate trade relations, the Malaysian High Commissioner in Colombo, Zaidi Wan Abdullah, told   reporters, this week.

Two Lankan plantation firms borrow abroad from parent

Sri Lanka’s plantation firms with their parents in the U.K. have borrowed in US dollars to enjoy cheaper interest costs.

Colonial Motors gets Vespa, Aprilia two-wheeler distributorship

C M Holdings PLC subsidiary, Colonial Motors (Ceylon) Limited, will begin importing and distributing Italian auto maker Piaggio’s iconic scooter Vespa and the Aprilia 2-wheelers, a disclosure to the Colombo Stock Exchange stated.

Unit trust industry sees erosion of funds ahead of new taxes

Sri Lanka’s unit trust industry has seen a massive withdrawal of funds during the first three months of the year with deeper erosion of assets taking place during March, the final month before the new taxes may come into effect. 

CIC embarks on 2020 Re-strategizing with MTI

The diversified conglomerate CIC Holdings has embarked on a major strategic change initiative titled ‘2020 Re-strategizing’, which will see the group undertaking an intensive business rationalization exercise, followed by strategic and organisational realignment. MTI Consulting has been retained for this 12-month assignment, covering CIC Holdings, CIC Agri and Chemanex.

WiLAT Sri Lanka elects Dhashma Karunaratne as new Chairperson

Women in Logistics & Transport (WiLAT) Sri Lanka   appointed its new Chairperson Dhashma Karunaratne for the year 2017 at the fourth annual general meeting held recently at the National Chamber of Commerce auditorium, amidst a large gathering of the industry’s eminent personalities.

Mahinda Samarasinghe assumes duties as new Ports and Shipping Minister

Mahinda Samarasinghe assumed duties in office yesterday as the new Ports and Shipping Minister.  The function took place at the Ports and Shipping Ministry, No: 19, Chaithya Road, Colombo 1, amidst the blessings of Maha Sangha and a large gathering of ministers, deputy ministers and officials of a number of government institutions.  

PF-KAS organise ‘Social Market Economy in South Asia: Germans Experience’ conference

Together with the Pathfinder Foundation (PF), the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Social and Economic Governance Programme Asia (SOPAS) organised a bilateral expert roundtable conference titled ‘Social Market Economy in South Asia: Germans Experience of Fostering Small and Medium Enterprises’ in Colombo yesterday.

Prof. Ajantha Dharmasiri to deliver Prof. Sudatta Ranasinghe Memorial Oration

The Alumni of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIMA) has made arrangements to commemorate the fourth death anniversary of Prof. Sudatta Ranasinghe, Senior Professor in Management of Open University of Sri Lanka, who was a distinguished alumni and a longstanding teacher of the PIM.

Nawaloka Holdings acquires machinery manufacturer Alcobronz

Nawaloka Holdings, a diversified conglomerate in Sri Lanka recently acquired machinery manufacturer, importer and distributo,r Alcobronz (Pvt) Limited. 

WTC celebrates Vesak festival with giant lantern

Overseas Realty Ceylon PLC, the owner manager and developer of the World Trade Center Colombo (WTC), is displaying a giant Vesak lantern at its premises to celebrate this year’s Vesak festival. As UN Day of Vesak is hosted in Sri Lanka, it will be the first time we celebrate the Vesak Festival internationally allowing us to showcase our creativity and rich Buddhist culture to the world.