Sri Lanka’s govt. integrity, economic freedom deteriorate

Sri Lanka slipped down to the ‘Mostly Unfree’ country territory this year in the Index of Economic Freedom, with the lack of government integrity being the only contributor towards the slip in both the ranking and the score.

Top WTO experts in town for DoC’s export confab begining today

Two leading experts from World Trade Organization (WTO) are now in Colombo for today’s pioneering session by the Department of Commerce to work on one of the most technically-demanding barriers for Lankan exporters-- Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures or in simpler terms, quarantining and technical barriers.

LIOC December profits hurt by price controls

Lanka IOC PLC (LIOC), the unit of Indian Oil Corporation Limited has reported earnings of 48 cents a share for the October-December quarter against Rs.1.66 a share earned a year ago. 

Higher LPG prices, borrowings dent Laugfs December quarter

Diversified conglomerate, Laughs Gas PLC, saw its October-December quarter going into red while its nine months profits also falling sharply despite the top line recording gains, the interim results showed. 

Melstacorp profit slips over higher borrowings, bleeding telco

Melstacorp Limited, which houses Sri Lanka’s largest hard alcohol maker, reported earnings of Rs.1.34 per share or Rs.1.67 billion in net profits for the October-December quarter, down 7 percent from a year ago as finance costs and taxes rose sharply while the telecommunication unit weighed on the group performance. 

Unilever rejects US $143 bn Kraft Heinz bid as without merit

REUTERS: Unilever rejected a surprise US $143 billion takeover bid from U.S. food company Kraft Heinz Co on Friday, saying it saw no reason to discuss a deal which it said had no financial or strategic merit.

Nawaloka Hospitals 3Q profit falls as overheads, finance costs rise

Nawaloka Hospitals PLC, the Dharmadasa family-controlled medicare service provider, reported an earnings of 5 cents a share or Rs.72.4 million net profit for the October-December quarter, down 24 percent year-on-year (YoY) as the overheads rose, the interim results showed. 

World’s largest car carrier to call at H’tota port

MV Hoegh Tracer, the world’s largest pure car and truck Carrier (PCTC)  belonging to Hoegh Autoliners AS, Oslo, is scheduled to call at Hambantota port during the first week of March 2017 under its local agency Diamond Shipping Services (Pvt.) Ltd.

Shares fall for 2nd day; banks lead

Sri Lankan shares declined in a shortened session yesterday, further moving away from a four-week closing high hit earlier in the week, as investors sold banking stocks amid concerns over rising market interest rates.

Sri Lanka’s largest property show opens

Sri Lanka’s largest real estate show ‘Lanka Property Show 2017’ was inaugurated yesterday by Megapolis and Western

FinMin marks birthday with eye clinic

A free eye clinic was held yesterday at the Finance Ministry to mark the birthday of Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. Spectacles were also distributed free among the staff of the Finance Ministry during the eye clinic. Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s birthday falls tomorrow.

Samsung chief Lee arrested in corruption investigation

REUTERS: Samsung Group chief Jay Y. Lee was arrested yesterday, a South Korean court said, over his alleged role in a corruption scandal that led parliament to impeach President Park Geun-hye.

Oil-rich Ecuador votes at economic crossroads

AFP - Oil-rich Ecuador is at an economic and political crossroads in corruption-tainted general elections tomorrow.

Primal Glass 3Q boosted by production expansions

Sri Lanka’s sole glass bottle manufacturer Piramal Glass Ceylon PLC posted a net profit of Rs. 202.32 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2016 (3Q17), increasing 21.59 percent year-on-year (YoY) after conducting major production expansions in the previous quarter.

Asia stocks retreat after week-long Trump rally

AFP - Most Asian markets eased further yesterday as investors cashed out following a healthy run-up since last week, and after Wall Street’s Trump-fuelled surge finally came to an end.

NDB Toastmasters Club continues to raise the bar

National Development Bank PLC (NDB) initiated the NDB Toastmasters Club on October 31, 2013 and joined the Global Toastmasters fraternity.

Top retailers complete mastery programme hosted by 3WC and GRA

The first Retail Mastery Programme held in Sri Lanka came to a successful close on February 9th.  Organized by 3W Consulting, Sri Lanka’s leading Enterprise Renewal and Management Consultants, together with the Global Retail Academy (GRA), the 2-day programme took place at the Crystal Ballroom of Taj Samudra in Colombo. 

Prima Sunrise Bread concludes ‘Slices n’ Prizes’ promo

Prima Sunrise recently concluded its promotion – ‘Slices n’ Prizes’, which began on November 1 and ended on December 31, 2016. 

First-ever Typo Day event to kick off on February 23

Typo Day 2017, an event meant to explore the finer aspects of typography and calligraphy, will be held for the first time in Sri Lanka from February 23 to 25, 2017. 

Architect 2017

The 35th edition of the architect exhibition hosted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architect’s (SLIA) is currently underway in Colombo. The exhibition comprises of 305 stalls and 135 panels displaying architects’ work.

Varun Beverages announces ‘Pepsimoji’ competition winners

Varun Beverages Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd announced the winners of the recently conducted popular ‘Pepsimoji’ competition, which attracted a record number of entries from across the island.  

Vogue Jewellers, the destination for ultimate gifts

If you are looking for a precious gift that will last longer than red roses, a romantic dinner and chocolates, Vogue Jewellers is the ultimate destination with an abundance of romantic and yet sentimental gifts to suit your budget. 

Mobitel-Sirasa conclude Kotiyak Vatina Adahasak reality TV show

The national mobile service provider, Mobitel, together with Sirasa TV launched Sri Lanka’s first-ever technology-based innovation reality TV show Kotiyak Vatina Adahasak in July 2016 and the grand finale of the show was held recently, where the winner of the best technology innovation was selected.

NDB-British Council join to uplift standard of English teaching in Sri Lanka

National Development bank (NDB) joined hands for the fifth consecutive year with British Council to contribute towards enhancing the teaching skills of secondary English language teachers of government schools in order to uplift the standard of English teaching in Sri Lanka. 

PACE Institute, Pannipitiya leads way creating successful professionals

PACE Institute, Pannipitiya, a leading professional and higher education provider, has introduced a range of new courses, 

Singer sends 10 lucky couples to S’pore

Singer, the country’s leading brand in consumer durables, held its promotional raffle draw and prize giving of Singer Nawa Divi Thilina 2016.

Colombo Fashion Week announces dates for Summer season: 13th – 18th March 2017

HSBC Colombo Fashion Week introduces its next edition – to be held on 13-18 March, 2018. In its 14th year, Colombo Fashion Week has set itself bigger goals in taking the fashion

DrinkDrive

Owing to sever negligence of Sri Lankan road conduct due to drunk and careless driving, our country has experienced a rising number of deaths throughout the years

Panasonic appoints distribution partner, launches six smartphones

Panasonic India announced the appointment of Metropolitan Telecom Services (Pvt.) Ltd, as its distribution partner in Sri Lanka at an event held in Colombo which also saw the launch of six new smartphones.

Eguardian Lanka highlights cyber security concerns for financial services sector

Eguardian Lanka shed light on emerging cyber security threats to the financial services industry at its ‘Way Forward to Cyber Resilience’ CIO Forum in Colombo recently.