SL plans for a joint venture with Japan to lure investors & tourists

Sri Lanka will soon launch a joint venture with Japan to lure in investors and tourists and a special promotional programme to expedite efforts is already underway, the Ministry of Tourism said.

British-born, Sri Lankan Australian tops highest paid CEO list

British-born, Sri Lankan Australian Shemara Wikramanayake has topped Australia’s highest-paid CEO list.

TRCSL kicks off preliminary talks with SpaceX to bring Starlink to SL

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has initiated preliminary engagement with SpaceX in exploring the introduction of Starlink Internet Services in Sri Lanka.

Travel ban imposed on incoming passengers from southern Africa

Passengers traveling from the southern African region will be banned from entering Sri Lanka from tomorrow (28, Sunday) due to concerns over the detection of the new variant ’Omicron’, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced today.

India’s HCL opens doors to its state-of-the-art facility at Cinnamon Life complex

India’s HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global technology company, today opened doors to its largest facility in the country at the state-of-the-art Cinnamon Life complex.

PM ceremonially opens BIA’s new apron and taxiway

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa declared open today the newly constructed apron and taxiway constructed as a part of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) Expansion Project.

CB maintains policy rates at current levels

The Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) announced today that it has decided to maintain the Standing Deposit Facility Rate (SDFR) and the Standing Lending Facility Rate (SLFR) of the Central Bank at their current levels of 5 percent and 6 percent.

Private sector allowed to import chemical fertilisers from today

Private sector stakeholders involved in agriculture will be allowed to import chemical fertilisers, weedicides, and pesticides from today.

Air traffic to Sri Lanka set increase further from December

Sri Lanka’s aviation traffic will increase further in the coming weeks with four new airlines gearing up to launch direct flights to the country starting December.

First set of Indian bloggers end #NamastefromSriLanka tour

The first set of 25 Indian bloggers who were in Sri Lanka for a familiarization trip ended the visit yesterday on a ‘high note’, SriLankan Airlines said.

Export sector fetch US$ 1.16 b revenue in October

The local export sector crossed the US$ 1 billion mark for the fifth time this year with October fetching an export revenue of US $.1.16 billion.

JICA affirms further commitment to up SL’s socio-economic development needs

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) expressed commitment to further supporting Sri Lanka’s socio-economic development needs across diverse sectors.

B’desh to explore operating private airlines to Colombo

In an effort to lure more tourists to Sri Lanka from its neighboring countries, initial talks have kicked off on exploring the option of having direct flights between the island nation and Bangladesh.

Microsoft launches Imagine Cup 2022 for young developers worldwide

American multinational technology corporation, Microsoft Corp, yesterday launched the Imagine Cup competition 2022 for student developers across the world.

Singapore Airlines to resume daily services to Colombo

Singapore Airlines (SIA) today resumes daily services between Colombo and Singapore, increasing flight frequencies to seven times weekly from five weekly flights.

Budget 2020 a ‘stop-gap’ budget: IPS chief

Economic policy think-tank, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) yesterday called Budget 2022 a “stop-gap” budget rather than one that would set the framework for revenue mobilization, which is imperative given the current juncture the national economy stands at.

Over 200 farmers receive assistance from EDB to obtain intl. organic certification

A total of five farmer groups consisting of 254 farmers has been able to obtain organic certification from internationally accredited certification bodies and are able to have improved access to international markets following the implementation of the organic certification assistance scheme implemented by the Export Development Board (EDB).

Govt. says fight with unjust traders yet to end

As the livelihood of the masses have been impacted due to fraudulent business activities of individuals and institutions seeking illicit profits, the government yesterday said its “fight against those unjust traders has not come to an end”.

Sri Lanka targets to reduce budget deficit to 8.8% in 2022

Sri Lanka expects to reduce its budget deficit to 8.8 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2022, down from the 11.1 percent deficit estimated for 2021.

Public sector employees to remain in service longer

Employees attached to the public sector will be allowed to serve for longer periods with the retirement age proposed to be increased to 65 years.

Govt. to roll out efforts to boost agri-entrepreneurship

Efforts will be taken by the government to uplift the agriculture sector so that more agri-businesses will be established in the country.

WSO2 Secures US $90mn in Growth Capital from Goldman Sachs

Open-source technology provider WSO2, today announced that the company has closed $90 million in financing from client vehicles advised by Goldman Sachs Asset Management Private Credit. The flexible capital solution will be used to accelerate WSO2’s worldwide business expansion, drive growth of the company’s global partner network, and support rollout of its next-generation, cloud-native solutions for securely delivering APIs, applications, a

Ambani-owned Reliance Industries acquires amanté from MAS Holdings

Sri Lanka’s MAS Holdings today said one of its subsidiaries, MAS Brands, which owns and operates the retail lingerie business under the brand amanté, was acquired by Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, a subsidiary of India’s Ambani-owned Reliance Industries.

Korea to resume entry of new migrant workers from SL

Sri Lankan migrant workers will soon be able to enter Korea and its government announced today its decision to resume the entry of new Sri Lankan workers and workers from other foreign countries.

Holistic, multi-pronged approach must for inclusive delivery of education services: CBSL

The local education sector is still in dire need of a holistic and multi-pronged approach to the inclusive delivery of education services amid the “unique” circumstances, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) said.

Holistic, multi-pronged approach must for inclusive delivery of education services: CBSL

The local education sector is still in dire need of a holistic and multi-pronged approach to the inclusive delivery of education services amid the “unique” circumstances, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) said.

Net Zero Roadmap unveiled by WTTC for global tourism sector

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) announced this week the launch of an ambitious and groundbreaking net-zero roadmap to guide the global tourism sector.

Sri Lanka food and agri sector takes part in China Intl. Expo

Sri Lanka’s food and agriculture sector is currently being featured at the 4th China International Expo (CIIE), providing opportunities for local businesses to identify the right distribution channels.

ILO, CCC launch fresh entrepreneurship programme to uplift SL youth

The International Labour Organisation (IL0) and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) have entered into a partnership to push local youth to explore entrepreneurship opportunities.

China not part of Asia’s tourism recovery agenda