The Ceylon Leather Products Ltd (CLPL), Sri Lanka’s largest domestic leather manufacturer, is cleaning up its debt by selling off valuable land and reviving the once-popular DI brand which has lost its shine. Officials said the company plans to sell one of its lands at Mattakkuliya in a bid to clean the loan book and be debt free, begin the modernisation process and better manage its working capital.

A speaker at a forum recently highlighted a story in a Washington-based foreign policy magazine which had listed Sri Lanka as the 25th nation after Rwanda on in its list of Failed States. I dismissed the statement publicly as an attempt by the magazine and the speaker to tarnish the good name of the country. However if we continue the way we are going by closing down city roads at peak business hours in important commercial areas.....

A National Action Plan for Youth Employment was launched this week to help find solutions for Sri Lanka’s long standing youth unemployment.Despite investing in public funded health and education for children and despite many employment opportunities created through an open economy, Sri Lanka is yet to make productive use of its large youth population. Right now, unemployment is highest among the young and worse still, the possibility of being unemployed seem to increase with education.

Beruwela --“Be careful while you’re out there” was how Dharmin Samarajeewa, Secretary of the Tour Guides Association was warned by a foreign tourist when Samarajeewa was venturing out on to the beach in Beruwela for a stroll. The reason for the caution was the members of the beach community, commonly and derogatorily referred to as “beach boys”. When Samarajeewa told the tourist that he would not be bothered as he is a local, he was answered with a “Proceed-at-your-own-risk” look from the tourist.