Jan. 1, 2017: Just another day
A Sri Lankan man clasps his hand and reflects on the future and what is in store in 2017. Picture by Amila Gamage.
New Centre to expedite cargo clearance
Cargo clearance at the Colombo Port from January will come under a new import and export facilitation centre to be manned by a Finance Ministry team aimed at breaking through bureaucracy and red tape that often lead to long delays. This fast-track cargo clearance system will accelerate the release of import and export goods in [...]
Govt. reiterates no sale of private banks’ stakes
Having learnt a bitter lesson in the Bank of Ceylon (BOC)-Seylan Bank drama, the government is to issue ‘clear’ and immediate guidelines on stakes in private banks coming under the purview of the Ministry of Public Enterprises. Minister of Public Enterprises, Kabir Hashim told the Business Times that his ministry will issue a fresh circular [...]
SriLankan Airlines – Try, try try and fly
They say try, try and try and you will succeed, but for this near-2-year old government success appears elusive. The latest on the pot is the SriLankan Airlines saga. It seems that the decision makers haven’t ruled out other avenues to revamp the cash-strapped national carrier. This is mainly due to them being not too [...]
Flying out? Be at the airport 5 hrs ahead!
SriLankan Airlines, in a flurry of advisories to travel agents, said all passengers flying out must check in at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) five hours prior to departure – instead of the usual 2-3 hours – to avoid queues or delays during January 6 to April 6 when urgent renovations are effected to the [...]
What will NOT happen in 2017!
Optimistic, pessimistic, no a REALISTIC 2017! Taking a cue from my Kussi Amma Sera’s …“Aney Mahatthayo, mokade wenne; ape dannawa nede”, who has often been proved right than wrong, we take a look at what will happen (or not happen) this year. In Sri Lanka, whatever people may say and believe….you don’t need a soothsayer, [...]
Free tabs for schools: Thoughts of a social entrepreneur
The writer is the co-founder and managing director of Cambodia-based Edemy, which aims to provide English to all by lowering barriers of affordability and resource constraints using a model of offline learning with technology combined with instruction by local teachers. Kagnarith graduated with a Master’s Degree in English in 2010 from Arizona State University. He [...]
Infrastructure consolidation in mobile firms should happen – Hans
Mobile Telephony: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Dialog Enterprise. Its 26-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new products and new evolutions, to boldly go where no telco has gone before.’ While the above is a variation of a phrase made popular through its use in the title [...]
Sri Lanka signs $75 mln social safety net project
Sri Lanka has signed a $75 million World Bank credit to support the country’s welfare programmes. The project includes an integrated system to better manage the selection, administration, and payments to beneficiaries. It will help improve the equity, efficiency and transparency of the social safety net system, according to a World Bank media release. The [...]
Global young leaders peace camp 2016
On December 1 to 5 young leaders from 10 countries met here to learn about the different religions and cultures that revolve around different cities in Sri Lanka. The event highlighted different religious sites including a Buddhist Temple, Hindu Kovil, Church and Mosque, the organisers said. The activities were held in Belihuloya where participants were [...]
International Parity at Work Day on Jan. 11
The inaugural International Parity at Work Day will be observed on January 11 globally, starting January 2017 and every year, thereafter on the same day. It champions the value of workplace diversity – inclusive of all genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, physical abilities and ages; and it raises awareness of persistent workplace inequality, the organisers said. [...]
Survey on international travel expenditure by Maldivians
The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA-central bank) has launched its annual survey on expenditure by Maldivians going out on international travel. According to Maldives media reports, the central bank announced that the survey was being held at the arrivals terminal of Ibrahim Nasir International Airport from December 24 to December 30. The survey covers the reasons [...]
Sri Lanka’s largest insured property, moves from risky to real insurance via CGSA
Crescent Global South Asia (CGSA) recently brokered, on behalf of the National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF), the new risk reinsurance cover for the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). CGSA director Indrajith Fernando said the company has transferred the risk liability of the CPC to A – Rated Lloyd’s Syndicates and to A-rated underwriters specialising in energy [...]
Huawei to push market share by 50% this year
In today’s gadget and gizmo-focused society that we have come to know and love, at times it’s almost as mobile phones are too complex to keep up, but it’s a given that digital communication rules our lives—from the hours we spend on Facebook to the number of times we check our phones for text messages, [...]
Pol … pol …pol …pol …
Looking at this lovely bunch of coconuts, one is reminded of that popular M. S. Fernando song “Pol … pol …pol …pol …pol …pol …pol/ Lankawe wathuwala wavena pol”. These coconuts were captured on camera by photographer Amila Gamage at the stall of the Chilaw Plantation Ltd at the recent Colombo Shopping Festival. The company, [...]
Some good, some bad, some nasty … a wit-laced menu of the news in 2016
Another tumultuous year has ended. Sri Lankans don’t believe in doing business the easy way. Why go straight from Point A to Point B if you can add argument, baste bullshit, curry controversy and drizzle debate in a spicy recipe that serves up an indigestible mess which is hard to stomach for even us easy-going [...]
Solar power to be harnessed for power generation
HAMBANTOTA – Sri Lanka is to switch over to alternate energy sources such as solar and wind power by 2050 in lieu of thermal energy to reduce the carbon footprint of the country. “However some professionals like engineers are bemused and skeptical whether solar and wind power can fulfil the total energy requirements of the [...]
New IRD Bill runs into opposition
A new Inland Revenue Draft Bill, aimed to introduce key tax reforms the first time since independence, has run into trouble with mounting opposition from tax department officials. The new bill due to be introduced early this year has to clear a hurdle placed by Inland Revenue Department Officials (IRD) who are vowing to paralyse [...]
Central Bank to announce ‘Road Map’ 2017 on Jan. 3
Sri Lanka’s Central Bank will announce the ‘Road Map: Monetary and Financial Sector Policies for 2017 and beyond’ on Tuesday, January 3 outlining the policies and strategies to be followed this year by the banking regulator. Governor of the Bank Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy will make the policy statement on the occasion in the presence of [...]
New frontiers: I think, therefore I am – a machine
Amachine that could think for itself, something like Arnie’s Terminator, and able to take decisions on its own without any human input – this is what the future might look like according to Dr. Sadeep Jayasumana, an Oxford -based researcher who dabbles in the field of artificial intelligence and deep learning. Intrigued by reports [...]
Security (IT) predictions for 2017
It is the time of the year to look back at what problems the Internet faced in 2016, what issues are likely to arise during the year and how we can protect ourselves. The past year has been a turbulent one for cyber security with high profile data breaches, persistent threats from ransomware and more. [...]
New gadgets and tech of 2016
(Courtesy Popular Mechanics) – Consider 2016 the year that brilliant innovations attacked all our technological annoyances. It was the year of home Wi-Fi that just works. Phones designed to survive a night out. The year we said to hell with tangled earbuds and found a video headset we’d actually wear. But that’s just the everyday [...]
Why coal is still cool. Myths and facts!
There have been many controversies as to whether coal is the right option for Sri Lanka. Everybody says coal is dirty! So why should stick with coal? There are many media articles about why we don’t want coal and an increasing number of “experts” (environmentalists, politicians, journalists – just about everybody) who are preaching about [...]