A number of articles which appeared in print media in the recent past signify the volatility in the economy. High volatility leads to vulnerability. Volatility and vulnerability are reflections of the haphazard nature of the economic policies and poor economic governance in a country. What is volatility? Volatility is the severity and the frequency with ...

Human rights Human rights are on the top of agenda today. Nations accuse each other of violations of human rights of themselves and others. Rights are generally violated during conflicts and wars as the strength of the weapon supersedes peace over and stability and rule of law. There is no shortage of conflicts in most ...

Given first half performance, believes several 2012 Roadmap targets will be missed UNP MP and its chief spokesman on the economy Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday claimed that most of the Central Bank’s 2012 Roadmap targets were likely to be missed, based on below par performance on the external trade front during the first half. ...

By Shanuka Tissera Leading bankers were given the opportunity to discuss the method of approvals of OPIC funding and political risk insurance, facilitated by the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) and the American Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (AMCHAM) for US equity sponsored projects. The keynote address was delivered by the Governor of the Central ...

Brand Finance’s Annual Global Nation Brand Analysis Prologue Over the past three years, nation branding has received an enormous amount of coverage in Sri Lankan newspapers. Whilst some of these are based on the need to provide a marketing approach to building a nation, and its brand; many of the articles focus on developing a ...

Sri Lanka and Swaziland Tuesday signed an agreement on Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation between the two countries following bilateral discussions held between Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the visiting King Mswati III of Swaziland. King Mswati III accompanied by Queen Inkhosikati LaMahlangu and his delegation arrived in the island yesterday for a three-day ...

Sri Lanka and Swaziland Tuesday signed an agreement on Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation between the two countries following bilateral discussions held between Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the visiting King Mswati III of Swaziland. King Mswati III accompanied by Queen Inkhosikati LaMahlangu and his delegation arrived in the island yesterday for a three-day ...

Sri Lanka and Poland have agreed to boost bilateral ties including an exchange delegation and special promotion at the upcoming Warsaw Fair 2012. New measures and strong existing ties came up for discussion when the visiting Polish Under Secretary of State for Oriental Policy Jerzy Pomianowski paid a courtesy call on Economic Development Minister Basil ...

Ever since the first aircraft was conceptualised by Leonardo Da Vinci, the dream of flight is still continuously evolving. The latest aircraft is known as the dream liner Boeing 787. There has been no end to the technological advances in aviation. The global aviation industry has since been enlarged into a multibillion dollar business and ...

Playing off India against China and vice versa‘The Great Game’ was the name given to a diplomatic and military tussle between the British and Russian empires during the time of the British Raj in India for influence over what constitutes today’s central Asian states. Commonly known as the ‘Stan states,’ they were located along the ...

Following is the part one of the Daily FT article featuring the Acuity Stockbrokers Research on Economy and Strategy titled “Lion Leads Frontier” launched last week. Better than the rest General frontier market risks remain pertinent to Sri Lanka Investors in frontier markets are well aware of the risk-return tradeoff intrinsic to these markets. Low ...

By B.A.B. Goonetilleke Sometime in 2009, in what was to become a defining moment in the new Digital Age, Bradley Manning, a 24-year-old Army private based at an outpost in Iraq, began to download a veritable trove of classified cables dispatched by US missions around the world on to a thumb drive. Whether Manning stepped ...

By Cassandra Mascarenhas The third and final day of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2012 organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce commenced with a plenary session titled ‘Skills and Productivity to Compete in the Global Market,’ which discussed the initiatives that are underway and aimed to identify additional steps required to improve the quality ...

By Cassandra Mascarenhas Setting its sights on placing Sri Lanka in the global economy and expanding its reach in overseas markets, the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2012, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce’s annual flagship event, aptly themed ‘Positioning Sri Lanka in the Global Economy,’ commenced last evening at the Cinnamon Grand. In the context of ...

Case study Middle East   Sri Lanka is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean strategically located between West Asia and South East Asia and has been an important stop on the silk route or the Silk Road. It has all requirements to be one ...

By Shelton Dharmaratne Changing global trends will continually pose challenges to economic theory and policy and the ways in which we analyse tourism activity. Sri Lanka Tourism’s public policies are trapped in a dynamic, ongoing process and it has become increasingly evident that the Government is struggling to comprehend the tourism industry, its impact and ...

The Oxford Dictionary definition of ‘inept’ is ‘acting or done with no skill’. An ineptitude results is such behaviour being manifested An ‘Inept’ocracy’ has been defined in the Urban Dictionary as ‘a system of government, where the least capable to lead are elected, by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society ...

All newspapers carried headlines a few days ago stating that May 2012 tourist arrivals have increased by 17.5% from last year. It is reported that the May arrivals of 57,506, was higher than even that of April, which showed only a 9% increase YOY. So far, total arrivals for 2012 up to end May is ...

Peter Kropotkin is a Russian revolutionist who has commented in his book ‘The Conquest of Bread’ what he considers to be the weaknesses of the economic systems of capitalism and how poverty and scarcity thrives on. However, Kropotkin did not believe in the theory of state and is known as an anarchist. The issue of ...

With highest-ever top and bottom line performance premier blue chip JKH says knowing exactly who were are, what we stand for and where we are headed makes all the differenceI am pleased to present the Integrated Annual Report, and the Statement of Accounts, for the Financial Year ended 31 March 2012. The Report encapsulates the ...

With the end of the war, there was a desire throughout the country for a peace dividend. Over the 30 years of the conflict, pent-up demand had built up both for consumption and investment expenditure. The authorities were under intense political pressure to create an environment that was conducive to finance imports of consumption goods, ...

A document named ‘Growing Together’ prepared by UNESCAP for the sixty sixth session of ESCAP states that the realisation of what is termed as the ‘Asia Pacific century’ will depend on the region’s ability to harness the potential of regional economic integration. A shared history and culture, complementarities arising from their very different levels of ...

By Damien The Secretary to the treasury Dr. P.B Jayasundera recently made statement that the country is wasting the foreign currency on things that can be made in this country. I would like to add to this by stating that as a country we should have clear targets and policies that are aimed at both ...

Key insights to state of the economy and market and future prospects from NDB Stockbrokers’ latest Sri Lanka Equities report Uncertainty in the macro environment The robust economic growth and steep rise in global crude oil prices increased Sri Lanka’s import bill by 51% in 2011. As a result the trade deficit widened, putting the ...

International arrivals into Asia/Pacific1 destinations grew by a collective 7% year-on-year during the first two months of 2012, according to preliminary data released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) last week. At this point Southeast Asia is the fastest growing destination, followed by South Asia, however, both sub-regions generated somewhat slower growth than last ...