Category: Special Reports

New technology from web enabled mobile phones to communication tools like email is changing the way people access information.Although the Internet and other digital technologies are fast becoming the primary source of information delivery, they are still not widely used for education.rn rnThe book and classroom based education system is however slowly changing.rn rnInteractive e-learning […]

Taxi fares have been falling rapidly even as associated costs like fuel, telephone and vehicle prices have rocketed. Take look at a typical Colombo wall with posters.Take a closer look at the posters and you start to notice patterns. rn rnPatterns of numbers. rn rnWhat is funny about these numbers is that they are catchy […]

Often exploited, fought over, and colossally under priced, water has become the stuff of international politics. As Sri Lanka wages peace, it is wading through its own issues of sharing and trading its water between new regional boundaries. Water management to date has unfortunately been everyones responsibility, with a staggering 40 different Acts and 20 […]

Demand for credit has been on a steady rise this year with the Central Bank saying that growth year-on-year could hit 13% -almost double the last years figure.Bankers who are reporting healthy profits for the half year just ended however say demand could still improve and that the big contributions to the bottomline is still […]

House ownership is on the rise but experts say the country is far from meeting the demand of 70,000 new units needed annually. Policy makers are however trying to kindle a boom in the sector by clearing legal bottlenecks and making housing more affordable.A housing drive in the late 80s took development and infrastructure to […]

The traditional kapuwa or marriage broker may be slowly going out of the scene, but certainly not his services.Local businessmen have now started to give a new face to the old kapuwa, with claimed higher rates of success.rn rnA number of match making and marriage services have sprouted in and around Colombo offering a variety […]

Upcoming laws to buyout dud loans of financial institutions, has wide ranging powers including prison terms for directors who fail to comply and powers to the asset management company to takeover a firm if its debts fall below 75 percent of its assets.However, critics say the draft piece of legislation is riddled with holes, and […]

Local toy makers have had it tough over the last few years with strong competition form China. Exports have plummeted by nearly two thirds.The countrys export development agency says that the problems in the industry are various.rn rnDynagro, a toy maker says that their factory exported some 150,000 wooden musical toys last year.rn rnldblquote We […]

Parties to the conflict in the northeast are trying to set up an interim administration that conforms to the Constitution while allowing significant devolution of power. An important area would be funding the administration.Constitutional experts say any attempt at redrawing the Constitution when a final settlement is made would be even more challenging.rn rnColombo still […]

A new law on Intellectual Property Rights was in parliament on Friday after an initial draft met with opposition from patient rights activists. They challenged an early draft of the Bill on grounds that it ignored concessions won on behalf of poor countries at international trade forums which allow developing countries to import medicine from […]

The construction sector, which is a good indicator of economic activity, has been booming over the last year. However acquiring land for development remains a bottleneck to development in the construction sector.Experts say that freeing up and developing these lands would boost the economy while giving market-based values to the properties.rn rnThe Beira Lake remains […]

As wider share ownership is putting pressure on listed companies to improve their corporate governance they try to offer better returns to their most important stakeholders while other stakeholders in the fringes of corporate governance get ignored.A new initiative by the employers federation is trying to change this by giving companies a chance to be […]