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A signing ceremony was held 1st April on the Record of Discussion for Technical Cooperation Project titled “The Project on Electricity Sector Master Plan Study” at the JICA Sri Lanka Office. The Record of Discussion was signed by the Secretary of Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy Dr. B.M.S Batagoda, Director General of Department of External Resources R.M.P. Rathnayake, the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs, the General Manager of Ceylon Electricity Board M C Wickramasekara, and the Chief Representative of the JICA Sri Lanka Office Kiyoshi Amada.

Think about the best boss you've ever known. Here are 20 things I'll bet he or she never stopped doing.

BY BILL MURPHY JR. Executive editor, TheMid.com, and founder, ProGhostwriters.com@BillMurphyJr

Think about the best boss you've ever had.

Maybe you're fortunate, and we're talking about the person you call your boss today. Maybe it's someone you recall fondly from years ago. (Maybe you don't have a boss--good for you!--but I'll bet you've had one at some time in the past.) Regardless of who this person is, I'm confident I can describe him or her. That's because highly respected bosses often have a lot in common with one another. Here are 20 of the key things they do almost every day.

1. They share their vision. The most important thing a leader can do is provide his or her team with a goal that is worth their time. Granted, the boss doesn't always get to set the agenda, but a great one will advocate for something worthy, and ensure that he communicates it effectively and often.

BY PETER ECONOMY The Leadership Guy@bizzwriter

The average employee spends about 25 percent of their workday dealing with email. Why not get it right the first time?

A new problem of our super tech-savvy world is email communication. When do we send them? How often? And, most worrisome of all, what do we say? Studies show that the average employee spends about 25 percent of each workday simply sorting through, responding to, and creating their email messages. Yet, despite all the time we spend writing electronic notes, very few people actually know how to send good emails.

In order to execute emailing successfully, you have to master grammar and punctuation--as well as know when to switch from being overly formal to carrying more casual conversation on the web. In her book, The Essentials of Business Etiquette, career coach Barbara Pachter reveals some email etiquette tips to keep you from looking unprofessional.

Moving on from a bad career starts with a clear plan for a better one.

BY J.T. O'DONNELL Founder and CEO, CareerHMO.com@jtodonnell

You've finally come to the conclusion that your career isn't right for you. You're ready to move on. Easier said than done. How do you get out of a career path you've been on for a while?

Step 1: Get clear on your pivot. You need to choose a new career direction based on the facts. What problems do you want to solve? What skills do you want to leverage? How do you want to provide value to an employer? The more specific you can be about your new career direction, the easier it will be to connect the dots and get a new job doing what you want.

President Maithripala Sirisena says his government will give high priority to improve country’s vocational training sector to provide more opportunities for the country’s youth who are unable to receive higher education.

Speaking at the progress review meeting on National School of Business Management, which is under the Ministry of Skills Development and Vocational Training, at the President’s Office Wednesday, the President said the physical and human resources of the countrywide vocational training centers will be enhanced as the training at these institutions is weakened due to lack of resources.

By Charumini de Silva

Battered stockbrokers are urging the Government to consider reintroducing the Share Transaction Levy (STL) as a less damaging alternative to the Capital Gains Tax (CGT), which they warn will further hurt the Colombo Bourse.

“At this juncture where markets’ daily trading volumes are at record-low levels, bringing in a Capital Gains Tax would be counterproductive,” Colombo Stock Brokers Association President Ravi Abyesuriya told the Daily FT.

AFP (New York): The world’s most expensive train station opened Thursday (3) in New York, nearly $ 2 billion over budget and years behind schedule, but the European architect who designed it called it a gift of love to the city.

The World Trade Center Transportation Hub, which is expected eventually to serve more than 200,000 commuters daily, is built next to the site of the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the terror attacks of 11 September 2001.

Santiago Calatrava, the Spanish-Swiss architect who unveiled his ambitious design 12 years ago, removed a barrier at the entrance of the Oculus, a giant oval hall with walls of steel ribs and glass.

As a dampened Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) eagerly anticipates its big take-off, its Chairman yesterday pledged 2016 would be the year of implementation while outlining its prospects to become a regional player following regulatory approval.

“We will be launching a dollar denominated board very soon especially targeting the Maldives as we have signed an MOU with them. 

There are many different personalities that we come across at work. Some become our best friends some our enemies and some acquired tastes where it’s only limited to an occasional “hello” in the hallway. No matter how unbearable or pleasant these personalities are, you are stuck with them until you leave the office. In reality we all enjoy these personalities as they bring life and flavor to what could be the possibly the most boring hours of your day.

After spending a good amount of time thinking of what creative names one could use for these different personalities the best approach, were Disney characters. It’s not too harsh, and its one thing we all associate with the most wonderful time of our lives, our childhood. So what will it look like when the Disney characters head to work?

The first Google Loon balloon equipped with telecommunication transmitting equipment entered Sri Lanka’s airspace yesterday morning from the Southern Province between Tissamaharama and Hambantota.

ICTA CEO Muhunthan Canagey said there will be a total of three balloons on Sri Lanka’s airspace by the end of this month. 

“In addition to the current balloon, two other balloons will reach country’s coast lines by the end of the month. One is currently off the East Coast of South Africa and is expected next week while the other one is expected in 12 days,” he told the Daily FT. He said a team of Google engineers will arrive in Sri Lanka during the end of this week to commence a series of tests to be performed.