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‘Lankan seafarers capable of bringing $ 1 billion annually into the country, provided they are adequately trained’

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By Hiran H. Senewiratne

Sri Lankan seafarers generate around US $ 300 million per year and that amount could be increased to US $ one billion if our seafarers are properly trained for overseas maritime related jobs, Vice President, Maritime, International Cooperation & Foreign Projects, CINEC Campus, Capt. Peshala Medagama said.

“At present our seafarers mainly work on dry cargo vessels and we need to develop seafarers for work in any type of vessel. Our technology competencies are quite satisfactory but the biggest challenge is the lack of English language communication competencies, Medagma said at the World Maritime Day 2022 conference, held at Monarch Imperial Hotel at Thalawathugoda -Battaramulla last week.

The theme of the event was, “New Technology for Greener Shipping”. The event was organized by the International Maritime Organization’s Goodwill Maritime Ambassador Nish Wiyayakulathilaka.

Capt. Peshala
Medagama

Medagama added: ‘At present Sri Lanka has nearly 48,000 seafarers out of which only 16,500 are active seafarers, including 3700 officers. Therefore, English skill is the biggest challenge, which needs to be addressed as soon as possible to deploy them in highly lucrative jobs in the maritime industry.

‘Sri Lanka is situated along the key shipping route between the Malacca Straits and the Suez Canal, which links Asia and Europe. An estimated 36,000 ships, including 4,500 oil tankers, use the route annually. It is not a difficult task, if we could approach decision makers in Korean, Chinese and European shipping lines and promote our seas seafarers in those companies.

‘We need a paradigm shift in this regard. We need to train them in English communication skills, while also training them on the technology aspect with the imparting of concepts like the new technology in green shipping.

‘Sri Lanka’s strength is based on competency, technology skill and loyalty. Apart from that Sri Lanka could be promoted as a shipping manufacturing center in the region but is unable to harness that potential yet.

‘Our industry heads have to give leadership, identify ship owners and give presentations about our seafarers and identify their needs. We need to train them and this will create more employment opportunities. Subsequently, US dollars will come into the country.’



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Retail IT hosts landmark Retail Technology Trends 2025 event

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Nalaka Umagiliya (Senior Vice President of John Keells Holdings and COO of Group Information Technology), Chandima Wickramatunge (Chief Executive Officer of Retail IT)

POS hardware and software solutions provider Retail IT (Pvt) Ltd recently hosted the Retail Technology Trends 2025 event at Water’s Edge Hotel, bringing together over 150 professionals from industries such as supermarkets, hospitality, apparel, and bookstores.

The event highlighted Retail IT’s 15-year partnership with Posiflex, a global leader in POS technology, showcasing innovations like the reliable Posiflex POS systems. The event also featured inspiring talks from industry leaders. Chandima Wickramatunge, Chief Executive Officer of Retail IT, was joined by experts such as Nalaka Umagiliya of John Keells Holdings, Ruwan Perera of Moore Aiyar, and Thilak Piyadigama, Chairman of WebXPay.

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Trump’s Gaza Dream: Another Chance for Arab Unity

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by Nilantha Ilangamuwa

Everyone saw it unfold. This is the harsh reality of life in the Devil’s paradise, where desires are transformed into laws, ambitions become twisted ethics, and behaviour is coerced into the very fabric of the system. The truth? To survive here, one must bow to the powers that be, no matter the cost. Conscience and integrity are irrelevant—praise those in power or face annihilation.

President Donald Trump welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—an alleged war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court—as the first foreign leader in his second term, declaring his grand vision to take control of Gaza, turning it into a “brave new Levantine Riviera” by cleansing over two million Palestinians. Nevertheless, the proposal has sparked strong opposition. Saudi Arabia, a key ally of Trump, swiftly condemned it, insisting that no nation would recognize Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Jordan and Egypt also rejected the idea of accepting millions of displaced Palestinians. The mere announcement of this plan starkly illustrates the chaotic grandeur of Trump’s vision. Yet, his proposal, however audacious, was no accident of rhetoric. It was a calculated, methodical blueprint, crafted long before Trump’s second term in office. With Netanyahu—a willing ally in these manoeuvres—Trump painted a picture of Gaza not as a refuge for the Palestinian people, but as a commercialized “paradise” defined not by its displaced residents, but by foreign investments and a transformation into a luxury resort.

Trump’s proposition, laden with both visionary ambition and horrific repercussions, challenges the entrenched paradigm. This proposal, as reported, was not born of sudden whim, but the culmination of years of deliberation within Trump’s inner circle—an enterprise in which his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, played a pivotal role in positioning the geopolitical and commercial components across Asia. Kushner’s claim, in a recent interview with the Financial Times, that his “ability to see trends before others” uniquely positions him to capitalize on opportunities others find unpalatable, resonates with the underlying logic of Trump’s plan. It’s a logic that blurs the line between statecraft and property development, where geopolitical ambitions are pursued not merely for strategic supremacy but also as a means to expand a business empire throughout Asia. This fusion of commerce and conquest is as disquieting as it is unprecedented, conjuring images of modern-day feudalism, where land and people are subjugated to serve the profit motives of a privileged few.

What is truly striking, however, is that Trump’s plan could offer a rare and pivotal opportunity for Arab nations, whose history of disunity has long hindered their collective potential. Regional players—Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Qatar, Jordan, and others—have long danced to contradictory tunes, using Palestine as a symbol to justify their betrayals, while failing to act with sincerity or consequence. These rivalries, cultivated over decades of political expediency, have reduced Palestinians from champions of an independent cause to mere pawns in a game that has been further complicated by internal rifts within Palestinian movements. For far too long, the Arab states have abandoned Palestine’s plight in favour of personal ambition and strategic alliances, turning the Palestinian cause into a commodity—moulded and shaped according to the whims of foreign powers.

This latest manoeuvre must be understood within the context of the convoluted history of Arab disunity—an entangled web of colonial subterfuge, sectarian fragmentation, and a legacy of betrayal that has persistently eroded Palestinian sovereignty and reduced their cause to a tragic geopolitical instrument. The Arab world, once intoxicated by the ideal of pan-Arab unity, has repeatedly succumbed to its internal fissures, never able to overcome the corrosive forces of realpolitik and self-interest. Behind the veneer of solidarity and proclamations of support for Palestinian self-determination, there lies a catalogue of secretive agreements, covert operations, and Machiavellian plots that have long entangled the region. While the Sykes-Picot Agreement remains the most infamous symbol of colonial partition, it is far from the only clandestine accord that has shaped the fate of Palestine. Lesser-known pacts, such as the Husayn-McMahon Correspondence, which promised Arab independence in exchange for rebellion against the Ottoman Empire, were later betrayed in favour of European imperial ambitions. Similarly, the post-World War II period saw Arab states engage in secret dealings with both Western and Soviet powers, each prioritizing their strategic interests over Palestinian rights.

Agreements such as the Baghdad Pact and the Eisenhower Doctrine—purportedly aimed at regional stability—left the Palestinian cause sidelined in favour of Cold War allegiances, perpetuating cycles of betrayal. And perhaps most insidious of all were the secret negotiations between Arab leaders and Israel, at times tacit and other times more explicit, often involving quiet exchanges of territory, economic support, or even military cooperation, all under the guise of broader diplomatic manoeuvres.

These acts of realpolitik—often driven by the selfish interests of a few at the expense of the many—have left Palestine isolated, its sovereignty forfeited in a game of geopolitical chess. The fractured nature of Arab leadership, perpetuated by sectarianism and divergent national ambitions, only serves to deepen the wound. While leaders such as Egypt’s Nasser sought to rally the Arab world under a banner of unity, his efforts were consistently thwarted by rivalries and internal conflicts. Today, these past betrayals reverberate in the region’s collective psyche, leaving Palestinian aspirations still choked by the suffocating embrace of powers both external and internal, with the dream of a unified Arab world and a free Palestine rendered ever more elusive by the cynical.

Yet, it is precisely this history that makes Trump’s audacious proposal so paradoxically compelling. Here lies an opportunity for the perennial exiles—the Palestinians—not as pawns in a geopolitical chess game, but as potential agents for the reawakening of Arab unity. For decades, Palestinian suffering has been wielded as a symbol of resistance, a poignant reminder of an exodus that began with the Nakba in 1948. However, the continued instrumentation of Palestinian tragedy by neighbouring Arab regimes—who have long used the plight of these people as a rhetorical tool without offering substantial solutions.

It is within this environment of ambivalence and simmering tension that Trump’s proposal must be viewed as a paradigm-shifting moment. The convergence of statecraft and property development, epitomized by Trump and Kushner’s ambitions, signals a departure from conventional geopolitical paradigms. We are stepping into an era where the shifting power of oligarchies is increasingly driven by the convergence of economic gain and political opportunism—a transformation with far-reaching consequences for the future of West Asia. Whether this radical re-imagining of Gaza could catalyze Arab unity remains uncertain, inherently tied to the unresolved contradictions within the region’s historical legacy. Trump’s Riviera dream for Gaza is as much a test of American resolve as it is a crucible for Arab unity—a proposition that, if realized, could compel the Arab states to transcend their long-standing acrimony and mistrust. However, the likelihood remains that this bold gambit, with all its extravagant rhetoric and ambitious visions, will only serve to deepen existing rifts, leaving Palestinians once again at the mercy of external schemes.

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Vegolicious introduces high-protein noodles and cookies

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Vishwa Liyanage (Head of Operation - Misa Food and Beverages Pvt Ltd), President and Secretary of Pro Food Pro Pack Organization Committee

Plant-based protein food brand, Vegolicious, has introduced two exciting new products to the market—High Protein Multi Grain Noodles and High Protein Multi Grain Cookies. With a strong focus on nutrition, taste, and sustainability, the brand aims to provide delicious and healthy alternatives for those looking to maintain a balanced diet. The newly launched Multi Grain Noodles offer a high-protein, high-fiber alternative to traditional noodles.

Made from a carefully selected blend of pulses, legumes, and cereals, these noodles contain 17.8g of protein and 5g of fiber per 100g serving. They are designed to provide a satisfying taste and texture, ensuring consumers receive essential nutrients in their meals. Ideal for those with active lifestyles or anyone looking for a healthier meal option, these noodles are both nutritious and delicious, said a release.

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