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Malraj completes PhD in Economics on ‘Determinants of Tourism FDI’

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Malraj B. Kiriella, a multi-disciplinary professional, was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Economics degree by the Colombo University.

Earlier, he completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics at the same university and his LL.B at the Open University of Sri Lanka.

Dr. Kiriella is an Attorney-at-Law with professional qualifications in management, marketing, international relations, research, and tourism from leading Sri Lankan and international institutions. He has held senior positions in many professional organizations over a period of time.

He is an old boy of Ferguson High School (Primary) Boys Section in Ratnapura, D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo and S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavina. He has worked in the public and private sectors and served as Director-General of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority from 2015 to 2018.

The aim of his PhD research was to identify the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to tourism sector in Sri Lanka since the post-war period, the development of tourism as a key economic driver, targeting high tourist inflows and revenue to the country.

In order to cater to more tourists and achieve the aims, the country needed additional tourist services and facilities. FDI has been identified to fill the investment gap as domestic investment is inadequate. In addition, tourism FDI brings advantages to the country such as brand image, marketing and promotion, training, new technologies, centralized reservation and sales, etc.

There have been very few large international investments in tourist hotel projects. In addition to the accommodation sector, the absence of FDI is demanded in a number of tourism sub-sectors namely, restaurants, transport, training, recreation and entertainment etc. FDI inflows to Sri Lanka increased after the war, but remained relatively low and below the targeted level. The research, therefore, examined the determinants of both demand and supply factors affecting the inflow of FDI to the country’s tourism sector.



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One dead in US after being struck by taking off Frontier Airlines plane

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A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado [Aljazeera]

A person has died after jumping an airport perimeter fence in the US state of Colorado and being struck by a Frontier Airlines plane, according to authorities.

Denver International Airport said the unusual incident occurred late Friday, after the unidentified individual gained access to the tarmac.

It said the “pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway”.

A brief engine fire followed the collision, which was put out by emergency responders, according to the airport.

It said that 12 of the 231 people on board suffered minor injuries, with five hospitalised.

The airport said investigators had examined the fence line where the individual entered and “found it to be intact”.

It added that the struck individual “is not believed to be an employee of the airport”.

“We are extremely saddened by this incident and express our sympathies to those involved,” the airport said.

Both local authorities and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were investigating the incident.

Airport safety in the US came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year amid a prolonged shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which temporarily left both Transportation Security Agents (TSA) and air traffic controllers working without pay.

While instances of people being killed on airport tarmacs are rare, Friday’s incident came a day after a Delta employee was killed after an airport vehicle struck an airbridge at Orlando International Airport.

In March, two pilots were  killed after an Air Canada Express plane crashed into a fire-rescue vehicle at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

About 225,000 people travel through Denver International Airport a day.

[Aljazeera]

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Showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the  Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

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WEATHER FORECAST FOR 10 MAY 2026
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 10 May 2026 by the Department of Meteorology

The low-level atmospheric disturbance in the vicinity of Sri Lanka is likely to develop into a low-pressure area around 11th of May. Therefore, the prevailing showery conditions over the island are expected to continue during the next few days.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at most places over the island, and cloudy skies are expected over the island. Heavy showers above 100 mm are likely at some places in the  Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, Uva, North-western and Northern provinces and in Anuradhapura district.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damage caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.

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Lanka Port City officials to meet investors in Dubai

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ECONOMYNEXT –Colombo Port City (CPC) officials will head to Dubai to meet with investors on June 11, as Sri Lanka’s most ambitious economic zone looks for further foreign investments.

“We are meeting people in Dubai and the Middle East in order to demonstrate that Colombo Port City can be a supplementary zone of investment,” Harsha Amarasekara, Chairman, Colombo Port City Economic Commission (CPCEC), told Economynext.

The meeting will be organised by CPCEC, China Harbour Engineering Company, Consulate General of Sri Lanka – Dubai, and the Embassy of Sri Lanka – Abu Dhabi.

Foreign investor meetings have been a consistent factor in marketing CPC, and identifying potential markets has been a priority for CHEC and CPCEC.

“We have shortlisted and identified primary markets and we have combed the globe in that to say have a rationale behind why you would want to do certain things, a road show in a particular country,” Thulci Aluwihare, Deputy Managing Director, CHEC Port City Colombo, told Echelon Media.

“Once we kind of shortlist on that, then we aggressively go and market Port City, first Sri Lanka I should say, then Port City.”

“Sri Lanka is known in the world as a tourist destination, not essentially for a doing business capital. That is the narrative that we are trying to change,” he added.

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