AP: Sri Lanka will not implement all proposals from its civil war commission because the panel went beyond its mandate, a Government Minister said Monday after a UN rights council called for the report’s implementation. The commission’s report dismissed allegations that Government troops deliberately targeted civilians as the long civil war was ending in 2009 ...

By Joshua Nicholas Firms that successfully employ Investor Relations (IR) have more success enticing institutional investors, larger IPO’s, higher share prices, and find it easier to raise debt and equity. What is IR? A guide published by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) defines IR as, “the ongoing activity of companies communicating with the investment community.”  ...

Reuters: U.S. President Barack Obama vowed on Monday to pursue further nuclear arms cuts with Russia, saying the United States has more warheads than necessary, even as he issued stern warnings to North Korea and Iran in their nuclear standoffs with the West. Speaking ahead of a global nuclear security summit in Seoul, Obama held ...

Intelo Networks (Pvt) Ltd., has developed the first ever digital Tourist Information Kiosks (TIKs) launched recently by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau under the aegis of Ministry of Economic Development. To identify the locations of the Tourist Information Kiosks, Intelo has planned to up TIK directional signs at the discretion of the state regulations ...

Arab News: RIYADH: Saudi businessmen have evinced immense interest in attending the upcoming the Sri Lanka Expo 2012 scheduled from 28 to 30 March in Colombo, Sri Lankan Embassy’s Commercial Counselor Anil Sirimanna said. The Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) has organised the three-day event being held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall ...

Reuters: Asian shares gave back earlier gains on Thursday after data showed China’s factory activity shrank for a fifth successive month, underscoring concerns about a growth slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.  The MSCI Asia Pacific ex-Japan index was nearly flat, falling sharply from a 0.6 percent gain before the Chinese data. Still, the ...

Unity is strength: Let us unite as a nation and a group of likeminded nations in the world Sri Lanka is a senior member Sri Lanka is a senior member of the world family, maintaining high standards of human rights on international standards, which is not an alien system to us. Our culture is based ...

The Saudi Kingdom has offered financial aid worth SR 225 million (approximately Rs. 7.6 billion) for the upgrading of road networks in Sri Lanka. The draft agreement for the financial assistance was finalized in Riyadh on Monday during a meeting between the Vice Chairman of the Saudi Fund For Development (SFD) Yusuf Al-Bassam and Dr. ...

A spectacular laser show and water dance taking place Friday and Saturday this week will mark the launch of a major campaign to improve water management. Backed by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), headquartered in Pelawatte, the campaign, RipplesOnWater.org, will raise awareness about water issues, initially in Sri Lanka and will then spread globally ...

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) spokesman and parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayaka in an interview with the Daily FT critiques the on-going sessions of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the state of bad governance, deteriorating law and order and the economic crisis in the country.  Following are excerpts from the interview.   Q;  What are your ...

Capital Alliance, a full-service investment bank will be hosting one of Asia’s foremost Investor Relations experts, Jonathan Zax, in Colombo this week. Zax’s investor relations efforts have been frequently recognised by the international financial community through top rankings in polls by Asiamoney, Finance Asia, Lafferty Group and Investor Relations Magazine. Last year, he received a...

REUTERS: The International Air Transport Association has cut its forecast for global airline profits this year due to a sharp rise in oil prices, saying a spike to $150 per barrel could lead to losses as high as $5.3 billion. In its financial forecast for 2012, IATA forecast industry profits of $3 billion on Tuesday, ...

Reuters: Franklin Templeton funds that focus on developing economies are heavily invested in energy stocks as the firm believes oil prices have room to increase further, the head of its emerging markets group Mark Mobius said on Tuesday.  “If you look at inflation and the oil price over the long term, you’ll find that the ...

My column today is an attempt to focus our attention on a few less spoken or untold developments that may have a profound influence on how we carve our way through in creating a desirable social, economic and political future for mankind on this only planet of ours. While I will not specifically touch on ...

TOKYO (Reuters): Asian shares rose on Wednesday as upbeat U.S. economic data plus signs of improving capital positions at big American banks stoked appetites for risk, while reduced expectations for more  monetary easing by the Federal Reserve underpinned the dollar.  The dollar eased from a seven-week high against a basket of major currencies of 80.320 ...

Having successfully defeated terrorism, ended years of civil war, ushered an era of peace and prosperity to the country, initiated resoundingly successful development initiatives in the north and the east, the Government of Sri Lanka needs to be applauded for consolidating a unified national identity; an identity that only occasionally reared its head at cricket ...

If the recently-concluded CB Series is anything to go by, then the second match of the Asia Cup between India and Sri Lanka should keep the supporters of both sides on their tenterhooks. However, the frame of mind that the two teams find themselves in could not be more contrasting. While the Indians have been ...

As the world decides vote on Sri Lanka on the methods used on the eradication of terrorism in the country, my mind goes back to the December 2008 when three of us were organising the staging of the first Industrial Exhibition in Jaffna so that the north gets connected to south on an economic front. ...

International Women’s Day is celebrated worldwide on 8 March. As the National Mobile Services Provider, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel believes that women are a vital element in society and its development, from the upbringing of a family’s offspring to being a pillar in every family and organisation. Mobitel has over the years, supported this belief ...

Reuters: The Defence Ministry yesterday ordered news outlets to get prior approval before sending mobile phone alerts about the military or police, a move press freedom groups decried as another step towards greater censorship. In a letter hand-delivered to news outlets including Reuters, Media Center for National Security (MCNS) Director-General Lakshman Hulugalle said the new ...

GENEVA (Reuters): International filings for patent protection, a key indicator of technological innovation in major economies, hit an all-time record last year driven by growth in China and other middle- income countries, a United Nations agency said last week. The World Intellectual Property Organisation, which administers the global patent pact, reported that 2011 saw a ...

MUMBAI (Reuters): India batting great and former skipper Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from international cricket on Friday, saying it was the right time to “move on” and make way for the next generation of players. The 39-year-old second highest run scorer in test history announced his decision at a news conference in Bangalore with ...

Emirates’ Midas touch has secured Gold at the 2012 Air Transport News Awards. Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Planning & Research, accepted the Gold “Airline of the Year” accolade on behalf of the airline at a special ceremony held in Athens. “We are honoured to receive ATN’s Gold “Airline of the Year” award, ...

By Cheranka Mendis With a membership of 107 top entrepreneurs of the country – among which close to 200 leading organisations is managed providing employment close to 250,000 people – the Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) is a unique and highly valuable organisation to the country. Taking the mantle of the Chamber from K.H. ...

By Lucien Rajakarunanayake “In the light of this commitment by Sri Lanka, there is no justification or urgency whatsoever in floating a resolution calling for the implementation of the LLRC’s recommendations and engagement with the High Commissioner, when this has already been effectively undertaken by the Government. What we now need from the international community ...

Port of Spain, March 5 (IANS) West Indies cricketer Runako Morton was killed in a car crash here Sunday night. The 33-year-old, one of the few cricketers to emerge from the island of Nevis, lost control of the car he was driving and hit a pole, according to reports. He died on the spot. Morton ...

Reuters: The estimated $7.8 billion deal struck by BP Plc with businesses and individuals suing over the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill could speed up payments to thousands of claimants and offers lawyers a potential windfall in legal fees. London-based BP announced the deal on Friday with the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee, or PSC, ...

Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini last week detailed a number of announcements and plans aimed at expanding the company’s smartphone product portfolio and customer ecosystem, including strategic new engagements with Orange, Lava International Ltd., ZTE, and Visa.   ”We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings ...

Passenger traffic continues by 5.7% to rise in January; cargo remains in doldrums with 8% dipThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) last week announced global traffic results for January showing a 5.7% rise in passenger demand but an 8.0% decline in air freight compared to the same month in 2011. The occurrence of Chinese New ...

Beijing (PTI): Sri Lanka’s powerful Defence Secretary yesterday held talks with his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie, amid mounting pressure on Colombo for a credibly probe into alleged war crimes during the final stages of the ethnic conflict. The visit of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is also brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, came ahead of Colombo facing ...