aHSBC has partnered Asia Exhibition and Conventions to hold the biggest exclusive lifestyle fair, ‘The Big Deal,’ scheduled to be held from 23-25 March at the BMICH. This comes in the wake of the bank’s latest campaign, ‘Wake Up!’ which inspires customers to live their unspoken dreams with the assistance of a Lifestyle Loan.   ...

To encourage the habit of saving among the women of Sri Lanka and further strengthen their financial capacity, People’s Bank has named the period between 8 March and 8 April as ‘Vanitha Vasana Month in commemorating International Women’s Day. People’s Bank CEO/GM N. Vasantha Kumar accepting a ‘Vanitha Vasana’ deposit as Head Office Branch Manager ...

 Leo Burnett Solutions Inc. commercial titled, ‘Pass it on when you’re done with it’ created for the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society (SLEDS) continues its winning streak with a metal win in the Film Lotus category under the sub category Single Best of Social Engagement at Adfest 2012. The film made its mark in the ...

REUTERS: In the face of aggression from the United States or Israel, Iran will attack to defend itself, Iran’s most powerful figure, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday.  “We do not have nuclear weapons and we will not build them but in the face of aggression from the enemies, whether from America or the Zionist ...

By Cassandra Mascarenhas Asia Broadcasting Corporation Chairman Rayynor Silva confidently promised that the network’s first television channel Hiru TV will shake up the television industry in Sri Lanka, uplifting standards and setting the bar of expectations of the viewers of television in Sri Lanka. Scheduled to be launched on 3 May, the television channel will ...

When one saw recent pictures of a fit and energetic Chief Executive of Sri Lanka Inc. dashing downfield with a football, for a moment many would have wondered if football in Sri Lanka had indeed found a new sponsor, the State itself! But with the Minister of Sports watching intently, we were soon to realise ...

Can clothes, fashion accessories and makeup make a country look democratic?Dictators have begun to dress up their autocratic regimes in the manner of democracies with all the mod cons that help to pass off a system of government, which is for all purposes a dictatorship, as a five-star democracy. This in the manner that a ...

Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa on Sunday declared open the newly built Amethyst Resort in Passikudah. Amethyst Resort Passikudah is an investment of Arrc Capital, whose directors include, Rohini Nanayakkara and Rajan Asirwatham. The total investment on the project will reach Rs. 750 million at the end of its completion. Minister of Coconut Development ...

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), the nation’s telecommunications powerhouse, launched a new Technology Experience Centre, a platform where enterprise and SME customers can experience first-hand the company’s enhanced services provided through state-of-the-art technology. The one-of-a-kind SLT Technology Experience Centre is located at the Company’s head office premises at Fort, Colombo. ...

By D.C. Ranatunga “We bear a very heavy responsibility to build up this service with great care, vigilance and intellectual integrity so that the people of this country belonging to different ethnic groups, believing in four different faiths, of diverse economic groups, living in varying environments, urban and rural, with different levels of literacy and ...

The MBA Alumni Association of the University of Colombo presents the Management Conference 2012, themed ‘Beyond Traditional Boundaries,’ which promises to bring together a diverse group of individuals, each of whom has dared to go beyond conventional limits and as a result, excelled in their respective fields. The conference will be held today at the ...

CHANNEL 4 has done it again. Just as the Government approaches a crucial time in lobbying to defeat a US resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council, the axe seems to have dropped again. However, whether the video which is to be aired on Wednesday will have a crippling effect on the ...

Accor has opened the largest ibis hotel in Asia Pacific. The ibis Bandung Trans Studio with 606 contemporary guest rooms is located in the city of Bandung, West Java, adjacent to Bandung Supermal and Trans Studio, one of the largest indoor theme parks in Asia. With new direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, ibis ...

Business class passengers, departing Bandaranaike International Airport on SriLankan Airlines, to any of its 34 online destinations, could avail of a unique ‘Silk Route’ offer which streamlines check-in, customs, immigration and security formalities. The ‘Silk Route’ experience is the latest addition to SriLankan’s premium Business class product, commen...

Sri Lanka’s first television channel dedicated to sports, Carlton Sports Network (CSN) last week completed its first year of successful operations. CSN which started its journey broadcasting only in Colombo has within the year reached islandwide status by launching seven transmission channels a few months after the start of operations. The channel, which features premier ...

Janashakthi Insu-rance PLC has entered in to an agreement with India’s multi-specialty dental clinic and orthodontic centre, Dentavista Healthcare Private Limited to launch a unique, one of its kind dental insurance scheme. The scheme Denta Shakthi, allows customers routine treatments such as scaling and root canals plus specific orthodontic and implantology treatment of dental implants, ...

Reuters: Greece claimed a major success for its bond swap offer to private creditors on Friday after it won heavy acceptance for a deal that averts the immediate risk of an uncontrolled default on its massive public debt.  The finance ministry said 85.8 percent of its 177 billion euros in bonds regulated under Greek law ...

Sri Lanka’s most popular deposit draw scheme ‘HNB Pathum Vimana 2012’ was launched recently for the 20th year, offering   prizes worth millions of rupees and many more. In an interview, HNB Assistant General Manager, Personal Financial Services R.M.P Dayawansa said HNB Pathum Vimana is the most attractive rewarding scheme in the country that has been ...

NEWYORK(Reuters): Travellers still long to experience far-off places and exotic locations, but destinations are not the only driving force in the travel industry. Travel experts say vacationers are increasingly matching their interests and passions, whether it is cooking, yoga, wine-making, culture or a longing for adventure, with the places they decide to visit. “Travel continues ...

The number one chocolate brand in Sri Lanka, Ritzbury will continue to support protection and awareness programs among school children to educate them on the unique beauty and biodiversity of wetlands. Manufacturer of Ritzbury chocolate, CBL Foods International (Pvt.) Ltd’s Managing Director Imal Fonseka made this statement while addressing the national celebration to mark World ...

Chef Geir Skeie the award winning Norwegian chef and winner of the 2008 Bocuse d’OrEurope, and the 2009 Bocuse d’Or world final, takes helm at Spoons, Hilton Colombo’s contemporary fine dining restaurant from 9 to 12 March 2012. Winning the biennial world chef championship- the Bocuse d’Or (the Concours mondial de la    cuis...

The LLRC is not only “good for Sri Lanka, but it is actually a model that the other countries who have had internal strife to follow.” Congressman Jack Kingston of Georgia observes that the international community should respond positively to Sri Lanka’s reconciliation process than suggesting punitive measures against the Island nation recovering from three ...

The Galle Music Festival 2012 being held over the weekend of 3 to 4 March offers a unique opportunity to see local and international folk and contemporary music groups. The Samanala Grounds in Galle will be transformed into a traditional village setting where the folk music groups will share, exchange, and interact with other performers ...

All that glitters is gold as Dialog Gold Rush, one of the largest customer rewards schemes offered in Sri Lanka, is giving away over Rs. 21 million worth of gold and other consolidation prizes at monthly draws held from January to March 2012. At each monthly draw a lucky Dialog subscriber will walk away with ...

Singer Sri Lanka has capped a strong 2011 financial year by recording the most successful quarter yet in the Group’s history. The consumer giant’s CEO Asoka Pieris noted that the Group’s revenues for 2011 reached Rs. 22 billion, while its net profit grew by 95% – remarkable figures that underscored the Group’s popularity with Sri ...

Sri Lanka’s leading communications company Triad, with its indigenous roots and established credo ‘Sri Lanka Can,’ has taken another significant step in its corporate journey. Triad’s move to spacious premises at the heart of Colombo’s business district marks the company’s ambitious growth plan for 2012 and beyond. The sprawling 10,000 square foot premises on th...

The Asia Capital Group today announced that construction of a 30 room hotel property, Taprobana, has begun in Balapitiya and is expected to be completed in time for summer 2013. Work has also begun on another 30 room property in Wadduwa, situated in a prime beachfront location which will be opened simultaneously. Asia Leisure owns ...

Benito Mussolini, the fascist ruler of Italy, during World War II, said that his brand of fascism ‘should be more appropriately called Corporatism, because it is a merger of state and corporate power’. Compare this with the dictionary definition of capitalism: ‘A system in which a country’s business and industry are controlled and run for ...

Subsidies? Well yes, but make them smart subsidiesNigeria: Subsidising the neighbours Nigeria’s Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamidi Sanusi, had a problem. In a recent live interview with the Aljazeera TV, he said that his country had to raise the retail prices of all petroleum products to match the rising international prices, despite the violent and ...

The episode will be aired on 25th February 2012 at 9.00 p.m. on ITNThis Saturday’s episode of IDEATORS on ITN partners with Sri Lanka leading jeans brand LiCC. IDEATORS’ is the British Council’s flagship reality-TV entrepreneurship challenge As competition intensifies on the hit TV show, the participants face a unique challenge surrounding the premium jeans ...