New Delhi: India has urges all parties in Maldives to maintain calm and to exercise restraint, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday. In a reply to a question on developments in the Maldives, the official spokesperson urged all parties to maintain calm and to exercise restraint. He encouraged them to exercise their ...

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 ...

By C. Bryson Hull MALE (Reuters): It was an ordinary blue felt pen, and not a bullet, that killed Mohamed Nasheed’s term as the first democratically elected president of the Maldives. After rising to acclaim as a champion of democracy and action against climate change, Nasheed is now back on the streets where he led ...

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 ...

Dialog Axiata Plc has ended the 2011 financial year ringing a Rs. 5.4 billion profit, up by 6% over the previous year. The full year results were supported by a Group net profit of Rs. 1.4 billion in the fourth quarter, up by 2% from a year earlier. The Group recorded strong revenue growth across ...

Trinity College, Kandy, won the first place of the ‘IT Mastermind 2011’ Inter School Quiz tournament organised by the Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) and fully sponsored by ESOFT Computer Studies Pvt Ltd. Accordingly, the laptop computer worth Rs. 75,000 being the prize for the first place winner, and the set of computer peripherals ...

  Bollywood singing sensation and heartthrob Sonu Niigam will arrive today for a mega musical extravaganza tomorrow night at the CH and FC. Star Event Management is the brainchild of Sudharma Nettikumara, the lady credited with bringing Niigaam down for Sri Lanka’s first live concert.  The award-winning Niigaam has sung for many box office films ...

IBM yesterday unveiled smarter computing solutions designed to transform, grow and make Sri Lankan enterprises more competitive. A wide range of workload-optimisation hardware solutions, such as IBM Storwize V7000, IBM Starter Kit for Cloud and IBM BladeCenter blade servers were presented at the IBM Smarter Computing Forum. Tailored to the local market needs through IBM ...

Q: 13 Plus has become the most discussed topic in the political scene. What do you think about 13 Plus? A: Before looking at the 13th Amendment or the 13 Plus, first let us give a chance to the present mechanism. I strongly believe the present mechanism can address the majority of our issues. The ...

Sri Lanka’s benchmark stock index, the world’s worst performer this year, may extend its slump as the central bank raises interest rates to curb inflation, according to HSBC Holdings Plc’s private banking unit. HSBC Private Bank, which oversees about $499 billion, will wait for stock valuations to fall to “single digit” multiples before it considers ...

Secretary to the Secretary to the Ministry of Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development has been appointed to the Board of Aviva NDB Insurance Plc with effect from 8 February 2012. Siriwardena already serves on the Board of NDB Bank Plc., on to which he was appointed in June 2010. He has been appointed to ...

Ceylon Biscuits Ltd.’s subsidiary company CBL Foods International Pvt. Ltd. officially opened the newly-built school hall of Ranala Model Junior School. An outright donation by CBL Foods at a cost of Rs. 7 million, the multipurpose hall consists of meeting rooms, classrooms and a mini auditorium for student assemblies and performances. The school is in ...

Today the life patterns of everybody have become a very competitive race with or with out one’s consent. Needless to say as a result the human beings are left with lot of stress and stress related health issues. Engaging in humour and laughter is a proven mode of releasing such stress. Making people laugh is ...

MALE (Reuters): The former President of the Indian Ocean archipelago of the Maldives sat inside his house awaiting arrest on Thursday after being ousted from his post in what he said was a coup at gunpoint. About 200 supporters stood under umbrellas in the pouring rain outside as Mohamed Nasheed spoke to reporters at his ...

MALE (Reuters): The ousted President of the Maldives, credited with bringing democracy to the Indian Ocean island resort, said on Wednesday he was forced out of power at gunpoint and urged his successor to step down. The Maldives on Tuesday installed Vice-President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik as President, who promptly denied being part of any ...

HAS democracy failed in the Maldives? As chaos engulfs the second closest country to Sri Lanka, it is impossible not to wonder over where this change will lead. Will the country still continue as a democracy or will it fall into extremist hands? What are the lessons that Sri Lanka can learn from what has ...

The People’s Bank ‘Jaya Sri 2012’ draw was unveiled on 1 February with a view of presenting everyone an opportunity to grab the prizes they always wanted. To mark the opening of this programme, a special ceremony was held on 1 February at the Headquarters Branch under the patronage of People’s Bank CEO and General ...

The Visible Hand of the government ‘The Visible Hand’ was the title which the famed London-based economics weekly, The Economist, used when it published a special report in its issue on 21 January 2012 on the rise of state capitalism in the modern era. The title has a pun: The governments do not care to ...

Park Street Mews came alive with music on 29 January as it presented another unique, once in lifetime experience by hosting two international greats – Ken Stringfellow (of R.E.M fame) and Dr. Eugene Draw – a Canadian electric violinist; along with brilliant local artists Out of Time and the Beat Drummers. Ken Stringfellow – a ...

Ambassador updates foreign reporters on post-conflict development and reconciliation in Sri Lanka “Sri Lankans support a home grown solution for reconciliation” Ambassador invites international correspondents to visit Sri Lanka WASHINGTON: Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya hosted a group of foreign correspondents here in a January 25 reception held at his residence, prompting a discussi...

Reuters: Seventy-four people were killed when supporters clashed at an Egyptian soccer match, prompting fans and politicians on Thursday to turn on the ruling army for failing to prevent the deadliest incident since Hosni Mubarak was ousted. At least 1,000 people were injured in the violence on Wednesday when soccer fans invaded the pitch in ...