Sri Lanka thanks all Muslim countries which supported the country at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva by voting against the resolution and by abstaining from voting. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a true and long time friend of Islamic nations, Technology and Research Deputy Minister Faizer Mustapha said yesterday. Mustapha said that 15 countries that voted ...

Novo Nordisk, the reputed multinational Danish company, a world leader in diabetes related products, launched a new drug – Victoza – for treating adults with type 2 diabetes in Sri Lanka recently. Victoza (generic name: Liraglutide) which has multiple benefits was launched at an event on 31 March attended by well known specialist physicians and ...

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has once again been adjudged Sri Lanka’s Best Bank by Global Finance magazine, giving the bank the distinct honour of winning this prestigious award for 14 consecutive years. The US-based magazine has named its ‘Best Emerging Market Banks in Asia’ rankings in an exclusive survey to be published in the ...

Expo 2012, organised by the Export Development Board, provided an ideal opportunity to Sri Lanka Tourism industry to promote its product to the international market. At the end of the event, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) had been able to achieve its targets successfully. The stall of the SLTPB was one of the eye ...

By Kanwal Sibal Daily Mail, UK: Many arguments can be made against our decision to vote against Sri Lanka in the Human Rights Council in Geneva, a decision highly questionable from the foreign policy point of view. Domestic compulsions seem to have outweighed foreign policy considerations in this case. India and the West have been ...

A new Air Services Agreement between Sri Lanka and the Russian Federation was signed at the Ministry of Transport of Russia in Moscow on 26 March. Sri Lankan Ambassador in the Russian Federation Udayanga Weeratunga signed the Agreement on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka while Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation ...

UAE businessmen are rushing to Sri Lanka as the country opens up its doors for competitive trade. More than 50 business personnel from Dubai and other emirates are camping in Sri Lankan to explore business opportunities. President Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated Expo 2012, where over 370 exporters are showcasing a wide array of goods and services. ...

The Expo 2012 show that commenced yesterday highlights Sri Lanka’s export products across more than 20 sectors. “Expo 2012 is a viable platform for UAE to identify the export product portfolio of Sri Lanka. In fact, we did not know that Sri Lanka has such a huge export portfolio until today,” said Rashid Al Telaji, ...

By Cheranka Mendis The volatility in Middle Eastern markets, coupled with the increasing issue of low quality due to competition and increasing costs, has placed the local tea industry in a big fix, which could, if unattended, immediately mark the end of a Sri Lankan legacy in four to five years. Despite Sri Lankan tea ...

By Uditha Jayasinghe Showcasing the need for vigilance, over 1,500 foreigners who remained illegally in the country after their visas expired were detected within the first two months of 2012, a top immigration official said yesterday. Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Commissioner for Registration of Persons of Indian Origin W. Perera told the Daily ...

By Amantha Perera IPS: As the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted in, Thursday, a resolution asking Colombo to act on recommendations made by its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), Buddhist prayers reverberated through the Sri Lankan capital. “It is a resolution that encourages Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations of its own ...

BANGKOK (IRIN): Even though public health experts recognise how deadly asbestos can be, its use is on the rise in the construction industry throughout Asia, according to the US Geological Survey. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates some 107,000 workers die annually from asbestos-related diseases, out of 125 million people who encounter it in the ...

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 ...

24 nations vote in favour, 15 against, whilst eight abstain Govt. told to implement LLRC suggestions GENEVA (Reuters): Sri Lanka should ensure Government troops who committed war crimes during the final stages of its war against Tamil rebels are brought to justice, the UN Human Rights Council said on Thursday. Despite heavy lobbying by a ...

Business travel to developing countries is on the rise as corporates capitalise on growing economies and new business opportunities in the emerging markets, according to global travel and expense management company FCm Travel Solutions. Global director of account management for FCm Travel Solutions Felicity Burke said multinational client travel volumes to developing markets within Asia, ...

With the phenomenal international growth of Pre-Paid Cards, Mobile Payments and e-Wallets, MTI Consulting has initiated an alliance with UK based Polymath Consulting. As part of this alliance, the CEO Polymath Consulting David Parker will be in Sri Lanka for a Thought Leadership Seminar on 18 April from 5.30p.m. to 8p.m. David Parker is the ...

Flexiprint (Pvt) Ltd, a specialised printer in Flexography printing tea bag tags and envelopes proved its supremacy in quality of Flexo printing by winning the bronze award at the Asian Flexo-Gravure-Label Awards held in Bangkok recently. Flexiprint is a dedicated catalyst to the Tea bag industry serving 58% of the tea bagging companies in Sri ...

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 ...

Loss-making State-owned enterprises are nothing new in Sri Lanka. One of the better known ones is SriLankan Airlines, which was given to Emirates due to its inability to breakeven but was retaken by the present Government. Pros and cons of this move is history but cash-strapped and a midst losses, it appears that the Government ...

Today is 19 March 2012. The day and the month of March are significant in the lives of many people – some celebrating birthdays, some wedding anniversaries, while others nurse what is yet left over from the hangover of the three day drawn encounter that we experienced a week ago or the limited over Royal ...

Anticipating four days of music in 16 locations from 17 countries and 100 artistesBy Cheranka Mendis Aspiring to be listed on the World Calendar of Events, preparations for Senses and Soul- Colombo Music Festival is on course and plans are falling in to place as expected, Founder and Event Director of the Festival Haadia Galely ...

By Cheranka Mendis Sri Lanka’s tourist arrivals rose 27% to 83,549 in February from a year earlier, continuing the growth momentum established in 2010. Data released by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority yesterday showed arrivals topping 169,423 during the first two months of the year, a 21% increase from the period a year ago. ...

With just 12 days to go, Sri Lanka’s largest mega trade, investment and tourism promotion initiative ‘Expo 2012’ has attracted close to 1,200 people, exceeding the expected 1,000 mark, EDB Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said yesterday. Speaking to the Daily FT, he asserted that the number of participants had increased by 500 from last week, when ...

Head of the Sri Lankan delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) sessions in Geneva, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe is to return to Geneva to attend the sessions on Wednesday (14). Minister Samarasinghe is to head another team of Sri Lankan delegates to the UNHRC sessions. The main aim of the delegation would be ...

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 ...

With the country abuzz with the contentious US resolution on Sri Lanka at the ongoing UNHRC sessions Asia Wealth Management Research team has come up with a brief analysis of the move’s impact if any. Here are excerpts from Asia Wealth’s analysis: The US proposed resolution on Sri Lanka in the current session of the ...

Geneva: The United States Wednesday submitted the draft resolution against Sri Lanka to the United Nations Human Rights Council at its 19th session in Geneva. The draft resolution submitted to the UN body notes the report of Sri Lanka’s domestic Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and its findings and recommendations while acknowledging its possible ...

Thousands of women in the apparel industry deserve respect for being partners in Sri Lanka’s highest foreign exchange earning sector By Uditha Jayasinghe Sri Lanka’s apparel industry clothes the world and earns the largest amount of foreign exchange but is struggling to retain its workforce as an estimated 30,000 vacancies remain open in hundreds of ...

OIL seems to have returned to the headlines as reports indicate that India may be pressurising Sri Lanka to allocate it blocks in the Mannar Basin. An article in The Hindu remarks that India is persuading Sri Lanka to allocate oil exploration blocks in the waters that separate them, as it considers the location too ...

Geneva: The United States says the report of the Lessons Learnt and reconciliation Commission (LLRC) Sri Lanka’s domestic body that probed the country’s armed conflict does not adequately address the issue of accountability. Addressing the 15th meeting of the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva yestedray, the US delegate ...