New permanent housing for war-displaced in northern Sri LankaKILINOCHCHI (IRIN): India’s Government is set to undertake a multimillion dollar reconstruction of 49,000 houses for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in former war zones in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, which almost doubles the number of homes under construction or completed for returnees. Indian and Sri Lankan ...

Godrej, one of India’s largest and most respected conglomerates with businesses spanning industrial engineering, appliances, FMCGs, furniture, security solutions, agri-care and real estate, and a pioneer, innovator and key player in refrigerator manufacture, launched its hi-tech, and stylishly designed range of refrigerators in several models and colours under the Godrej EON brand. Their par...

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 ...

Outlines OZO Colombo plans to provide a 4-star product at a 3-star priceQ: As a veteran and experienced hotelier as well as a prominent personality in the tourism sector, what are your thoughts on the hotel industry in Sri Lanka and what needs to be done? A: These are exciting times with great opportunities for ...

Ajantha Perera takes the position of Director of Sales and Marketing at Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo of the John Keells Hotels Group. Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo is currently ranked the Best Five Star City Hotel by Sri Lanka Tourism. Perera joins the hotel with a wealth of experience spanning approximately fifteen years in the hospitality industry. His ...

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. ...

The NDB Group’s profit after tax for the year was Rs. 2.94 billion, an impressive growth of 35% over the previous year. The profit attributable to shareholders for the year was 2.70 billion and compares with Rs. 2.1 billion for 2010, a growth of 29%. This significant increase in group profits was attributable to the ...

Ceylinco Insurance has embarked on a grand enterprise: Miss Ceylinco VIP 2012:  the biggest ever beauty pageant, covering the length and breadth of Sri Lanka.  This unique competition will undoubtedly enable the dazzling damsels, living in the outstations, to be a part of a truly mega event.   With its Ceylinco Miss VIP beauty pageant, ...

Sino Lanka Hotels Holdings yesterday announced a Rs. 4.5 billion investment plan for Sri Lanka at the ground breaking ceremony of its first ever hotel in Sri Lanka, OZO Colombo. Located down Marine Drive, OZO Colombo will be the first of a series of hotels that will come up under the brand name ‘OZO.’ OZO, ...

GR Visions Singapore is proud to present ‘Harmony,’ an exhilarating concert of dance and music featuring lead artiste Sharmila Gunasingham, accomplished exponent of classical Indian Odissi dance, and Guy Manoukian, the award winning Lebanese Armenian musician. Sharmila will be partnered by Ramli Ibrahim, her Guru and the world’s leading male Odissi exponent.  Accompanying th...

By Cheranka Mendis Tucked away on the southern coastal belt, Avani Bentota Resort and Spa is the perfect epicentre for rest and relaxation. From the moment you walk in, a sense of peace settles in, heightened by the bright white walls, the simple sketches that hang almost rhythmically from the walls and the calming blues ...

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo said this week it will now on host special events at 8° On The Lake, providing discerning diners the opportunity to enjoy the hotel’s newest experience. The floating venue was officially opened on 19 December 2011 by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.   During its first stage of operations, 8° On The Lake functioned ...

Safety and food hygiene of Colombo eating houses quite poor, says CMC’s Chief Medical Officer By Cheranka Mendis Even though Colombo has over 750 eating houses (from five-star hotels to roadside ‘bath kades’), only 290 obtained trade licenses last year, CMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said. Speaking at the Indexpo food and management ...

Laugfs Leisure Ltd., a fully own subsidiary of the Laugfs Gas Plc in its strive to become  one of the dominant  players in the hospitality industry has acquired Mag Consultants and Agents Pvt Ltd., (MCAPL) and its assets, comprising 1 5 acres of prime sea front beach property at Waskaduwa Kalutara with an investment of ...

Yala is the undisputed home of the Sri Lankan leopard, the star attraction of the Yala National Park. With Sri Lanka claiming the highest density of leopard in Yala within 140 kilometres, the newest phenomenon in these illusive cats is the rapidly growing population, which has naturally seen them venture out of the park and ...

ADELAIDE (AFP)  – India and Sri Lanka finished in a sensational tie in their tri one-day series international at the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday. India skipper M.S. Dhoni needed to hit four runs off the last ball by Lasith Malinga but he only managed to scamper through for three runs to level the scores. Both ...

Blue chip conglomerate Aitken Spence PLC has reported its interim results to the Colombo Stock Exchange on Monday, showing Rs. 3.02 billion as pre-tax profit and Rs. 1.95 billion as profit attributable to shareholders for the nine months ended 31 December 2011; an increase of 24% and 20% respectively over the previous year. For the ...

By Cheranka Mendis Billy Ocean has sold over 30 million records in his lifetime. Beginning his career in the 1970s, Billy Ocean has a collection of Gold and Platinum records from across the world, one Grammy and has hit number one spot worldwide on pop charts including the USA, Australia, Germany, Holland, and the UK. ...

By Jyoti Malhotra Business Standard (New Delhi): India’s promise to sell two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) to Sri Lanka, during their first-ever defence dialogue in New Delhi last week, as well as the recent agreement to build an electricity transmission line from Madurai to Trincomalee and connect the electricity grids of the two countries, is ...

Following are some responses from three economists to the guest column by Chandra Jayaratne titled ‘Important issues’ for Sri Lankan legislators, the Executive, policymakers, Central Bankers, economists and thought leaders to ponder over published on 2 February 1) I disagree with the Stiglitz-Krugman line. My diagnosis is that Europe is in this mess for two ...

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 ...

GEOFF Marsh still has not been given a reason as to why he was sacked as coach of Sri Lanka. After a hectic month in which his younger son Mitchell blitzed the Big Bash, elder son Shaun was dumped from the Australian one-day squad and he was sacked, the former Test selector and coach says ...

Some important issues for Sri Lankan legislators, the Executive, policymakers, Central Bankers, economists and thought leaders to ponder over: Stiglitz believes that the austerity plans in the EU nations, especially by the debt ridden poorer nations of the group is akin to a collective suicide pact and is an act madness promoted and enforced by ...

Preliminary results released by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) show a collective increase of 6% year-on-year for international arrivals into Asia/Pacific1 destinations during each of the months of October and November 2011. For the first 11 months of the year, South Asia was the star growth performer, followed by Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and ...

Opening batsman Upul Tharanga will lead Sri Lanka in a one-day tour match against a Victorian 2nd XI at Junction Oval on Wednesday. Tharanga has been named as skipper for the tourists in their first match in Australia ahead of the triangular one-day international series next month. Regular captain Mahela Jayawardene as well as former ...

Are the Indian Army’s golf courses illegal?                 Sri Lanka’s fourth golf course opened by Air Force   India’s national auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), has reported to Parliament that the country’s Army has turned large tracts of State military property into illegal privately-run ...

Toastmasters International (TMI) Executive Director Daniel Rex made a brief visit to Sri Lanka recently. The Toastmasters of Sri Lanka organised a gathering in his honour held at Grand Oriental Hotel. Rex addressed the Toastmasters of Sri Lanka on, ‘The Toastmasters of Tomorrow and Personal Leadership,’ accompanied by Managing Director Communication and De...

The market was jam-packed. A tuk-tuk overloaded with huge bunches of green bananas almost ran over my foot, knocking me off balance. Intense aromas and stenches invaded all our senses. Bicycles and the tiny motorised carts vied with jostling shoppers and merchants for space in the frenetic and frantic Pettah bazaar in the heart of ...

Text and pic by Harsha Udayakantha Peiris Malaka Dewapriya a young cinematographer with a determined  mission  towards a cinema with  a richer conception  to uplift the social bases of the communities has launched fieldwork for his first  feature on  silver screen for the local and international audience, namely, ‘Bahuchithavadiya’  which narrate...

Following is the address delivered by The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Anura Lokuhetty at the National Conference on ‘The Role of the Business Community in Reconciliation’ organised by Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS):   Ladies and gentlemen, throughout the history of mankind, humankind has searched for ...