Sri Lanka will make concerted efforts to eradicate dengue fever during the National Health Week declared from 3 – 9 October. Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena has instructed the officials to carry out dengue eradication work on all five days excluding the first and the final day of the National Health Week, the state-run TV ...

Establishing a landmark in Sri Lanka’s aviation history, SriLankan Airlines’ makes its maiden flight to the historic city of Moscow, commencing a twice-weekly scheduled service between Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) and Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport on 17 September 2011. Religious observances by dignitaries of the four religions in Sri Lanka will invoke bl...

Women in South AsiaFollowing is the address delivered by the High Commissioner of Pakistan Seema Ilahi Baloch at the South Asia Women in Media Forum: The women of South Asia must be proud, because our land can boast of some of the greatest women leaders of our times. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Husina ...

The Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) has launched a new campaign with a budget of 19 million euros ($26.7 million) designed to boost international tourism to Cyprus this year. According to Alecos Orountiotis, CTO chairman, the “Cyprus in Your Heart” campaign will promote Cyprus’ history and culture, friendliness and hospitality, its mix of modern and contemporary ...

Change is a double edged sword, which gives added responsibility to the person that wields it. The government has decided that the controversial change to the Criminal Procedure Code would not be made without the agreement of all political party leaders showing a positive change of attitude. The decision is undoubtedly a welcome one. Measures ...

Bullish on post-war revival in tourism and to cater to growing demand for its hospitality Renuka City Hotels Plc, is investing Rs. 200 million to add 20 more rooms, bringing the total to 100 inclusive of the adjoining Hotel Renuka. Chairman Ravi Thambiayah told the Daily FT that the company was waiting for approvals to ...

Business tycoon Nahil Wijayasuriya is back in the media business after selling off his previous venture a few years ago. East West Properties said yesterday it purchased 51% of People’s Media Network Pvt. Ltd., at a cost of Rs.49.3 million. People’s Media Network operates nine radio frequencies and two TV frequencies issued by the Telecommunications ...

Nearly two decades ago, Jeep invented the premium sport-utility vehicle (SUV) segment with the introduction of the Jeep Grand Cherokee. More than four million sales later, Jeep improves the formula and delivers the ultimate combination of Jeep 4×4 capability and on-road refinement with the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee.  Jeep Grand Cherokee delivers premium on-road ...

How does one manage the media – i.e. from a PR sense?  If you speak about this subject to any mainstream media journalist, he is probably not going to like the word ‘manage’, as managing might also connote control. But from a PR point of view, managing the message in the media is the most ...

Power Scan (Pvt) Ltd started its operations in 2003. Throughout the years the company’s product offering and related services has expanded to Data Center Design Building and Total IT infrastructure solutions creating a name for itself in the IT industry in Sri Lanka. The company has tied up with world reputed brands like Emerson/Liebert for ...

As the nation’s premier lifestyle store, Singer Mega is committed to giving its customers the very best in quality and convenience. To this end, the company recently refurbished and re-opened its Wattala Singer Mega showroom, raising the bar once again for the Sri Lankan retail sector. Noting the excitement surrounding the re-opening, Singer (Sri Lanka) ...

Reuters: England piled more misery on India with a thrilling six-wicket victory in a one-off Twenty20 match at Old Trafford on Wednesday. After losing the test series 4-0, India started brightly in the shortest version of the game and racked up 165 all out, only to see England reach their target with three balls to ...

Four lucky American Express card members were recently rewarded with their very own LED TVs simply for using their American Express Card at Orient Lanka for duty free purchases. The grand prize – a 47” LED 3D TV was won by Anita Jiwatram and three, 32” LED TVs were won as consolation prizes by, Roshan ...

GALLE, Sri Lanka, Aug 29, 2011 (AFP): Rival squads and officials for the first cricket Test between Australia and Sri Lanka starting at the Galle International Stadium on Wednesday: Australia (from): Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Philip Hughes, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Trent ...

SRI LANKAN filmmaker Sanjeewa Pushpakumara’s debut feature film ‘Flying Fish’ which went on to win the Tiger Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam earlier this year swept up the Blue Chameleon Award at the Cinema Digital Seoul Festival, which wrapped up last week. Chosen by an international jury of critics and academics, the film ...

Much has been said and written about Arjuna Ranatunga, be it positive or negative, on the field or off the field. This is simply a parent’s perspective of what Arjuna represents in the lives of the young cricketers of today. For two consecutive years I have watched this great legend being gracious enough to accept ...

According to latest report of Global Peace Index (GPI), Sri Lanka ranked 126 while Norway ranked in ninth place. Here we are talking about the riots that took place in UK recently and the same GPI ranked the UK in 26th place (100 places ahead of Sri Lanka). A series of incidents erupted in England ...

Asia Capital recently sold its 53% stake in Asian Alliance Insurance and a 40% stake in Asia Siyaka, realising Rs. 2.3 billion. It now plans to forge ahead with a new portfolio of investments in films, hotels and IT. Asia Capital’s senior management outlined these plans and its forthcoming Initial Public Offering, plans to float ...

We may have evolved with nature but as time passed and our human attitude turned into a more arrogant way towards conquering what we like, the desire for domination arose.To us Sri Lankans, respecting nature should not be an alien concept though today we may need to have major plans, special school programmes and investments ...

By Devin Jayasundera Siedles Ltd., Sri Lanka’s leading electronic appliances supplier yesterday launched the new Sony Bravia high definition televisions to excite local customers. Sony the forerunner of innovative technology has being one of the leading brands in consumer electronics, which has spread its wings in providing 3D entertainment for televisions. Sony Bravia LCD HDTV ...

Reuters: The lure of the Premier League has brought many of the world’s biggest names to play football in England – and it also draws huge numbers of fans from abroad to watch it. More than 750,000 visitors to Britain attended a match last year according to figures from national tourism agency VisitBritain, underlining the ...

Is there such a thing as unlimited power?The American Constitution has been hailed as one in which the Founding Fathers ensured that there would be no absolute and unlimited power vested in any one state entity. The written Constitution is supreme, with a strict separation of powers built in. It is adjudicated upon and interpreted ...

Coming from a marketing background I tend to view the happenings of the world from a lens that can be different to many. Last week’s developing story of the Anna Hazare episode in India was unique, in my perception. A man who does not own a computer and is 74 years of age, with little ...

The ‘Lanka Challenge 2011’ trishaw race started off in grand style on Saturday 20 August 2011 at 8:30 a.m. from the premises of Tangerine Tree Hotel, Minuwangoda. The competitors kicked off to a solid start, with the official flag-off given by the Acting Director General of Sri Lanka Tourism Vipula Wanigasekara along with the presence ...

FADNA Diabe Tea, the producers of Food and Nature (Pvt) Ltd., presented a social programme titled ‘FADNA Arunella’ together with the Ministry of Health and the Oasis Hospital. The main purpose of the programme was to convey the message ‘Managing Diabetics’ in the society targeting on the opinion leaders to make a leading awareness. The ...

The UNP’s tumultuous Working Committee meeting on Wednesday resulted in many allegations and jibes thrown back and forth between senior party members. Rosie Senanayake yesterday together several UNP members held a press conference at the Bodhi Ranasinghe Foundation Narehenpita following a dispute with the UNP Working Committee. She alleged that the UNP Working Committee was ...

By Mel Gunasekera The gentle palmyrah tree that is deeply etched into the hearts of Sri Lankans living in the war-hit north and east has inspired a budding entrepreneur to dream-up a new accessory line – watch straps. Rohani Christalin Mariyathash, a 22-year-old native from Mannar, began experimenting with palmyrah plants after observing her family ...

Our ‘poli-socionomic’ dialogue You will recall that like Capt. Kirk in his Star Ship-Enterprise,’ we also ventured into new territory with our first discussions under this theme ‘poli-socionomics,’ which appears to have caught on somewhat; thus, on behalf of those of us who still dare to think, I must thank those editors who carried it. ...

A proud Sri Lankan at heart and a humble and dedicated marketer Nandana A. Wickramage Group Director/Head of Marketing and Sales, Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL) was awarded the ‘Marketing Professional of the Year’ at the recently-concluded second CMO Asia Awards 2011 in Singapore. This was the second international award he has received in his illustrious ...

A high level delegation from Russian oil and natural gas giant Gazprom led by its Director General Gulev Valeriy this week met Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa at his office in order to discuss investment opportunities, especially in the oil exploration in the Mannar and Cauvery Basin, natural gas market as well as tourism ...