SEC to set strategic plan to curb manipulation Target of doubling foreign stake in market to 30% Past efforts to curb price-manipulation were stymied REUTERS: Sri Lanka’s once-buoyant, now-ailing stock market needs integrity and greater participation by foreigners to grow well, the new director-general of the country’s exchange regulator said. Hareendra Dissabandara, who has a ...

NEW DELHI (AFP): Jealousy could be the reason for negative attitudes in England towards the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), England batting star Kevin Pietersen has said. The Twenty20 IPL was an instant hit when it began in 2008 as a mix of glamour, entertainment and international stars playing short-form cricket, but it has attracted ...

Irresistible and on-par with international cola brands, My Cola takes one more innovative step to level the competition of glass cola bottle marketers. With global warming bringing in tsunamis and as more natural red lights pop up worldwide, the company not only takes the cue to be more environmentally-friendly, but also sees the potential advantages ...

PETS 2012 confab highlights ‘Peace through Service’The Presidents-elect Training Seminar 2012 aboard the cruise liner Superstar Virgo was held in Singapore recently. The event, which took place in March brought together a number of noted Rotarians and resource persons under the banner ‘Peace through Service’, which is the theme for Rotary International this year. Convened ...

 Singaporean bakery boutique franchise BreadTalk opens in Sri Lanka By Cheranka Mendis Singapore boutique bakery chain, BreadTalk yesterday launched its service in Sri Lanka with an investment of Rs. 400 million, opening the largest boutique bakery in its international portfolio.   At the opening of BreadTalk outlet in Sri Lanka with chefs from left Director ...

News Butterfly, the unique TV programme from the US’ FOX news network, is now filming in Colombo for an exclusive segment on Sri Lanka’s new upswing. News Butterfly Market Place (NBMP) is described as a ‘unique women’s movement on TV’. According to NBMP, ‘the programme is a TV Channel venture for beautiful and talented women ...

The National Award Ceremony of the Toyota Dream Car Contest, the first ever international art competition held in Sri Lanka organised by Toyota Lanka (Private) Limited concluded, followed by a colourful ceremony held on 27 February under the patronage of Toyota Lanka (Pvt) Ltd Managing Director Yoshiaki Kato and Secretary to the Ministry of National ...

The Rupert Murdoch-owned Star group has won the BCCI media rights for the next six years, board president N Srinivasan announced yesterday. The winning bid was Rs 3851 crore and covers the BCCI’s broadcast and Internet rights for the period July 2012-March 2018, Srinivasan said at a press conference in Chennai. “The Star group will ...

Mt. Lavinia Hotel (MLH) on 1 April will present its 6th Winemakers Dinner with Paul Boulden Chief Winemaker of the Sandalford Winery in Margaret River, Western Australia.  “Our philosophy on winemakers dinners is elegant dining, top quality grape and minimal interference in pairing the perfect wine with fine food. The result is truly outstanding and ...

Travel and tourism is set for a milestone year as the industry’s direct contribution to the global economy is expected to pass $2 trillion in GDP and 100 million jobs. According to research by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), the global travel and tourism industry will grow by 2.8% in 2012, marginally faster ...

NDB‘s contribution to infrastructure development has been substantial during the last three decades. Having garnered the experience and expertise to cater towards the development process in Sri Lanka, NDB continues to focus on this vital component providing the necessary support that will help towards economic development in the country. NDB CEO Russell de Mel says, ...

Titan Fleet Management, France a specialist yacht management company places confidence in Colombo for their repair requirements on super luxury yacht Lauren L. This seven star category 90 meter long yacht called in for repairs on 1 February. The luxury yacht called in for her 10 year class survey repairs coupled with hull surface preparation ...

Sydney (AFP): Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting Friday rejected the chance to play county cricket this year as he bids to play one last Ashes series in England in 2013. The 37-year-old had been linked with English side Somerset but his manager James Henderson denied the reports via his Twitter account. Instead, Ponting plans to ...

The important role Life insurance can play in a modern economy was emphasised by a top international economist when life insurance leader Ceylinco Life recently honoured 250 top achievers who contributed to the company’s stellar growth in 2011. Addressing the 23rd Ceylinco Life Achiever’s Night, Dr. Koshy Mathai, the IMF Resident Representative for Sri Lanka ...

Reuters: Swedish auto brand Volvo has hired New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin, who has electrified basketball fans around the world, to help sell its luxury cars in China and the United States.  Lin signed a two-year contract to appear in advertisements and act as a brand ambassador for Volvo, owned by China’s Geely, parent ...

By Cheranka Mendis Dubai’s low cost airline, flydubai yesterday announced the increase of frequencies to Sri Lanka, going from five to seven weekly flights since 11 March following a surge in passenger numbers. flydubai CEO Ghaith Al Ghaith noted that with the changes in flight timing by moving on from four flights a week during ...

Reuters: Lionel Messi, a scrawny kid turned away by River Plate in 2000 despite being described by one of the club’s youth coaches as a mixture of Omar Sivori and Diego Maradona, set a Barcelona scoring record of 234 goals at the age of only 24 on Tuesday.  Barca’s faith in their ability to groom ...

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 ...

MLH proudly presents their 6th Winemakers Dinner with Paul Boulden Chief Winemaker of the Sandalford Winery in Margaret River, Western Australia, on 1st April 2012 at the Maitland State Room. “Our philosophy on winemakers dinners is elegant dining, top quality grape and minimal interference in pairing the perfect wine with fine food. The result is ...

Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa was an invitee panellist at the prestigious India Today Conclave 2012 held in New Delhi from 16-17 March 2012. The India Today Conclave, which is held annually, has seen the participation of leading Indian and international personalities such as Shah Rukh Khan, Mohamed El Baradei, Sarah Palin, Dominique De Villepin, Union Minister ...

Continuous foreign buying in to select listed companies saw the year to date net inflow top the Rs. 20 billion mark by yesterday. The Colombo stock market began a fresh week with year to date net inflowing being at Rs. 17.7 billion and a further Rs. 2.5 billion was added bringing the total to Rs. ...

General Khalid Shameem Wynne, NI (M), Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Pakistan, is visiting Sri Lanka from 18-22 March on the invitation of Sri Lankan Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal W.D.R.M.J. Goonetileke. Wynne was commissioned in April 1972 in an infantry battalion. He is a graduate of Staff Course from Germany. He ...

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 ...

Park Street Mews is Colombo’s fashionista of venues. Three upmarket highly talked about event venues are located next door to each other on one street. Warehouse D, The Stables and The Street have purpose built interiors and fabulous exteriors ready to be transformed into ideal spaces of your desire, to suit any occasion. Warehouse D ...

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 ...

Hong Kong: Nafi Tuitavake has been included in a strong HSBC Penguins squad for next week’s GFI HKFC Tens in Hong Kong, where he could come up against his elder brother Anthony, the tough-tackling former All Black. The 16-team tournament will be held at Hong Kong Football Club from March 21-22. The younger Tuitavake, a ...

A top line up of specialists will be the key attraction of the annual management conference organised by the Colombo University MBA Alumni Association on Friday 16 March from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Cinnamon Lakeside, Colombo. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be the Chief Guest at the conference titled ‘Beyond Traditional Boundaries,’ ...