Following is the speech delivered by Deputy Minister of Technology and Research Faizer Mustapha at the SLIM Brand Excellence awards held early this week What better time than this to discuss your theme, ‘Impossible is Nothing’? We’ve done it! You may ask what I mean by this statement. We fought the ruthless LTTE and defeated ...

Despite being a regional leader in enforcing standards, Sri Lanka still has a long way to go before reaping the full benefits of having its exports globally accepted. Studies have shown that a country can add as much as 1% to its GDP by proscribing to international standards. Daily FT met up with International Standards ...

Lankan participation at biggest food fair draws $ 2 m initials, suppliers already looking at 2013 showSri Lanka’s participation at the recently-concluded international ‘Anuga Trade Fair’ was a clear success, with most orders for Sri Lanka seen from European and Eastern European countries and European supermarket chains making direct inquiries on local products. Many Sri ...

The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) will hold a seminar on ‘Bilateral Trade between Russia and Sri Lanka’ on Wednesday 19 October 2011 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Chamber Auditorium, No. 450 D.R. Wijewardene Mw, and Colombo-10. Ambassador of Russia Vladimir Mikhaylov will address the participants on current trend ...

By Cheranka Mendis Sri Lanka’s tea industry has been battered and beaten by the weather gods this year and is now looking at lower production volumes and low auction prices despite early expectations of the year continuing the trend of 2010, which ended off as a record year for the industry. Colombo Tea Brokers’ Association ...

In business the most difficult part is finding, servicing and retaining markets and market share. In exports, this is even more challenging. The ultimate in value addition is brand marketing. The optimum return in global business is achieved by the growth and development of brands. The national economy where the brand is owned has a ...

Air Arabia, a leading low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Mena region, will introduce direct services to Moscow and Yekaterinburg in Russia, beginning 14 and 29 October respectively. The two new Air Arabia destinations are the first in Russia. Moscow and Yekaterinburg will become the carrier’s fifth and sixth destination in CIS and Russian Federation and ...

“Russia and Sri Lanka enjoy gradual growth of bilateral trade. Tea Exports to Russia have always been robust and exciting; the time has come for us to seek more comprehensive efforts to widen our economic co-operation, beyond conventional economic means, in order to create an even more advantageous economic relationship, for  both sides,” said the ...

At this week’s Tea Auction conducted on 4 and 5 October, several All Time Colombo Tea Auction Record Prices were established for the Low Grown OP and OPA grades. All three record prices were established through the catalogue of Lanka Commodity Brokers Ltd., whilst the respective buyers for the OP and OPA grades were Inter ...

By Uditha Jayasinghe Brewed by external demand reductions and local policies, Sri Lanka’s value-added tea exports are declining while bulk shipments are increasing, resulting in a possible drop in earnings, industry experts warned yesterday.  Terming the reduction in value-added tea as a “disturbing trend,” Asia Siyaka Commodities said in a review report that Sri Lanka’...

In the latest figures available, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) last week reported that the preliminary figures for international visitor arrivals into Asia/Pacific destinations1 for July 2011 show a year-on-year increase of 7%. Director of the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre John Koldowski PATA’s Strategic Intelligence Centre notes that the growth rate has become more ...

In the previous two ‘My Views,’ the following five popular fallacies of appreciating the exchange rate were discussed: Fallacy One: A Government can fix the exchange rate at any level it wishes. Fallacy Two: An appreciated exchange rate is a symbol of a country’s strength and prestige. Fallacy Three: The appreciation of the exchange rate ...

By Uditha Jayasinghe High on its recent UN success, Sri Lanka is already preparing for fresh contentions on human rights and political reconciliation issues at the next UN Human Rights Council General Meeting scheduled for March 2012, a top Government Minister said yesterday. Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, who headed the special team to the UNHRC ...

WHEN one hurdle is cleared, another appears on the horizon. Sri Lanka’s recent success at the United Nations General Assembly and UNHRC sessions does not mean that its vulnerability for international intervention is over. This much was acknowledged by Plantations Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe who headed the Government team at the UNHRC. In fact the Sri ...

Darshi Keertisena of Buddhi Batiks will showcase at the prestigious Russia Fashion Week, which is the largest fashion week of East Europe. This opportunity was part of the HSBC Colombo Fashion Week initiative. Moscow is one the biggest luxury markets in the world and it has a special place in the world of fashion. HSBC ...

Justice and fair-play is paramount Justice and fair-play are of paramount importance to all members of the world family consisting of 193 nations expecting justice and fair-play equally. It is the principle on which the United Nations was established in place of the less-effective League of Nations, in order to settle differences among nations based ...

Mismanagement in sports administrationThe role of oligarchs in sports administration, national, regional and international, is not solely a South Asian phenomenon, it is a worldwide cancer. Anyone who has worked in the sports sector in South Asia would have come up against this debilitating factor. It is all pervasive and endemic. Once at a South ...

Industry expects modest growth but no boom expectationsby Cheranka Mendis The tourism industry is looking at a 10-15% increase during the coming winter season although there will be no sell-out as earlier expected, according to industry experts. The season, which usually amounts to the highest number of arrivals each year, was initially expected to bring ...

Industry wants promotions in Russia and Far East to fill vacuum from recession-hit West Demand from Middle Eastern markets, which accounts for 55% of tea exports, is still low, according to a report released by a broker recently. The Lanka Commodity Brokers tea market report noted that demand from Middle Eastern countries for Colombo Tea ...

By T. Farook Thajudeen A tea exporter who allegedly pirated the getup and the Bar Code of another tea dealer was restrained from trading or exporting tea or any other product under similar getup or Bar Code until 4 October by the Commercial High Court of Colombo. The complainants, Horanagamage Don Tenyson George, Ranasinghe Arachchige ...

The Mlesna Tea Centre at Majestic City was re-launched with a sophisticated and stylish new look recently. The Tea Centre now carries a wider range of premium quality tea for the benefit of tea lovers and connoisseurs of Sri Lanka as well as for overseas visitors. The much sought after Mlesna Tea Centre at Majestic ...

By Cheranka Mendis Tapping into the high-end tourism market Russia would help boost tourism numbers in large volumes and drive the industry to surpass the expected arrivals of 750,000 by the end of the year to over 800,000. SriLankan Airlines yesterday made its first direct flight to Moscow, the financial and political centre of Russia. ...

Exports volume to Middle East up but industry fears danger of price fluctuations towards year endBy Uditha Jayasinghe Brewing with mixed fortunes, tea exports have faced the Middle East unrest well, but future price fluctuations may pose challenges in the short term, say industry experts. Despite the challenges of the ongoing turmoil in the Middle ...

Time.com: Aboard the Man Gyong Bong, fresh coffee is served, along with dried fish and local beer. Karaoke parties pep the night life. That said, turn on a faucet and there’s usually no water – and cabins are more like dormitories. Welcome to North Korea’s first cruise ship. If all goes according to the plans ...

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...

The just concluded 21st FACETS Sri Lanka 2011 international gem and jewellery exhibition saw strong sales to foreign buyers ‘easily exceeding US $ 10 Million’ but the overall totals could be far higher. More than 7300 visitors attended the show of which more than 1300 were foreign visitors. The topmost preference for foreign buyers was ...

By Cheranka Mendis WSO2Con 2011, the much looked forward to, user conference for technology enthusiasts kicked off yesterday at the Water’s Edge, promising three days tech-savvy interaction to more than 250 participants from all over the world. With over 40 sessions planned out with speakers from 10 countries alongside local speakers and participants, the conference ...

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 ...

The gem mining sub-sector grew by 7.9% in 2010. The gem and jewellery exports too reported 1.56% positive growth in 2010. Even in the first-half of 2011, increased earnings from mineral exports were led by higher exports of gems which increased by 35.5% in the first half of 2011, according to the Central Bank. The ...

This is a headline article of Khaleej Times – one of the most prominent and leading newspapers in the United Arab Emirates.  According to the news item 350milion population in the Arab World is in need of 160,000 doctors.  In the UAE out of the population 80% are expatriates mainly from South Asia.   The ...