Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Published : 12:37 am May 23, 2013
◾ Airline adds three more flights from Colombo to meet rising demand
◾ With expansion from 30 June, number of flights will rise to 31 per week with 4 daily on select days

Emirates will increase capacity on its services to Colombo from 30 June 2013, with the addition of three more flights per week, the airline announced yesterday.

The addition of three more services, which will operate between Dubai and Colombo on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays, will increase the number of flights between the two cities to four each day on those days, and take the total number of weekly Emirates flights serving Colombo to 31. The additional Colombo-Dubai flight EK 655 will depart Colombo at 1410hrs and arrive in Dubai at 1655 hrs. The returning Dubai-Colombo flight EK 654 will depart Dubai at 0645 hrs and arrive in Colombo at 1245 hrs.

By Champika Fernando


Sri Lanka ruled itself out of hosting the 40-nation Asian Athletics Championship after the alternate venue New Delhi backed off.

Sri Lanka, which hosted the final leg of the Asian Grand Prix in Colombo last week, cited financial constraints as the reason for rejecting a proposal to host the event.
Sri Lanka last hosted the 2002 Asian Championships in Colombo.

`If we are to host (the Asian athletics meet), we need at least US$ 350,000 (app Rs.43 million) from the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) to conduct the meet,` said athletics Chief Palitha Fernando ruling Sri Lanka out of any contention to host the event.

One of the hot topics, which is being discussed, these days, among the motor car fanatics and politicians is the subject of the royalty of all motor vehicles, Rolls Royce. The factory which produces this prestigious car was created well over a century ago, in May 1904, by two distinguished personalities, Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce. Rolls Royce is known as the `V.I.P` of all motor vehicles, very rarely or never seen on public road, especially in Third World Countries. The rarity is even maintained in the oil rich and affordable gulf-states. However, with the Commonwealth conference around the corner, in our island nation, we are assured of dozens of them on our road competing with the three wheelers already monopolizing our highly congested Colombo roads. We wonder whether a `tuk-tuk` driver will ever realize the value of a Rolls Royce when he tries to overtake this `V.I.P` of all vehicles! No doubt, not only him even a common man will faint if he only knows the F.O.B price of a new 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom! It is estimated to cost approximately US $ 475,905.00! (in our local currency a walloping Rs. 52,349,550.00!) Imagine, how many three wheelers you can purchase with this kind of money?

What a great Saturday evening. Only good news from Sweden tonight!

No sooner the ice hockey world championship semi-final in Stockholm between Oncle Sam and Switzerland was over, it was the final of the 2013 Eurovision Song contest further south in Malmo.

Ice Hockey World Championship first
Yes, even I hardly believe it! The very little Swiss dwarf from behind the mountains won the semi-finals against Big Mac by 3:0.
Switzerland`s fairytale run at the world ice hockey championships continued on Saturday when they reached the final thanks to a 3-0 victory over United States.

Saturday, 18 May 2013 12:35

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While claiming that Sri Lanka will not allow a single inch of the land to be taken away, President Mahinda Rajapaksa today said that in the four years since humanitarian victory there were many strategies tried out by some outside forces to rule Sri Lanka.

There will be no room for separation, President Rajapksa said addressing the Humanitarian Victory Parade at Galle Face green this morning.

It`s time again for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Malmo / Sweden on Saturday evening.
The last 10 songs qualified for the final have just been selected tonight.

Whereas I found it quite easy to figure out the Swedish winner last, this year has proven to be more difficult. Out of the 26 nations qualified for the final, here are my top 3 favorites and the top 3 outsiders.

My top 3
Emmelie De Forest - Only Teardrops (Denmark)
Zlata Ognevich - Gravity (Ukraine)
Aliona Moon - O Mie (Moldavia)

In a bid to improve the performance of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) at Hambantota, a committee has been appointed by the Civil Aviation Minister, Piyankara Jayaratne.



Chaired by Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary Dr. Ravindra Ruberu the committee membership comprises Civil Aviation Authority Director General H.M. Nimalsiri, Airport and Aviation Services Deputy Chairman Kamal Rathwatta, Advisor to the Ministry of Civil Aviation Dhammika Attygalle, SriLankan Airlines and Mihin Lanka CEO Kapila Chandrasena and Additional Secretary to the Ministry K.M.S.P. Rathnayaka.

LOS ANGELES

MY MOTHER fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was.

We often speak of Mommy`s mommy, and I find myself trying to explain the illness that took her away from us. They have asked if the same could happen to me. I have always told them not to worry, but the truth is I carry a faulty gene, BRCA1, which sharply increases my risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

BBS admits Norway visit, but denies taking money

Dares Weerawansa to prove allegations or walk in loin cloth!
by Ravi Ladduwahetty

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) yesterday dared National Freedom Front Leader and Housing and Construction Minister Wimal Weerawansa to prove his allegations that they were recipients of funding from either Norway or any international non governmental organization (INGO) or to walk on the road in a loin cloth!

The guy who is reading the latest news on Sri Lanka for the first time must be really wondering what kind of strange country this is. Well, I would qualify this as amazing. Judge it for yourself and have some fun.
[ Sri Lanka Meteorology Department apologizes for using a great king`s name for cyclone
Mon, May 13, 2013, 09:37 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

May 13, Colombo: Sri Lanka Meteorology Department apologized today for using a great king`s name to identify a cyclone brewing up near the island in Bay of Bengal built up near Sri Lanka.

By Indika Sri Aravinda

Parliamentarian Duminda Silva has been reappointed as the organizer for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the Kolonnawa electorate.

Minister Basil Rajapaksa was appointed as the SLFP organizer in the Kolonnawa electorate after the Mulleriyawa shooting incident in October 2011 in which Silva was seriously injured.

My Dear Prince Charles,

I thought I must write to you when I heard that you would be visiting our country for the Commonwealth summit in November this year instead of your mothers_day.jsp' class=black>mother, who we were told, does not undertake long journeys away from your country anymore. Firstly, the news must have come as a great relief for our fellows who run the show here, who were worried that none of your chaps-including your Prime Minister-would attend, because someone in Canada wants everyone to boycott the summit.

COLOMBO - Organised by Seatrade and hosted by Sri Lanka Ports Authority, the last day of Sri Lanka Ports, Trade & Logistics Conference, Exhibition & Awards started with a two hour port tour of the Colombo Port, hosted by Sri Lanka Ports Authority, for the participants of the event. The tour consisted of a visit to the existing harbour and a look at the port expansion project including the breakwaters, concluded with a breakfast organised at the port.

Friday, 10 May 2013 05:20

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Despite the general public reeling under the rising living costs, Cabinet endorsed a proposal yesterday to allow former provincial council members, who had served for more than two and half years, but were not elected this time, to import duty free vehicles, Daily Mirror learns.

Earlier, Cabinet approval had been given to issue permits for the importation of duty free vehicles to the sitting provincial council members who had served for more than two and half years. However, Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister A.L.M. Athaullah submitted a Cabinet memorandum yesterday seeking approval for the same benefit to be given to members who had served on the former provincial councils for more than two and half years, but not been elected to the current council.

Wed, May 8, 2013, 10:27 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

May 08, Colombo: Air Arabia, the Sharjah-based United Arab Emirates` national budget airlines has cancelled its services to Sri Lanka`s newly opened second international airport at Mattala in Hambantota.

The airline has cancelled its Sharjah - Mattala/Hambantota route, just 6 weeks after it became the first foreign carrier to service the newest international airport in Sri Lanka.