Sri Lankan athlete Pradeep Sanjaya qualify for the Men’s 400m - T46 final at the Paralympic 2012

2012 Paralympic London

Sri Lanka in London Paralympic  2012 

Sri Lankan  athlete Pradeep Sanjaya Uggl Dena Pathirannehelag qualified for the Men’s  400m - T46 final at the Paralympic Games in London  2012 
2012 Paralympic Men’s  400m - T46 heat results

Heat 2

Official

Rk	Bib	Athlete	Mark			+
1	2690	MUVUNYI Hermas	49.75	Q	RR	+
2	2708	UGGL DENA PATHIRANNEHELAG P	49.82	Q	PB	+
3	2182	KIMOU Addoh	50.17	Q	PB	+
4	2102	SOUZA Emicarlo	50.40	q		+
5	2631	BHEBE Tshepo	52.24			+
6	2170	YAO Jianjun	54.37		SB	+

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CIC Holdings Wins Big at Vision Awards 2011

CIC Holdings Wins Vision Awards 2011

"We are extremely proud of our achievement in winning the Gold Award at the 2011 Vision Awards..."

CIC Holdings PLC(SriLanka) received top honours for their Annual Report at the 2011 Vision Awards, taking the Gold Award in the Agribusiness category as well as being ranked among the Top 25 Sri Lankan Annual Reports of 2011. Organised by the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP), this year’s Vision Awards were highly competitive with more than 5,500 entries submitted, representing over 24 countries and 800 entities.

The CIC Holdings Annual Report scored 98 out of 100 points including perfect scores in the Letter to Shareholders, Report Narrative, Report Financials, Creativity, Message Clarity and Information Accessibility categories. Following the theme “Redwood in a Green Forest,” the annual report maps the company profile within the national business landscape and features CIC Holdings’ efforts in sustainably supporting local industry through their endeavours.

“We are extremely proud of our achievement in winning the Gold Award at the 2011 Vision Awards, as well as being recognized as one of the top 25 annual reports in the country. The annual report is an essential component in a company’s communication toolbox and is a great way for us to effectively communicate the strategic and tactical decisions we take. I would like to thank the LACP for acknowledging our efforts in better reaching all our stakeholders,” said Samantha Ranatunga, Managing Director/CEO of CIC Holdings

The yearly Vision Awards recognises the annual reports of organisations of varying depth and breadth against peers of similar size and category on a broad range of criteria that measure a number of factors relating to the effectiveness of communications materials. Ratings are based upon an evaluation point system and awards are presented across the five tiers of platinum, gold, silver, bronze and honours. 

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SLT opens its newest TELESHOP at heritage building in colombo fort,Sri Lanka

SLTopens its newest teleshop- CTO building Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Telecom(SLT) Newest TELESHOP

In keeping with its commitment to offer enhanced customer care and a superior interactive brand experience, Sri Lanka Telecom(SLT), the national telecommunications provider, unveiled its new teleshop at a heritage building in Colombo Fort. The one-of-a-kind teleshop was ceremonially inaugurated by Mr. Greg Young, CEO of SLT. The opening of this teleshop is a truly historic event, as it is located in the Ceylon ‘Central Telegraph Office'  (CTO), a historic property constructed in 1911, its colonial past fittingly reflected in its grand architecture.

Commenting on the special occasion, CEO, Greg Young, said: “As the national telecommunications provider, it has been our endeavour to continually improve and expand our customer reach. One of our key focus areas has been to achieve a higher degree of customer-centricity in every process and across every layer of the organization, so much so that we are tuned to the specific needs of customers and are able to pre-empt these needs. The opening of the new teleshop in the heart of the business district, in Colombo Fort, reflects the strength of our commitment, as it increases our customer touch points and provides customers the opportunity of availing of our products and services. This teleshop network expansion will ensure that all SLT services are more accessible to customers in the most commercial area. As a brand with a lasting legacy, we are proud to be located in a heritage building which reflects the country’s rich past and offers customers the opportunity of visiting the special SLTTeleshop. We hope to come closer to our customers and build a strong, mutually beneficial relationship, whereby our customers are not merely customers, but also our partners, through this new Teleshop and Experience Centre.”

The SLT Teleshop will offer office-goers in the commercial hub of Colombo Fort the unparalleled convenience of settling all SLTbills, obtaining any SLT services such as Megaline, Citylink, internet and email services, Broadband internet, PeoTV and Mobile services through Mobitel counters at the location, within a short distance from their workplaces in the area. Further, the new teleshop will showcase the 'Experience Centre', to provide first-hand experience to customers about SLT's high quality single play, double play and triple-play services: Telephone, Broadband and PeoTV.

The Experience Centre will provide customers an insight into the features of SLT Megaline, namely, its best quality voice - data - broadband - internet - email - multimedia services on a single wireline connection; the 'uninterrupted high speed internet' with packages from download speeds 2Mbps, 4Mbps, 8Mbps and 16Mbps offered by SLT Broadband; and the popular Personalised Entertainment (Interactive PEO TV) features through IPTV platform, such as interactive television, time shift tv, video on demand and other services such as email, internet directory services on SLT PeoTV.

The SLT teleshop network is the key distribution channel of SLT for its all products and services including pre-paid and post-paid services, lodging of complaints and purchasing of new telecommunication equipment. The new premises reflect the SLT Brand image and infuse continuity into its brand identity, while delivering an exclusive ambience. 

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SriLankan Airlines celebrates 33rd anniversary

SriLankan-Airlines-Turns-33

SriLankan Airlines Turns 33...

The national carrier of Sri Lanka, SriLankan Airlines celebrates its 33rd anniversary this month. This milestone will be marked with religious ceremonies for the staff commencing from the first week of September.

The life journey of the airline has been fascinating, checked with victories and surviving turmoil during the country’s three decade long civil war which claimed half of its fleet during the airport attack in 2001, the global recession and stifling competition in what is a mature, yet dynamic industry.

SriLankan took flight on September 1, 1979 as Air Lanka, its former name, with a humble fleet of two leased Boeing 707-300B jetliners. Air Lanka’s preliminary route network spanned destinations such as, Frankfurt; London; Paris; Bangkok; Singapore; Kuala Lumpur; Bahrain; Dubai; Male; Mumbai and Chennai. In 1994 Air Lanka celebrated its 15th anniversary by being the first carrier in Asia to introduce Airbus A340 aircraft to its fleet. Three brand new A340s would soon have the airline operating long-haul services previously not possible to several of its destinations. Four years later, a ten year deal forged with Dubai-based Emirates would have Air Lanka soaring to new heights, under its new moniker – SriLankan Airlines.

Today, SriLankan’s fleet has expanded to 21 Airbus A320, A330 and A340 aircraft, with some being brand new, delivered just this year and its network extends to 58 destinations in 33 countries in Europe; North America; Canada; Australia; Far East; Middle East and the Indian Sub-Continent.

The airline has cemented a firm reputation worldwide for its service, comfort, safety and reliability, notching many enviable industry awards along the way. These awards include the, World’s Friendliest Cabin Staff by Skytrax; Best Airline in South Asia from Travel Trade Gazette; World’s Most Reliable Operator of Airbus A330s and A340s by Airbus Industrie and the Etihad Global Excellence Award for Best Regional Caterer.

In 2011, the airline carried over three million passengers, and the numbers indicate a growth for 2012, which is in line with the thriving tourism industry. The first half of this year saw a 27 percent growth in the number of passengers that travelled on SriLankan, over last year’s first half.

The airline is also in a phase of undertaking massive product enhancements starting with its fleet, with the acquisition of brand new A320s and the refurbishment of existing A330 and A340 aircraft, incorporating plush leather interior, flat bed seats on Business Class and state-of-the-art IMS Rave entertainment systems.

In line with modern trends in global air travel, SriLankan now offers its Business Class passengers a quick check-in facility with the ‘Silk Route’ service at the Bandaranaike International Airport.

SriLankan is also looking at advancing in other areas of aviation technology. In the last month, the airline became the first in Asia to replace bulky paper manuals used by pilots in the cockpit, with iPad Electronic Flight Bags (EFB). 

The year brought on acclaim to the training arm of SriLankan, the International Aviation Academy (IAA), when it was recognised by the International Air Travel Association (IATA) as one of its ‘Top Ten’ Authorized Training Centres in South Asia. In August 2012, IAA opened its first overseas branch in Maldives.

In April 2012, SriLankan Engineering fortified its reputation as a reliable service provider in aircraft maintenance in the region, when it completed the 50th “C” Check for IndiGo– India’s largest low-fare carrier.

SriLankan Catering (SLC), a fully owned subsidiary of the airline, also expanded its services in the past 12 months. Semondu, its fine-dining restaurant, was opened in the historic Dutch Complex in December 2011.

In addition to these developments, the external environment looks promising for SriLankan, with the booming Indian and Far Eastern leisure traveller markets and Sri Lanka’s unique positioning in the world map as a hub in Asia, the airline will have some great opportunities to expand in the near future.

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Mahindra Group ready to invest in Sri Lanka

Mr. S.P. Shukla 

Mahindra Group is looking at investing in a vehicle assembly plant in Sri Lanka 

The US $ 15.4 billion Mahindra Group, one of India's leading business houses, is looking at investing in a vehicle assembly plant in Sri Lanka to cope with the growing demand. “Our sponsorship of the Sri Lanka Premier League signals our intent to both expand and deepen out relationship with the country as it moves steadily towards greater economic progress.
"Sri Lanka is an important market for us within the sub-continent. Over the past ten years, our vehicles and tractors have carved a distinct niche for themselves with their tough, rugged and fuel efficient nature,” said S P Shukla, President, Group Strategy and Member of the Group Executive Board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. He said that they are also in the process of building an economical electric car for the mass market. 

Mahindra-Group-ready-to-invest-in-Sri-Lanka

In FY 2012, over 10,000 Mahindra vehicles were sold in the country which is a clear validation of the credibility it enjoys among the consumers in the country,” said Nalin Welgama, Chairman, Ideal Group the automobile distributor of the Mahindra Group in Sri Lanka. He said that both companies are looking at an investment of around US $ one million initially for this project.

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has been present in the Sri Lankan auto market since 2002 with its product portfolio consisting of the Bolero and Scorpio SUVs and Pik Up range (Bolero Single Cab Flat Bed, Bolero Maxxi Truck, Scorpio Double Cab/Single Cab, Maxximo and Alfa 3 Wheelers. Sri Lanka is also the best overseas market for Mahindra Group. 

Mahindra has emerged as the market leader in the pick up category (1 tonne – 1.5 tonne) with over 50 % market share. Moreover, in less than a year since its launch, the Maxximo has achieved a market share of 40 % plus in the less than one tonne mini truck category.
Mahindra has been selling its tractors in Sri Lanka for over a decade and currently has a market share of more than 16 %, placing it amongst the top two tractor brands in the country. The country recently also launched its Swaraj brand of tractors.
DIMO (Disel & Motor Engineering Plc), a large business conglomerate, is the distributor for the Mahindra range of tractors, while the Swaraj brand is distributed by Regal Motors Pvt. Ltd.
Asked by Daily News Business if the revised tax on motor vehicles did have any negative inpact on sales he said that light truck type vehicles (Maxxi truck) did not see and additional duty and sales were not affected. “However there is a ‘dip’ in two wheels and three wheel sales, which has helped the country to save foreign exchange.”

A US $15.4 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India, Mahindra employees more than 144,000 people in over 100 countries.
The Ideal Group is a diversified group with interests in automobiles namely, Mahindra and Ssangyong, and with interests in automobile spare parts, finance, tyres and aviation.
Mahindra 2 wheelers

Mahindra 2 Wheelers

Mahindra 2 Wheelers

Mahindra Aerospace

Mahindra Aerospace

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Sri Lanka wins bowl Championship in Borneo

Sri Lanka wins bowl Championship

Sri Lanka wins bowl finals at  the HSBC Borneo Sevens

Sri Lanka Sevens team was managed to secure defending bowl Championship  by beating Malaysia in Bowl Finals.

Sri Lanka beat Thailand 19-12 in Bowl Semi Finals in the morning & the final was played against host Malaysia. Malaysia lead the first half 12-05 . 

Sri-Lanka-wins-bowl-finals-at--the-HSBC-Borneo-Sevens

Chathuranga Kumara, Nigel Ratwatte and Vishwamithra Jayasinghe  were able to score in 2nd half for Sri Lanka to end the game 19-12.

Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand & Sri Lanka played battle for the bottom 4 rankings

Defending Champions won the cup finals beating Hong Kong and 3rd place won by South Africa.

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Sri Lanka wins bowl Championship in Borneo

Sri Lanka wins bowl Championship

Sri Lanka wins bowl finals at  the HSBC Borneo Sevens

Sri Lanka Sevens team was managed to secure defending bowl Championship  by beating Malaysia in Bowl Finals.

Sri Lanka beat Thailand 19-12 in Bowl Semi Finals in the morning & the final was played against host Malaysia. Malaysia lead the first half 12-05 . 

Sri-Lanka-wins-bowl-finals-at--the-HSBC-Borneo-Sevens

Chathuranga Kumara, Nigel Ratwatte and Vishwamithra Jayasinghe  were able to score in 2nd half for Sri Lanka to end the game 19-12.

Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand & Sri Lanka played battle for the bottom 4 rankings

Defending Champions won the cup finals beating Hong Kong and 3rd place won by South Africa.

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