Burger King Worldwide, Inc. announced the opening of three BURGER KING® restaurants in Sri Lanka by the brand’s new master franchisee, Softlogic Restaurants (Pvt) Ltd, which is a subsidiary of Softlogic Holdings PLC. These restaurants, the first in Sri Lanka, opened on December 28, 2013 and are located in Rajagiriya, Mount Lavinia and Colpetty.
“Establishing the BURGER KING® brand’s presence in Sri Lanka exemplifies our commitment to strengthen our global restaurant portfolio,” said Elias Diaz Sese, president, BK AsiaPac Pte. Ltd. “We believe that Softlogic has the business knowledge to build a strong brand presence in this market and we look forward to offering the same flame-grilled flavor guests know and love at BURGER KING® restaurants.”
“We are immensely excited to partner with the BURGER KING® brand, a globally recognized restaurant chain throughout the world. We have already seen tremendous interest generated among locals with anticipation of the restaurant openings and are pleased to offer these loyal customers that same flame-grilled flavor they know and love from BURGER KING® restaurants.” said Ashok Pathirage, Chairman Softlogic Holdings PLC.
Over the next few months, Softlogic will work together with BK AsiaPac Pte. Ltd. to expand its supply chain infrastructure in Sri Lanka and execute a roll-out plan to establish further BURGER KING® restaurants across the country in 2014.
Softlogic is one of the leading, dynamic organizations in Sri Lanka today, having expanded and diversified into the growth sectors of the Economy, in terms of Retail, Healthcare, ICT, Automobiles, Leisure and Finance, holding Authorized distributorships for some Key Global Brand names. Softlogic today, employs over 6,000 people within its offices located in Sri Lanka, Singapore and Australia.
Founded in 1954, BURGER KING® BKW -1.01% is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER®, the BURGER KING® system operates in over 13,000 locations serving more than 11 million guests daily in 91 countries and territories worldwide. Approximately 99 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades.
Casa Colombo recently inaugurated Casa Club, the next generation of Members Club in Sri Lanka. An exclusive Club, within a grand boutique hotel, Casa Club offers its members exceptional privileges that transcend present day hospitality services in Sri Lanka. Handpicked, unique and expertly curated, whether it’s an evening of relaxed entertainment or a night of beverage appreciation that you’re seeking, Casa Club will meet all expectations and more. In a bold new direction, Casa Club has presented 50 honorary memberships to a very carefully selected clientele, entirely complimentary, so that these individuals and their guests may experience the benefits of Casa Club. Following the launch, Membership may be obtained only by the recommendation of two existing members, approved by the Casa Club Committee at its discretion. Casa Club membership is restricted to 100 members at any given time, once the threshold number is reached, new members will join a waiting list, subject to the exit of a current member. Casa Club Members, in addition to sizeable discounts on everyday dining, also receive promotional pricing on beverages, supported by premier beverage distributors in Sri Lanka. Sponsoring the launch of Casa Club are several labels, each of whom will present a signature product for Casa Club members on launch night, along with below retail pricing on purchases for Members’ Bottle Banks. The philosophy behind the sponsorship is that Casa Club members are discerning customers and fine beverage appreciation is a significant aspect of Membership. In line with the event, presenting Casa Club preferred beverages complimentary to members were Decanter (Rose Wine), Favourite Group (MolettoProsecco), ID Lanka (presenting Grey Goose Vodka), Luxury Brands by Lion Breweries (Johnny Walker Double-Black), Mega Trading (Angove Red Wine) and Wine World by Rockland Distilleries (Laurent-Perrier Rose and Glen Fiddich 15 Year), each offering the presented brands on special offer to Casa Club members. Lalin Jinasena, founder of Casa Club and Proprietor (and Designer) of Casa Colombo, said: “Casa Colombo is delighted to introduce a unique concept like this in Sri Lanka. Personalised hospitality and a venue where Members can enjoy quiet evenings, dine well and on Wednesday Club Nights, enjoy a host of privileges on beverage appreciation, is what Casa Club offers. Casa Club is a very specialised service, hospitality at its best, customised to suit each member’s preference. We believe Casa Club represents the next generation in relaxed entertainment.” Casa Colombo, Sri Lanka’s avant-garde boutique property is world-renown for contemporary Sri Lankan design and hospitality, combining retro-chic interiors with Sri Lankan-made furnishing, within an 18th Century mansion. Located in Bambalapitiya, Colombo 4, the venue is in the heart of Colombo’s business district, neatly cosseted away from busy Galle Road by its own cul de sac, Casa Club is housed within a gated and very private hotel. Member privileges Casa Club Members are entitled to a discount of 20% on all food and beverages consumed at Casa Colombo venues. Members are additionally entitled to 20% discount on suites. Casa Club will maintain a personal Bottle Bank for each Member and Members are entitled to bring in two bottles of alcoholic beverage and replenish their bar every month. Casa Club Membership includes a personal Sommelier, on call to assist in the selection of wine from the discerning Casa Club Wine List. Casa Club will maintain a humidor vault for Casa Club Members’ Cigars. On Casa Club event nights, Members may avail themselves of a complimentary chauffeur driven limousine service, subject to scheduling availability. Members may invite up to three guests (aged 21 or over) to join them at Casa Club and be entitled to share in their privileges. Members are entitled to concessionary pricing on in-house Ariyanna Spa treatments. Members may make a restaurant reservation for a party comprising an unlimited number of guests and avail themselves of Members’ events such as exclusive dinners, fun and informative tastings and live music performances. Members will receive complimentary beverages and preferential pricing on wines, malts and spirits, sponsored by reputed beverage distributors in Sri Lanka. Members may book suites for private parties, supported by a customised menu prepared by Casa Colombo’s Head Chef and a selected beverage catalogue, designed to suit their evening’s entertainment. The venues Casa Club offers Members exclusive privileges at all Casa Colombo Venues. These include HVN, Zaza Bar and T-Republic, the latter of which is for exclusive members’ use on Casa Club event nights. Once the mansion’s grand hall, HVN is Casa Colombo’s Dining Room, serving up a fusion menu of western and Sri Lankan cuisine. An ornate mural of meditating rishis(gurus) by Spanish artist Nooriya dominates one intricately painted wall, with ornate touches including glass tables and a huge antique ceiling fan suspended from the gold-moulded intricately restored, 18th century ceiling. Inside the curious glass cube is Zaza Bar, which transforms into a luxe lounge by night, with an extensive wine list, liquors, crafty cocktails and chill-out tunes. Views out through the glass walls and ceiling take in Casa Colombo’s indulgent décor, the subtle blend of abstract and modern interior merged with the smooth flow of retro lounge music gives this bar an exclusive, inimitable flair. The Poolside, a seductive lounge area around the pink pool, lit by candles at night and breezy by day is another venue. Complimented by an extensive Tapas menu, sun-downers at the Poolside are the perfect start to the evening, and provides an ideal venue for the soon-to-be launched Casa Club Poolside Parties. T-Republic, in Casa Colombo’s front lawn, provides an airy outdoor venue for patrons to taste artisanal Sri Lankan teas and following the launch of Casa Club, will offer Members an exclusive area to sample fine Wines and Malts, presented by Sri Lanka’s top beverage labels.
apan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has received an order to supply Sri Lanka’s first highway traffic management system (HTMS), the company said. The system, slated to go on-stream by the end of 2014, will also be MHI’s first installation of the company’s full-scale traffic management system for expressways. The HTMS will be installed on Southern Expressway, Sri Lanka’s first ever expressway, between Colombo and Galle. Construction work will be performed under a grant-in-aid provided by the Japanese Government. Based on a package agreement with the Sri Lanka’s Road Development Authority (RDA), the MHI will handle all aspects from engineering, procurement and installation to adjustment and training, the company said in a statement.
The company will provide 24 variable message signboards, vehicle detection cameras, weather sensors and other roadside equipment, as well as the central computer systems for data processing, operating status monitoring, etc. The 95-kilometre highway from Colombo to Galle will be extended up to Hambantota in the deep south and eventually will be connected to the Northern Expressway from Colombo to Jaffna, which is under construction now, via the Outer Circular Highway of Colombo to provide an interruption free high speed traffic flow between north and south. As expressway construction is currently under way in Sri Lanka in preparation for an anticipated dramatic increase in vehicle traffic in the coming years, the RDA has decided to promote the development of an intelligent transportation system (ITS). The ITS is aimed to provide the expressway users with timely traffic information during rainy weather and when accidents occur, in a quest to prevent congestion and secondary damage and ensure safe, smooth high-speed road traffic. MHI is currently amassing a solid record, both in Japan and abroad, as a leading manufacturer of toll collection systems, including electronic toll collection (ETC) systems, for expressways, parking lots, etc.
More than Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Lady Gaga or Lorde, it was Miley Cyrus who owned 2013.
At least, according to MTV.
After stealing the spotlight at not one but two MTV awards shows, starring in an MTV documentary and taking over the network on her 21st birthday, MTV has crowned Cyrus as its best artist of the year.
It’s not like the pop star hasn’t worked for it. (Or twerked for it) Her October release, Bangerz, bowed at No.1 and features two other chart-topping tracks, We Can’t Stop and Wrecking Ball. Both singles were accompanied by music videos that became cultural touchstones and almost broke the Internet. (According to Vevo.com, Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball is its most-viewed video of 2013, followed by the clip for “We Can’t Stop.”)
The former Disney star also nailed her appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in the Fall, when she both hosted and performed.
She also managed to end up on Time magazine’s best- and worst-dressed lists of 2013.
Given that, it’s not too surprising that MTV’s news and music teams — having noticed that Cyrus’ MTV artist page is the most-visited of the year, with her VMAs performance being the most-watched video — have given her another No. 1.
Cyrus is the third star to take the title, following Katy Perry and One Direction.
Neither of those music acts should feel too badly about losing to Cyrus — they’re both still on MTV’s list of the top 10 best artists of 2013:
Paul Walker may be gone, but his fans will still be able to remember him when one of his final movies,Hours is released worldwide, in two days.
The movie centers around a father (played by Paul) who fights to keep his infant daughter alive following the devastation from Hurricane Katrina.
Hours also stars Genesis Rodriguez and with the tagline, Every second counts, it proves to be an emotional, intense drama.
It will certainly be difficult to watch Paul on the big screen so shortly after he suddenly died in a gruesome car crash and explosion, but it will also be a great way for his fans to remember him.
It is a well known secret that Gayesha Perera, beauty queen, presenter, dancer and model, and singer Hasanjith Chathuranga, who became popular with his ‘Obai Mage Jeewithe’, are lovers.
Their affair is likely to end next year with marriage.
In the meantime, Gayesha’s mother cornered a third being who had gone uninvited to her room recently.
We also made inquiries and found that that third being belongs to the creepy species.
It was a snake who had been under Gayesha’s bed for several days.
The most looked forward to event by the drivers, riders and motor racing fans the third edition of the annual Colombo Night Races 2013 is set for December 15 (Sunday). The previous two editions were real successes according to organisers as well as all motor racing fans.The event organised by Carlton Motor Sports Club (CMSC) along with Asian Motor Racing Club (AMRC), Sri Lanka Racing Riders Association (SLRRA) and Sri Lanka Association of Drivers And Riders (SLADAR) have included a special Formula One event.
The organisers are thankful to Infinite Red Bull Racing for giving this great opportunity to get this event lined up. The public will also get an opportunity of having a very close look at the machine at a venue close to the track on December 13, a day prior to the practice. Australian born 23-year-old Daniel Ricciardo will handle the machine on the track. There will also be two of his colleagues arriving here for the event.The local drivers will be up against a host of international level drivers arriving from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, India and Maldives to compete in different categories.
Sri Lanka's newest radio channel Fox 91.4 FM launched officially. This is the newest English Radio channel managed by Asset Radio Broadcasting which also operates Neth FM. The channel has managed to secure prominent radio personality Jimmy Deen.
Popular video streaming site YouTube has been reportedly down since early today. When users try to access the site the error message reads ‘500 internal server error’.
“Sorry, something went wrong. A team of highly trained monkeys has been dispatched to deal with this situation. If you see them, show them this information...," it further reads.
Viewers are then given a list of numbers and letters.
Users from around the world have taken to social taken social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook in an attempt to find out what had happened.
However, a short while ago, the site was back online, at least for Sri Lankan users.
There has been no official comment from YouTube thus far as to what exactly went wrong.
- See more at: http://www.nation.lk/edition/breaking-news/item/23340-youtube-down.html#sthash.fMMc6YfB.dpuf
Paul Walker, an actor perhaps best known for his roles in the "Fast and Furious" films died today in a car crash, his rep told ABC News. He was 40 years old.
"Sadly I must confirm that Paul did pass away this afternoon," Ame Van Iden said in an email.
Though the rep gave no more details, a message on his Facebook page said that it happened during a charity event for Walker's organization Reach Out Worldwide.
The entertainment web site TMZ reported that Walker was in a Porsche when the driver lost control and crashed the vehicle into a tree.
The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station confirmed in a statement to Us Weekly that there were two fatalities in a traffic collision at approximately 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Paul William Walker IV, born Sept. 12, 1973, in Glendale, Calif., began his acting career as a child in commercials, before moving on to roles in numerous TV series.
He starred as Jeremy Beatty in the sitcom "Throb," in the mid 1980s, and guest appearances on "Charles in CHarge," "Who's the Boss?" "The Young and the Restless" and "Touched by an Angel."
In the "Fast and Furious" movies he played Brian O'Connor, starring in "The Fast and the Furious," "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Fast & Furious," "Fast Five" and "Fast and Furious 6."
At the time of his death, he was filming "Fast & Furious 7," and a movie he had recently finished work on "Brick Mansions," which was in post production.
Sri Lanka’s Radhika Gunawardena was incidentally awarded the Gold Medal for the Best National Costume.
Radhika Thilini Gunawardena was awarded the Gold for Best National Costume in a tight contest between beauties from over forty countries including the USA, England, China and Russia.
The pageant opened on November 14 and was held for ten days.
Speaking to News1st of her achievement Radhika said:
“I am pleased to have represented the Mrs.World 2013 beauty pageant. I am proud have won the Gold Award for Best National Costume competing with 40 other countries. The panel of judges from Singapore, China , India England and Vietnam handed me the awards. This glory is for Sri Lanka for the next two years.”
Kelly Sparly of the United States of America was crowned Mrs.World 2013.
Sony Music Entertainment launched Music Unlimited on Thursday in Sri Lanka.
Music Unlimited provides music lovers access to millions of songs and videos available for download at an unmatched, low price.
Newsfirst’s Mahina Bongso caught up with Shridhar Subramaniam, President of Sony Music Entertainment for India and the Middle East to find out more about Music Unlimited.
An Irish legal expert has shot a “political” glamour calendar to draw attention to the work of whistleblowers. The proceeds will help fund WikiLeaks and other activist organizations.
Dr Roslyn Fuller, who specializes in international law, explained why she decided that a selection of provocative photos would do more to help Assange, Manning and others than her direct area of expertise.
“Whistleblowing is not some stuffy, intellectual issue that we can only discuss in the rarefied atmosphere of academia,” Fuller, who has lectured at the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, told RT.
“Selflessly revealing information that benefits all people and uncovers the severe abuses of power that occur in our current system is about as hot as you can get.”
But doesn’t a fun-loving calendar trivialize the ordeals of whistleblowers?
Chelsea Manning faces 35 years in prison, Julian Assange has spent more than a year living in a room in the Ecuadorean embassy, and NSA leaker Edward Snowden is unlikely to return to his homeland, staying in a secret location in Russia.
“Trivialization was something I thought about long and hard, and I realize that people may feel differently about this,” says 33-year-old Fuller, who was born in Canada.
“But I am trying to integrate whistleblowing into mainstream culture because we aren't going to win this battle unless we can get the majority of people behind us.”
Living by its credo of ‘We Care. Always.’ the National Mobile Service Provider, Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel has introduced another life-style convenient service to its customers called ‘mCash’.
‘mCash’ will be available for all Post-Paid and Pre-Paid Mobitel customers by registering for a ‘mCash’ account via #111#. Customers can make monetary transactions and withdraw money from their ‘mCash’ account as well. Over 4,000 ‘mCash’ merchant points would be established at the launch of the new service and would later expand up to 10,000 merchant points across the country.
Speaking on the launch of the service, Chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom and Mobitel’s Mr. Nimal Welgama said, "We at Mobitel are confident that this initiative to deliver a nationwide Mobile Money service will provide an unprecedented level of financial inclusion through the empowerment of millions of Sri Lankan citizens with electronic money transfer and payment facilities.
Approved by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, ‘mCash’ is a useful supplementary method to transfer money that is fast, user-friendly and would provide a host of special offers to its customers. The number of mobile phone subscribers in Sri Lanka has reached a staggering 20 million which would promote the demand for value added services such as ‘mCash’.
Custodial Banking services will be provided by Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, while Deutsche Bank A.G, is the Trustee Bank for this new initiative. ‘mCash’ would be the fastest, most secure and convenient method to transact money, settle utility bills and purchase goods and services via a mobile phone through an established partner network.
The dawn of the Mobile Money era in Sri Lanka has been made possible by the progressive and financial inclusion-focused, regulatory ethos of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Three female sex workers were arrested with three other managers for operating a mobile brothel using a three-wheeler by the Panadura-Walana Anti Vice Squad in Mt. Lavinia last night, police said.
Police said the suspects are to be produced before the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate today. Further investigations are being carried out by the Mt. Lavinia Police.
Tourism Information Centre has been opened under the patronage of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. The Information Centre is siituated opposite the Tourism Development Authority at Galle Road, Colombo 3.
This Information Centre which will be open round the clock will provide an efficient and speedy service for tourists.
Investment Promotion Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana, Economic Development Deputy Minister A L A Hisbulla and several others participated on the occasion.
Thirty three contestants who qualified for the Miss France 2014 Finale along with reigning Miss France Marine Lorphelin who is also the first runner up in 2013 Miss World arrived in Sri Lanka today on a tour.
This is the first time that final contestants of a Miss France contest visited Sri Lanka although they had visited countries like Thailand, Maldives, Mexico and Mauritius before.The winner of the Miss France 2013 would visit Sri Lanka again and would represent as a brand ambassador of Cinnamon Hotel and Resorts.Cinnamon Hotel and Resorts and Srilankan Airlines are providing facilities for the tour.
In an interview with popular gossip website 'Gossip Lanka News' Popular actress Gayesha Perera has revealed that she is going to contest the upcoming Western Province Provincial Council polls under the UPFA ticket.
Noting that she does not intend to join 'fake politics' of the the present lady representation in politics, Gayesha said that she would join a strong leader and take up the voices of suffering women.
'I am a person who accepts this country's leader completely. I have even spoke on stage in support of Army housing programmes. I am that kind of courageous actress. I will come forward to speak on behalf of women who have faced injustice,' she has said.
"However, in politics, I will deem neither MPs nor Ministers as good. For me, only the public will be good. I will take a decision on this regard very soon," she has added.
A 25-year-old model with a 42-inch bottom has been crowned Brazil's new Miss Bum Bum.
Dai Macedo, who represented the central state of Goias in the nationwide search for the woman with the most bodacious butt in all of Brazil, was chosen from among 15 finalists by the contest's grand jury in Sao Paolo this week.
"It's a lot of work, a lot of devotion," Macedo told Agence France-Presse by way of an interpreter. "I denied myself a lot of things. No nightclubs. No sweets. I went to the gym Saturdays and Sundays."
The sacrifice is well worth it. Miss Bum Bum winners become instant celebrities in Brazil, and receive a fortune in endorsements.
But the glamor comes with its share of drama. Earlier this year, a columnist for Brazilian newspaper O Dia accused Miss Bum Bum contestants Mari Sousa and Eliana Amaral of bribing judges in attempts to win.
In a note published in October, well in advance of the winners being announced, the newspaper reported that Sousa had secured top honors by paying thousands of dollars to judges. It also claimed Amaral paid $32,000 to judges and would come in second.
Those ethically suspect predictions did not pan out (although Amaral was awarded third place), but even the future bum-bum queen became embroiled in the scandal at the time. Angered by the accusations, Macedo joined other contestants in lashing out against corruption in Miss Bum Bum via social media, according to News.co.au.
Macedo distanced herself from the outburst after winning the competition.
"I'm all emotional. I didn't expect to win,'' Macedo said, according to News.co.au. "All hell broke loose on social media sites but now I can say the contest was real.''
The Exotic babe has been signed on to be the latest face of Guess – and the first Indian model for the brand – and she looks smokin’ hot in the latest ad campaign for summerwear. Priyanka Chopra is the latest face of Guess and her shoot for the ad campaign is totally droolworthy. The photographs captured by Summer of 69 singer Bryan Adams on a shoot assisted by Guess’ creative director Paul Marciano captivates and mesmerises the viewer. Other beautiful women who’ve endorsed Guess include supermodel Claudia Schiffer, Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith, Sports Illustrated cover girl Kate Upton, actor-director Drew Barrymore, heiress Paris Hilton, Victoria’s Secret star Adriana Lima and many others… and Priyanka has just joined the beautiful brigade! She is happy with her newest accomplishment too, saying, “I’m so proud to be the next #GuessGirl. It’s a legacy of beauty for 30 years..Thank u BRYAN ADAMS official and GUESS for making this such a fab shoot.” In the ad campaign, which includes only black and white shots, this dusky beauty looks sensational in the season’s hottest dresses. The sexy clothes, teased hair and cat eyeliner ups Priyanka’s glam quotient in the campaign shot in a Mediterranean villa. In one of the pictures, she’s seen in a black dress with a dangerously low neckline, smiling flirtatiously at a man sitting next to her. How she manages to look so classy and yet utterly sexy is quite a mystery.
The vehicle of the UNP leader Ranil Wickremasinghe had been attacked by some protesters it is reported.
During the attack he had not sustained injuries but there had been some minor damages to his vehicle.
This attack had been made by a group of ‘Samagi Balawegaya’ who had made a protest against the human rights summit and exhibition opposite the Siri Kotha.
A satellite has run out of fuel and will plunge back to the earth within the next 24 hours was disclosed by the European space Agency.
The scientists of the European space agency have revealed that by the time it enters the atmosphere of the earth from outer space most of its parts may have got burnt and what would remain is only about 200 kilo grams of the remnants of the satellite.
The satellite had been sent in the year 2009 and it had been in space for the double the time it was supposed to be in space. Those in the space agency cannot predict to which part in the earth the remnants of the satellite would fall.
It is reported that the all fuel had been exhausted because of the longer stay in outer space..
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in Pakistan has won the Sri Lanka Identity Card project.
Various international IT firms participated in this international competitive bidding process. The mega project shall involve data collection of all eligible citizens’ biometric, biographic and digitization of the same, thus transforming it into a National Persons Registry . This data will be scanned and converted into digital format to be uploaded to the National Persons Registry. Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan congratulated chairman NADRA and his winning team on this success. “NADRA has made Pakistan proud,” he said.
The Sri Lankan government invited IT firms from across the world to participate in the bid based on three components segregating Scanning/ Digitisation of new ID Forms, ID Card Backend system and Data Centre and Personalization of ID Cards. It was mandatory for international firms to bid in partnership with local firms. NADRA has submitted bids for the first two components through NADRA-Informatics consortium. The consortium has been awarded the Letter of Intent for the first phase of the project by being the lowest bidder.
In the first component, at present, there are approximately 15 million manual paper based identity card holders.
For the re-registration purpose, Department for Registration of Persons expects to collect re-registration data from the existing issued population (i.e. citizens who have been issued with the present paper based National Identity Card). This process covers the manual paper based collection of applicant’s data and subsequent transfer of such data for digitisation in an ambitious and challenging duration of 9 months. NADRA is committed to meet this challenge within the timelines.
Chairman NADRA, Tariq Malik said that this is a landmark achievement which will restore business confidence of foreign governments on NADRA and Pakistan. “It is encouraging to see that customized systems indigenously developed by NADRA are winning international competitive process,” said Tariq Malik.
It is pertinent to mention here that NADRA had recently developed and delivered Nigerian national identity card system that aims at delivering a robust National Identity Management System to assist Government of Nigeria in issuance of Smart ID cards to its citizen. In the current year NADRA implemented Civil Registration System in Sudan in Arabic language.
NADRA’s other international achievements include Machine Readable Passport (MRP) Issuance System for Kenya, Driving Licensing system for Bangladesh, Biometric Refugee Registration System for UNHCR and World Bank’s Poverty Score Card |System. NADRA is among the top 50 system integrators in world ranking, according to Italy-based ID World Congress ratings. “This extraordinary milestone will further improve NADRA’s international ratings,” said Tariq Malik.(The Nation-Pakistan)
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Friday officially declared open Sri Lanka's first PC computer manufacturing plant in the southern port city of Hambantota.
Microsoft OEM partner, EWIS Computer Assembly Plant at Sooriyaweva in Hambantota is expected to bring the country another step closer to its goal of becoming the IT hub of Asia as outlined in the Mahinda Chintana policy.
Several roads in and around Colombo will be closed from time to time on November 15,16 and 17 for security reasons in view of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), police stated.
The police released the above schedule which lists the roads that will be closed and the times during which they will remain closed during these three days.
Sri lanka prime Minister D M Jayaratne says that as the rumors there won’t be taxes imposed to cover the cost of CHOGM.
He further said that the cost of the summit will not affect the people and taxes will not be increased.He said this participating as the Chief Guest of awareness programme to school children regarding the CHOGM held in Gampola
While leaders of 53 countries are supposed to participate in this, some are trying to influence the countries not to participate in the summit. But, even by now most of the leaders have confirmed their participation.
Lady Gaga is streaming her new album a week early after leaks, but she hinted on Wednesday at an out-of-this-world publicity splash with its official launch - a concert in space.
The multi-platinum-selling pop diva's third album, "Artpop", went up without warning on iTunes after a trickle of leaks in recent days on the Internet. The first official release was Wednesday in Japan.
But the rarely subtle singer gave fans another reason to wait for the album's official international launch on Sunday. “Us Weekly” magazine reported that Lady Gaga would become the first singer to perform in outer space.
The Department of Education states that the results of the Advanced Level Examination will be released before December 24. In the meantime, Examinations Commissioner General W.M.N.J. Pushpakumara stated that the final round of paper-marking of the G.C.E Ordinary Level Examination papers is currently underway. This year's G.C.E Ordinary Level Examinations were held from August 5 - 31 A total of 235,318 students sat for the examination through their schools and 45,242 private applicants sat for the recently concluded G.C.E Ordinary Level Examination.
Sri lanka transport Minister Kumara Welgama said that all bus drivers would be banned from using mobile phones while driving from tomorrow,
He said this was being done after learning that the bus driver involved in the Banadarawela tragedy, which killed 10 passengers and injured 18, was in the habit of using his mobile phone while at the wheel.
Out of his own funds, the minister donated Rs. 25 000 to the next of kin of those who died and Rs.10 000 to those who were injured.(Prasanna Pathmasiri)
President Mahinda Rajapaksa opened the newly constructed House of Fashions shopping mall at D.S.Senanayake Mawatha, Borella monday evening.
This opening sees the closure of the fashion retailers mall situated at the Duplication Road.
The new mega ‘House of Fashions’ mall located at the D. S. Senanayake Mawatha, Colombo 8, spans across 250,000 square feet.
The nine story building is the largest one-owner store in South Asia.
This is the sole House of Fashion shopping center in the country and will contain products carrying international brand names such as Nike, Adidas, Disney, Mango and other famous brand names.
The House of Fashions store in Duplication road, Colombo 4 is now closed for business.
Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Pakistan Jayalath Weerakkody recently said that Sri Lanka has concluded an agreement to purchase 100 cars manufactured by Toyota Pakistan,
This was revealed during a meeting between the Sl envoy and Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar wherein they discussed the upcoming meeting of Common Wealth Heads of Government (CHOGM) being held in Sri Lanka this month, the Pakistan based The Nation newspaper reported.
The Finance Minister expressed the confidence that economic ties between the two countries would grow further and thanked the Sri Lankan government for purchasing cars from Pakistan, it said.
The High Commissioner invited the Finance Minister to the meeting and also requested him to address the Business Economic Forum being held on the sidelines of the conference. The Finance Minister said that he was extremely grateful for the invitation which reflected the close fraternal relations that existed between the two countries.
During the meeting the High Commissioner also informed the Finance Minister that the Joint Ministerial Economic Commission between the two countries is scheduled to meet in Colombo on November 27-28, 2013.
The High Commissioner said that both countries can cooperate in the fields of Dairy and Livestock, Housing, Construction and setting up of sugar industry in Sri Lanka to further strengthen their bilateral economic ties.
The Finance Minister said that Pakistan will provide all possible assistance to Sri Lanka in the development of their infrastructure and industry.
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