Sri Lanka hotel profit margins on the rise: report

May 01, 2011 (LBO) - Profit margins of Sri Lanka's tourist hotels are widening with an influx of arrivals and rising room rates after the end of its 30-year ethnic war, a report said.Given the rather "anaemic" demand prior to 2009, when the war ended, most hotel operators had been compelled to compete on price, RAM Ratings (Lanka) said in a report on the island's hotel sector. "Price undercutting had been evident among most city hotels and those in the southern region, with certain 05-star establishment only charging about 60 US dollars per night." However, the government started imposing minimum room rates in 2009 to curb excessive price competition, and a third increase recently implemented raised minimum rates to 125 dollars from April....

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Sunday Business News Articles

THE ISLANDLAKBIMA NEWSTHE SUNDAY TIMESTHE SUNDAY OBSERVERTHE BOTTOMLINETHE SUNDAY LEA...

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India's Rejection Of US Aircraft : As Seen By Chinese

Chinese netizens interested in strategic issues have been showing interest in India's reported decision to go for European jet fighters for its Air Force in preference to the aircaft offered by US companies. They see this as a possible reflection of India's unhappiness over the continuing US restrictive policies relating to the transfer of high technology to India. by B.Raman(May 1, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) Chinese netizens interested in strategic issues have been showing interest in India's reported decision to go for European jet fighters for its Air Force in preference to the aircraft offered by US companies. They see this as a possible reflection of India's unhappiness over the continuing US restrictive policies relating to the...

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The Royal Wedding: Tying the knot between countries

Prince William and Kate in the centre with attendants, (clockwise from bottom right) the Hon. Magarita Armstrong-Jones, Miss Eliza Lopes, Miss Grace van Custem, Lady Louise Windsor, Master Tom Petttifer, Master William Lowther-Pinkerton Photo:Burnand Clarence Houseby Michael R. Czinkota and Mariele Marki(May 1, London, Sri Lanka Guardian)The royal wedding of Prince William of England and Kate Middleton had millions viewers around the world with their eyes glued to televisions. If student actions at Georgetown University are an indicator, in the U.S. at three in the morning, many Americans tuned in to live coverage of the royal wedding or even met at hotels with large screens to watch and have British breakfast . Most major media networks...

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Aya Kiguchi - Gravure idol, female talent.

Name: Aya Kiguchi, 木口 亜矢, きぐち あやDate of Birth: 11 October 1985Current age: 25 years nowKawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan Flag of Japan HometownBlood type: AHeight  158 cmWeight  kgBody measurements 89 - 57 - 86 cmF bra size FShoe Size 23.5 cmProfessional: Gravure idol, female talent. works:今夜もドル箱（2009年7月7日、テレビ東京）ゴッドタン（2009年7月22日、テレビ東京）グラビアの美少女　（MONDO21）男おばさん+（2009年10月14日、フジテレビワンツーネクスト)ロンドンハーツ～2010春マジックメール（秘）送信売れっ子一斉検挙SP～ （2010年4月6日、テレビ朝日）今夜もドル箱!!EX（2010年12月28日、テレビ東京） No tag for this po...

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Moscow may veto UN resolution against Sri Lanka: Russian Envoy

by Anthony DavidCourtesy: The Sunday Times(May 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Russian Ambassdor in Sri Lanka, Vladimir P. Mikhaylov has said that the UN panel report was counterproductive and, “if some forces try to defend or push forward the allegations” Russia will oppose such moves.The Ambassador in an interview with the Sunday Times explaining why Russia was opposing the panel report said there were too many questions about the report.Excerpts:Q: Tell us if the UN report was submitted to any Consultative Committee of the UN Security Council on April 18 and did the Russian Ambassador to the UN object. If so on what grounds were the objections made ?At that time it was not officially submitted. It had not been made public. We opposed...

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The Darusman Report: A Critique of Excess

 Why did the Rajapaksas lie to the people? Was it because they wanted to persuade the Panel not to come up with an adversarial report while using the Panel’s existence to ignite patriotic-hysteria locally? Mahinda Rajapaksa’s outburst of juvenile-euphoria about being voted No. 4 on the Time magazine’s list of influential persons demonstrates, yet again, that underneath his anti-Western bluster our President yearns to shine, not in Beijing and Tehran, but in Washington and London. Was this why the regime secretly cultivated a moderate image in New York while maintaining an anti-UN and anti-West façade in Colombo?by Tisaranee Gunasekara“The state has a right under international law to ensure its national security and to defend itself against...

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A government’s arrogance and a country’s plight

 The other option would have been, as suggested in certain quarters, to have rejected the Panel outright and not to have participated in the process at all. Even this approach may have been possible if Sri Lanka had, like Israel, engaged in a credible internal investigation and pulled itself together in respect of its criminal justice processes and important liberty remedies such as habeas corpus by Kishali Pinto Jayawardene(May 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It appears to have gone unnoticed that the annexures to the report of the Advisory Panel to the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) show that the engagement of the Sri Lanka Government with the Panel had gone far beyond the surreptitious visit of toplevel government officials...

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May Day call to revive freedom and democracy

Oppose government chauvinistic policiesby Dr Vickramabahu Karunaratne(May 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Government is planning to hold a mammoth May Day rally organized by the UPFA and it will be held in Colombo under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. We are told that four major processions organized by the UPFA constituent parties will start from Campbell Park Borrella, Narahenpita, Maligakanda and Rajagiriya and will march to Town Hall, the venue of the May Day rallyZ. Reports say that the theme of the UPFA May Day rally will be “People’s power to protect the country”. The UPFA Secretary, Minister Premajayantha, has said that UPFA activists and all patriotic people will make May Day the platform to showcase the country’s unity...

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Premadasa’s 18th death anniversary today

(May 01, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The 18th death anniversary of President Ranasinghe Premadasa falls today (May Day). The LTTE assassinated the President near Armour Street police station on May Day 1983 as he was leading a column of UNPers for the May Day rally.The police later identified the ‘human bomb’ as ‘Babu’, who infiltrated Premadasa’s inner circle and waited for instructions from the Vanni.However, some expressed doubts over the LTTE’s involvement in the assassination. Bradman Weerakoon, International Affairs Advisor to Premadasa, in a book he wrote some years after the assassination cast doubts on the notion that it was the LTTE which murdered the PresidentIn "Rendering Unto Caesar" (Sterling Publishers, New Delhi, 2004) Weerakoon...

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