Known to many as the “Oscars of the travel industry”, World Travel Awards has announced it will host its 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Doha, Qatar on December 11th 2011.

The glittering event will be staged at W Doha Hotel & Residences and is set to attract the most important decision-makers in global travel and tourism.

The evening marks the culmination of a year-long search for the very best travel and tourism brands in the world, and will feature the winners from the five regional heats competing head to head.

So far this year World Travel Awards has hosted the Middle East Gala Ceremony (Dubai, UAE), Europe Gala Ceremony (Antalya, Turkey), Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony (Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt), Asia & Australasia Gala Ceremony (Bangkok, Thailand) and Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony (Montego Bay, Jamaica).

After a rigorous selection procedure, Qatar was chosen as the host of the World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony, reflecting the Arabian nation’s rapid emergence as a tourism hotspot, with a focus on sport tourism in particular.

W Doha Hotel & Residences exemplifies Qatar’s leading edge approach to design and luxury lifestyle.

Guests can enjoy a tantalising menu of personalised services on the banks of the Persian Gulf.

Features include 291 guest rooms and suites, 154 residences, gourmet restaurants, a poolside shisha lounge, champagne bar and luxury retail outlets.

World Travel Awards president Graham Cooke highlighted how his organisation selects host destinations that are driving the industry to new heights through innovation and experimentation.

He said: “We are delighted to host our 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Qatar as it is such an exciting place to be right now.

“The country is investing $25 billion in tourism infrastructure in the build up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, giving rise to incredible opportunities within the luxury sector.

“Our Grand Final will see the winners of our five regional heats, who represent the cream of the global travel and tourism industry, compete head to head for the ultimate travel accolade.

“Winning a World Travel Award is an endorsement from the thousands of professionals across the globe, and a gold seal of approval to the consumer of travel excellence guaranteed,” he concluded.

For more info about World Travel Awards 2011 Grand Final Gala Ceremony & bookings visit the official website.

 

Source: 

http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/qatar-to-host-world-travel-awards-2011-grand-final/

Nov 01, Ratnapura: Sri Lanka's Gem and Jewellery Authority will mark its 40th Anniversary today at Ratnapura Provincial Council Auditorium with a exhibition of its precious products.

Sri Lankan Minister of Environment Anura Priyadarshana Yapa and Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs W.D.J. Seneviratne will open the two-day exhibition today.

Two rare gems belonging to the Authority will be on display at this Exhibition, the government media reported.

Sri Lanka's earnings from value-added gem and Jewellery exports are increasing and the precious stones and gems have become a major foreign income source for the country.

Under the Mahinda Chintana program the government has pledged to provide all assistance to develop the gem and jewellery industry in the country.

About 150 varieties of gems can be found in Sri Lanka which is famous for its blue sapphires and rubies.

The government says the Gem and Jewellery Authority has set a target of earning US$ 1 billion in the next five years from sales.

 

Source: 

http://www.colombopage.com/archive_11B/Nov01_1320131188CH.php

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II and her husbandPrince Philip have ended their Australian visit after tens of thousands of fans bid them farewell at a riverside barbecue.

The 85-year-old British monarch told the huge lunchtime crowd on the Swan River bank in the western coastal city of Perth on Saturday that she will return to London with "fond memories" of her 16th visit to Australia since 1954.

She later took off in a chartered airliner for the 18-hour flight home.

The queen made the 10-day visit to open the biennial meeting of Commonwealth government leaders in Perth on Friday. The 53 countries represented are mostly former colonies of the British empire.

Source: Associated Press

http://news.yahoo.com/queen-elizabeth-ii-ends-aussie-visit-barbecue-092228645.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PERTH: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II today invoked an Australian Aboriginal proverb which notes “we are just passing through”, as she called for enduring results from a Commonwealth summit.

In an address to open the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, the 85-year-old monarch said she had attended many such summits which had looked to the future with a sense of vision and practical action.

“In your deliberations over the days ahead, you have the encouragement of the whole Commonwealth to maintain this vital tradition,” she said.

“The results of this meeting may be global in impact or simply touch a single individual even imperceptibly. But in every respect I trust the results will be positive and enduring.”

As the representatives of the 54-nation bloc which stretches over six continents and ranges from impoverished nations to wealthy, advanced economies, watched, the queen recited an Aboriginal proverb “which is itself enduring”.

“We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love. And then we return home,” she said before officially declaring the summit open.

Dressed in a powder blue silk jacquard dress and coat with navy trim adorned with a brooch which previously belonged to her late mother, the queen said the 2011 CHOGM promised “to bring new vibrancy to the Commonwealth”.

“I wish heads of government well in agreeing further reforms that respond boldly to the aspirations of today and that keep the Commonwealth fresh and fit for tomorrow,” she said.

“In these deliberations, we should not forget that this in an association not only of governments, but also of peoples.”

Thousands have thronged public events in Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane to see the queen, with scores bringing flowers and momentoes to her, with the suggestion this could be her last visit to the distant realm.

“We are grateful to the people of Australia for their welcome,” the queen said in her address.

- AFP

Source: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/10/28/queen-urges-commonwealth-legacy/

 

The Institute of Chemistry Ceylon is in the process of organizing a three-day International Conference on Chemical Sciences, to be held from June 20 to 22, 2012 in Colombo.

 

A spokesperson for the institute told The Island that the confab would be part of the activities organized in view of the UN declaring 2011 as ‘International Year of Chemistry’ with the theme ‘Chemistry - Our Life, Our Future’. The official said the meeting would provide a much needed forum for scientists to promote and exchange recent advances in all disciplines of chemical sciences.

 

"We hope to bring together chemists, environmentalists, food scientists, chemical educationists, chemical technologists, chemical industrialists and climate change scientists with multi-disciplinary professional backgrounds on a common platform where they can exchange ideas and discuss the role of chemistry in relation to future challenges and how this knowledge can be effectively applied in industry, agriculture, education, environment and other diverse fields for development and prosperity in human life. Potential young minds will be enthused and inspired to pursue research in chemical sciences environment and climate change sciences," the institute said.

 

Main Topics to be discussed are natural products, food science, environmental Chemistry, chemical education, and new technological developments.  

 

The spokesman said: "abstracts are also welcomed in the following areas and electronic copies in these areas should be sent by email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ."

 

* Instrumental Methods of Chemical Analysis

 

* Environmental Pollution and Management

 

* Chemical and Toxic Waste Management

 

* Conservation, Bio-diversity, Green Chemistry

 

* Polymer Chemistry (natural/synthetic)

 

* Medicinal Chemistry and its contribution to human health

 

* Chemistry-Climate Interactions and Climate Change Adaptation/Mitigation

 

* Inter disciplinary approaches to the concept of research in all areas of chemical sciences, environment and climate change.

 

Registration

 

Registration for the conference is now open. Completed forms should be emailed or faxed to the Conference Secretary/Chair. For more details, please visit the website: http://www.ichemc.com/

 

(Source: http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=32831)

Oct 27, Colombo: Sri Lanka will host the 33rd Annual Forum of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) is to be held from October 28 to 30 at Colombo Hilton.

According to the organizers, PGA's 33rd Annual Forum will be on 'The Impact of Armed Violence on Development - Issues, Challenges and Parliamentary Solutions'.

The forum will explore the adverse impacts of armed violence in communities and societies in numerous countries around the world. Discussions will focus on armed violence in different sectors including Education and Health, Gender, Security and Trade and Investment.

The forum will be inaugurated by Speaker of Sri Lanka parliament Chamal Rajapaksa.

The PGA is a non-profit, non-partisan international network of over 1,000 legislators drawn from both the government and opposition parties in 131 elected parliaments from 105 countries around the world.

The organization aims to promote peace, democracy, the rule of law, human rights, sustainable development and population issues by informing, convening, and mobilizing parliamentarians to realize these goals.

(Source: ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka)

The President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Truong Tan Sang arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake for a three-day official visit on an invitation extended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The visiting President was received on arrival by President Rajapaksa at the Airport and was accorded a ceremonial welcome including a guard of honour by the Sri Lanka Navy, followed by a 21-gun salute. The Vietnamese President was accompanied by First Lady, Madam Mai Thi Hanh and a high-powered business delegation. This is the first state visit by a Vietnamese President to Sri Lanka, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1970. President Rajapaksa made a state visit to Vietnam in October 2009. During this visit, the two countries agreed to promote cooperation in economy, trade and investment to raise a two-way trade path which was at USD 65 million to US$100 million by 2012. President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam H.E. Truong Tan Sang and Madam Mai Thi Hanh warmly received by H.E. Presedent Mahinda Rajapaksa and First Lady Madam Shiranth Rajapaksa at the Bandaranayake International Airport on 13th October 2011.. Trade between Sri Lanka and Vietnam could potentially reach US$ 1 billion in the coming years thanks to an oil and gas cooperation pact and other business sector initiatives signed during a historic visit to Sri Lanka by Vietnam President Truong Tan Sang. The two sides have agreed to strive for US$ 1 billion in two-way trade, following talks between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Truong Tan Sang, who was accompanied by a 60-member business delegation. The Vietnamese President has affirmed that the visit, with the signing of agreements on increasing two-way trade and investment, will mark a new development in the Vietnam-Sri Lanka relations as well as open new opportunities and create more favourable conditions for the business communities in both countries. The Vietnamese President reiterated Vietnam’s firm resolve to support Sri Lanka to achieve its economic goals and stability. President Rajapaksa had noted that Sri Lanka has attained peace and political stability and embarked on a national reconciliation process. Sri Lanka has set a target of becoming a middle-income country and a maritime and aviation hub linking the Middle East and Asia, he said. Sourse: www.sesatha.co.uk/Event_News/

OCTOBER - Saturday 8th,  7.30pm to 1.00am

 

 

SPUR Annual Dinner Dance. The Dinner Dance with value for money with less talk and more non-stop music for dancing by two versatile bands in Melbourne. SPUR Annual Fund Raising Dinner Dance will be held at the Springvale Town Hall. Music by Midnight Mist and DJNaz with sumptious smorgy by Jolly Js. Donation $55.00 per head. Keep the date free.

Contact: Malin 9503 8718, Sandamala 9749 0319

The media training workshop Asi Disi Vinisa organized by the Mass Media and Information Ministry will be held on July 30 at the Computer Training Centre for the Sri Lanka