80 years ago Sri Lanka

This a rare documentary Video about Sri Lanka & its culture

Jon Secada to perform live in Sri Lanka

Grammy award winning artist Jon Secada will perform live in Sri Lanka in December.
ABC Radio (Gold FM) - hirunews.lk- have confirmed that they have signed the international artist along with his 16 member band to perform in Colombo on the 8^th of December 2012.
Spanning a career of over 20 years in the music industry, Jon Secada has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and won several Grammy and Billboard awards. Secada has also worked as a songwriter for Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Mandy Moore and others.

Comb Duck- a very rare bird sighted in Yala

A rare bird believed to be extinct and not spotted for the last 80 years was suddenly seen in Yala by a nature lover recently.The Comb Duck species believed to be a native of Sri Lanka was presumed to be wiped out as there were no recordings of its presence in the country.

In the late 1880s the History of Birds of Ceylon had made reference to this bird. However, the Comb Duck, a whistler, was never seen. In G.M. Henry’s Birds of Sri Lanka in 1971 it was noted as possibly extinct as it was not spotted for many decades. W.W.A. Philips had recorded in 1978 unconfirmed reports of the bird, but it was never seen, after long years in 1999 John Harrison in his book gives the name as Comb Duck (Nukhta)(sarkidiornis melanotos), and says that it was earlier resident in Sri Lanka, and is now extinct.

The Comb Duck is a large pan-tropical duck characterized by its goose-like appearance and an unusual knob on the male’s bill.  This knob stays small for most of the year but enlarges during breeding season, when the male Comb Ducks perch in trees and wait for the opportunity to mate. Comb Ducks are usually found in wetland areas and they tend to feed on vegetation and seeds, but will occasionally eat small fish or invertebrates.

The Sri Lankan Comb Duck is one of two subspecies of Comb Duck, also known as the Old World Comb Duck. This subspecies can also be found in sub-Saharan Africa, and other parts of South Asia.

Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for weddings and honeymoons

Sri Lanka as a destination has been promoted under two new themes at the World Travel Market (WTM), one of the largest global travel and tourism events at the London ExCel Exhibition Centre.

Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) launched two key promotional themes at the WTM ‘Sri Lanka -Ideal Wedding Destination’ and Cricket during their four day hard promoting events towards one million arrivals by the end of this year.

The Sri Lankan delegation at WTM, comprises of nearly 125 members, representing 53 destination management companies in the hotel and resorts sector. During WTM 2012, exclusive media interviews will take place with the view of promoting Sri Lanka under the main theme of ‘Wonder of Asia,’ whilst enhancing the two sub themes of promoting Sri Lanka as an ideal destination for weddings and honeymoons and also as a destination for cricket. Accordingly, during the first two days of the exhibition, a traditional wedding ceremony, enriched with customs was featured at the stall, providing an ideal opportunity for visitors to witness the culturally-rich traditions of Sri Lanka. SLTPB will focus on promoting Sri Lanka as a cricketing destination on the third day of the exhibition, during which stall staff and exhibitors will wear Sri Lanka Cricket T-shirts.

Sri Lanka Cricket T-shirts and miniature bats will be distributed to visitors to the stall and SLTPB has also invited the English Cricket Board, main cricket clubs and their presidents to grace the event by contributing to the planned raffle draws. In addition, a programme to promote Ceylon Tea will be held at the time of the exhibition, providing a rare chance to the visitors to enjoy a cup of pure Ceylon Tea.

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He is not from another planet but he is from the summit of Sigirira Rock Fortress.You are advised to have a plastic overall when you climb to the summit from the lion's pow at the NUESCO world heritage site of Sigiriya - Sri Lnka.It is free and included to the entry fee of $ 30.

Hornet colony

All these are because of the hornets threat.There is large colony of them at the eastern side of the rock.

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