PUBLISHED BY THE TIMES OF SRI LANKA IN TORONTO, CANADA VOLUME 16 – FEBRUARY 2012 RECYCLING BINS WITH LCD SCREENS HIT LONDON STREETS Innovative 'smart recycling bins' have been installed in London's financial square mile. The bins are being introduced as part of a new 21-year scheme to stop littering by free London newspapers. The smart bins feature wireless technology and integrated LCD displays to provide real-time information on everything from transport links to culture, weather and financial news. Smart Recycling Bins - The smart recycling bins have been developed by Renew, a green-minded company, whose screens feature adaptive brightness technology, lowering their power requirements by forty percent. Renew have partnered with the WWF, and one percent of all their profit is donated to sustainable power projects around the world. They are highly conscious of their carbon footprint, avoiding ink, paper, trucks and wastage in all their operations. Renew's network of over 200 screens are viewed by an estimated 750,000 people every day, which is expected to rise to more than three million by the time of the London Olympics. Renew's website reports a 'footfall per screen' of between 10,000 and more than 30,000 a day, and says professionals in the area will engage with the screens an average of between six and eight times every day. Bins with LCD Screens - The company supports a dedicated editorial department, and partner with a network of leading companies to distribute their latest up-to-the-minute content and information. The range of information displayed on the bins is hailed to include corporate and financial news, fashion, art, sport and entertainment news together with weather and headlines. Renew have embraced the concept of non-invasive "pervasive branding", explaining: "you don't have to shout when people want to listen". The screens will be a valuable resource for professionals on the move, helping to keep them connected and informed. The attractive recycing bins with LCD screens will encourage Londoners to recycle, providing a valuable marketing tool for partner companies, along with relevant, up-to-date information for the people on the street. The bomb-protective bins will also have the ability to display emergency safety information, helping to keep people away from danger. SANATH JAYASURIYA, SHAHID AFRIDI TO PLAY IN MAY 12 TORONTO T20 GAME By Upali Obeyesekere – Editor, TradeWinds e-Magazine Canadian cricket fans will get a fresh opportunity to see their stars in action when Cricket Canada promotes Cricket All-Star T20 exhibition game in association with Kat Rose Inc., on May 12, 2012, at downtown Toronto’s spectacular Rogers Centre and played on an indoor artificial surface. The T20 format is where each team has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20-overs. Each inning will last around 75 minutes. An Asia XI Team will battle it out with an International XI in the popular T20 format. Organizers said the halftime show would be a Bollywood showcase, with a musical appearance by Imran Khan – a melting pot himself as a Dutch-born Pubjabi singer of Pakistani heritage – with the birth-name of Singer. “The proceeds from this game will go toward the development of the sport in Canada,” said Ingleton Liburd, operations officer for Cricket Canada and a former national captain. Tickets went on sale on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 10 a.m., and the ticket prices are as follows: $25, $39, $69, $99, and $199 – these prices include all Ticketmaster convenience charges. It has been over 4 years since the last time international cricket was played in Canada, and tickets are expected to sell out fast. Tickets can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.ca, via telephone (1-855-985-5000), or at Rogers Centre Gate 9 Box office. The teams announced at the Press Conference on February 16th include the following: International XI: Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor, 26; fast bowler Tino Best of Barbados, another West Indies Test veteran, 30; Mark Boucher, 35, of South Africa who set a record for most dismissals by a wicketkeeper; Canadians Ashish Bagai and Rizwan Cheema – who in 2008 hit 10 sixes in one match; and Brian Lara, 42, who captained the West Indies. Asia XI: Sanath Jayasuriya, 42, of Sri Lanka; Shahid Afridi, 34, of Pakistan; Sunil Joshi, 41, of India; right-armed fast bowler Mohammad Sami, 30, of Pakistan; Saeed Ajmal, 34, of Pakistan who impressed when he made his international debut at 30; opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, 22, of Bangladesh. Because of the Indian Premier League’s operation at the time of the Toronto match, it is expected that various Pakistani players will form the nucleus of the Asia XI. Two of the world’s most explosive T20 players - Sanath Jayasuriya (inset) and Shahid Afridi will turn out for the Asia XI. Jayasuriya has retired from all forms of cricket, Afridi still plays for Pakistan. The large South Asian community in Canada is the next frontier for the expansion of cricket. Interestingly, the first indoor international cricket game in Canada was played on November 4, 1990, at the Toronto Skydome (now the Rogers Centre) and organized by the United Way of Greater Toronto under the dynamic leadership of Ben Sennick. This writer was part of the organizing committee. The game was an unqualified success and the event attracted more than 40,000 people and raised over $600,000, making it the largest and one of the most lucrative special events in Toronto, as at that date. A strong World XI was pitted against the might of West Indies in a 50-over format. West Indies won the game by 4-wickets. The World XI was led by legendary Pakistan World Cup skipper Imran Khan and packed with star players like Sachin Tendulkar (India), Mohammad Azharuddin (India), Aravinda de Silva (Sri Lanka), Imran Khan (Pakistan), Kapil Dev (India), Neil Fairbrother (England), Gehan Mendis (England – though Sri Lankan born), Mudassar Nazar (Pakistan), David Houghton (Zimbabwe), Manoj Prabhakar and Mahinder Singh India). Dashing Sachin Tendulkar was only 17, at the time and Imran Khan, 38. The West Indies team was a young strong side led by Desmond Haynes and included players like Brian Lara (21 years at the time), Ian Bishop, Carl Hooper, Carlisle Best, Richie Richardson, Augustine Logie, Malcolm Marshall, Jeffrey Dujon, Curtly Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh. In retrospect, those of us who were at the TradeWinds e-Magazine is Skydome that cold November will cherish the memories of seeing 17-year old Sachin Tendulkar, 21-year old Brian Lara and 25-year digitally produced in Toronto, old Aravinda de Silva who later became icons of the game. It was a tremendous experience and a memorable day for cricket in Canada and published by The Canada. This great game organized by Ben Sennick under the auspices of United Way, paved the way for international stars to Times of Sri Lanka. It enjoys a compete in festival games of cricket in Canada. TradeWinds e-Magazine hopes to work with the organizers to publicize the May 12 large global circulation. game and update information monthly in our popular e-magazine. 1 | Page Cabraal says, since the amount of dollars injected to Grant funding from GPOBA will bridge the gap Sri Lanka tightens Monetary the forex markets are fixed and pre-determined, the between what users can realistically afford to pay and Policy to keep inflation low – CB uncertainty about reserve losses would no longer be the actual cost of connection: Policy to keep inflation low – CB there. Governor Nivard Cabraal • GPOBA will pay a subsidy for new connections to "We have a certain part of the oil bills that we have the sewer network, ranging from US$100 to earmarked as that gap that we are having right now. Feb.13, 2012 – LBO US$419 per household depending on the type of So that gap we are addressing, the rest of the bills the Sri Lanka has connection provided; and an average subsidy of market can take care of itself. tightened its US$313 for households eligible for improvements monetary policy and to existing on-site sanitation services; "So what we are moving away from a price based imposed a credit intervention to a quantity based interventions." ceiling not only to • Households will contribute a reduced access fee of "So that no one can says there is a reserve loss. That counter balance of US$30 for new connections; or US$1 per month is a budgeted reserve intervention and the market will payments pressure for 15 months (through the water bill) for existing determine the price. but also to keep the on-site the improvements.ï¾ island's inflation low, Central Bank Governor About 800 million dollars are expected to be needed in Nivard Cabraal said. Sri Lanka lost more than a the next three months for oil bill interventions over the Consistent with the OBA approach NWSDB will pre- quarter of its foreign reserves last year defending a next three months. Analysts warn that liquidity injected finance the necessary investments. It will then receive dollar peg from around August to December, while to sterilize the forex sales would continue to add to new subsidy payments in two phases after access to the peg was also re-adjusted from 110 to 114 credit and eventually imports. Sri Lanka would fully improved sanitation has been delivered and verified, on rupees levels. Just recently, the Central Bank emerge from the balance of payments problem only a sample basis, by an Independent Verification Agent. imposed a credit ceiling of 18 percent for when all liquidity injections by the Central Bank are For new connections to networked sewerage, the first commercial banks, raised policy rates by 50 basis halted, either through a clean float, or higher interest 50 percent of the unit subsidy will be paid after a points and on Thursday, February 9th, the Central rates to rebalance deposits and credit.