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August 26, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lanka has blocked over 100 porn websites that allegedly feature local men and women, the government said Thursday, in its biggest yet Internet censorship move. The Sri Lankan Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has been asked to prevent users in the country accessing some 107 adult websites, the government information […]
Indian PM says wealth divide adding to instability
NEW DELHI, August 26, 2010 (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said that the country’s widening divide between rich and poor was a factor that encouraged crime and caused difficulties for police. Singh told a conference of police chiefs in New Delhi that national security was being threatened by an array of […]
Mother Teresa remembered, 100 years on
KOLKATA, August 26, 2010 (AFP) – A solemn mass kicked off a day of remembrance Thursday on the birth centenary of Mother Teresa, known as the “Saint of the Gutters” for her life’s work with the sick and destitute of Kolkata. Mother Teresa began her missionary work with the poor in Kolkata in 1948 and […]
US should stay off further stimulus: John Taylor
Aug 26, 2010, Palo Alto (LBO) – Though US economic growth is ‘fizzling out’ there is unlikely to be a double dip recession and new ad hoc stimulus measures should be avoided to give a sense of stability for economic agents to act, a top monetary economist has said. “My own view is that for […]
Sri Lanka Treasuries yields slip
Aug 25, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Treasuries yield slipped between 10 to 19 percent on Wednesday, auction results released by the government’s debt office showed, following a 50 basis point rate cut on August 25. The 3-month yield fell 12 basis points to 7.28 percent, the 6-month yield fell 19 basis points to 3.1 […]
Sri Lanka stocks close 0.34-pct up
Aug 25, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan stocks closed slightly higher Wednesday after rising sharply in early trade with some interest seen in financial sector shares, brokers said. Ceylon Leather Products, an ERI group firm, closed at 233. 60 rupees, down 22.90 or 8.93 percent. The All Share Price Index closed at 5,582. 87, up […]
Small Lender
Aug 25, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Sanasa Development Bank (SDB), a small lender from the co-operative movement, has retained its ‘BBB’ local long term rating with a stable outlook, RAM Ratings Lanka said. “Despite its high-risk target market, SDB has been able to maintain its better-than-industry asset quality, supported by its stringent credit evaluation […]
Sri Lanka urged to lift land controls by World Bank
Aug 25, 2010 (LBO) – A World Bank study has called on Sri Lanka to loosen controls on land ownership and use, saying restrictions tend to keep poor farmers poor. “Land-development ordinances that regulate the use and transfer of land keep a larger proportion of people dependent on agriculture,” the report said. “They also keep […]
Nail Torture
Aug 25, 2010 (LBO) – A Sri Lankan woman working as a domestic aide in Saudi Arabia has had 24 flaming nails driven in to her foot and a needle into her forehead by her employers, a rights body has said. Several hundred thousand Sri Lankan women work in Middle Eastern countries. The rights body […]
Sri Lanka revenue soars after vehicle import tax cut: official
Aug 25, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lankan government tax revenues have risen sharply after import duties on vehicle imports were slashed, a senior finance ministry official said. The government earned 1,700 million rupees in July alone on vehicle import tax revenue after import taxes were slashed in June, S R Attygalle, director-general of fiscal policy […]