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Sri Lanka tea trade wins demand on export tax usage
June 22 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea trade has won a greater say in how funds raised from a tax on tea exports are spent by the government, a senior industry official said. . Colombo Tea Traders’ Association (CTTA) chairman Tyeab Akbarally said the government had acceded to industry demands and agreed to give it […]
Women Power
June 22, 2007 (LBO) – More women are joining the construction industry, attracted by the higher wages that have risen with the boom in building activity, a senior industry official said. Dakshitha Thalgodapitiya, Secretary General of the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI), said new training centres being set up by the organisation were attracting female […]
” by printing money to 1.5 million percent inflation: US
LONDON, June 22, 2007 (AFP) – Zimbabwe’s government is “committing regime change on itself” with its failing economic policy which has sapped faith in the regime from the population, the US ambassador to Harare said in an interview published Friday. Mugabe however blames the woes on targeted sanctions imposed on himself and members of his […]
University regrets giving doctorate to money printer
NEW YORK, June 21, 2007 (AFP) – The University of Massachusetts on Thursday rebuked Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who was awarded an honorary degree by the university in 1986.The university board cited in a statement Mugabe’s award of an honorary degree by the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1986 “for his actions as a ‘humane […]
China to cut exports, boost consumption and relax exchange controls
BEIJING, June 22, 2007 (AFP) – A rise in the value of China’s currency will not in itself be enough to narrow the nation’s yawning trade surplus, a senior central bank official was quoted as saying in state media Friday.The licence scheme, know as qualified domestic institutional investors (QDII), has so far been restricted to […]
Sri Lanka top opener bowled out of upcoming matches
June 21, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan left-hand opener Upul Tharanga injured a foot and has been ruled out of the first two Tests against Bangladesh compounding problems to secure the top order, an official said Thursday. “Tharanga was hit on his foot by a Lasith Malinga delivery this morning,” Sri Lanka Cricket Secretary Kangadaran […]
Is Sri Lanka running in place or falling behind?
June 22, 2007(LBO) – A little over a year ago, I wrote a column called “The Sri Lankan state: Failed, failing or maligned?” It was about a comparative ranking on countries on the likelihood of them becoming failed states. At the end of a critical assessment of their methodology, I concluded that “Notwithstanding these methodological problems, […]
Sri Lanka slammed over press rights
COLOMBO, June 22, 2007 (AFP) – International media rights activists on Friday described Sri Lanka as one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists due to a worsening climate of violence and censorship. Almost 5,000 people have been killed since December 2005, according to official figures, while over 1,000 people are reported […]
Sri Lanka court delays hearing Tamil eviction complaint
June 22, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on Friday delayed hearing a case challenging the eviction of minority ethnic Tamils from Colombo, which police said was undertaken to root out Tamil Tiger rebels.The legal challenge to the eviction was filed by local lobby group the Centre for Policy Alternatives. The court set the […]
Two dead as Sri Lanka Tigers blow up own boat
June 22, 2007 (AFP) – At least two Tamil Tiger rebels were killed when they detonated their explosives-laden boat off Sri Lanka’s northeastern coast Friday, naval sources said.More than 60,000 people are reported to have been killed in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s separatist campaign since 1972. A navy patrol was about to detain […]