All Blogs
Sri Lanka votes in local poll
Mar.30 (AFP) – Sri Lankans were voting Thursday to elect local government bodies, but there was no balloting in the island’s embattled northern and eastern regions, officials said. Some 10.1 million people are eligible to vote for municipal and urban councils as well as village councils responsible for the maintenance of utilities, but electoral officials […]
Tigers seek security guarantees to attend Swiss talks
Mar. 30 (AFP) – Tamil Tiger rebels Thursday demanded guarantees of safe passage through Sri Lanka’s only international airport to attend Swiss talks next month on saving their troubled ceasefire.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they will attend talks in Switzerland, tentatively set for April 19 to 21, only if peace broker Norway […]
Mediator tells Sri Lankan parties to keep ceasefire promise
LONDON, Mar. 29 (AFP) – The main mediator in the long-standing conflict in Sri Lanka, Erik Solheim of Norway, on Wednesday called for the government and Tamil rebels to keep their commitment to a ceasefire even after the recent deadly attack on a naval vessel.Suspected rebels blew up a trawler together with six of their […]
Sri Lanka’s top Nordic peace envoys to visit the island next week
Mar. 29 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Nordic peace envoys will visit the island next week for a series of meetings with the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, the Norwegian embassy said Wednesday. New special envoy Jon Hanssen-Baur will make his maiden visit to the island on Monday April 3 for four-days. Hanssen-Baur, a Middle […]
Expensive Joke
Mar. 29 (LBO) – Sri Lanka will introduce stamp duties from April on a range of services like credit cards, leasing and insurance policies, as the government looks for ways to raise revenue to pay for infrastructure and welfare spending plans. -Mel Gunasekera: mel@ Exemption list: Insurance policy on: Life, Medical Plant, machinery and equipment […]
Extended Invitation
Mar. 29 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Department of Inland Revenue is giving three extra months to pay back-taxes without facing penalties.Newly appointed Inland Revenue Chief A A Wijepala said those who did not have tax files earlier but register to pay tax this year, would not be questioned about their incomes in previous years. In […]
Filling Gaps
A fast track program to give non-tech graduates jobs in the IT field has paid off, with a first batch of students finding full time work in top companies. The four month program by the Moratuwa University gives graduates from other fields marketable skills like computer programming, web design, networking and business know how. Surveys […]
‘s top Nordic peace envoys to visit the island next week
Mar. 29 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s Nordic peace envoys will visit the island next week for a series of meetings with the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, the Norwegian embassy said Wednesday. New special envoy Jon Hanssen-Baur will make his maiden visit to the island on Monday April 3 for four-days. Hanssen-Baur, a Middle […]
Tsunami helped to create peace, say UN experts
BONN, Mar.28 (AFP) – Wars were one of the main problems hampering efforts to save lives in natural disasters but catastrophes like the Asian tsunami have helped to promote peace, UN experts said here on Tuesday.The death toll in Sri Lanka, one of the countries hit by the December 2004 tsunami, was aggravated by the […]
Sri Lanka vows talks despite sinking of navy craft
Mar. 29 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s government Wednesday pledged to continue talks with Tamil Tiger rebels despite the killing of eight sailors in a suicide blast and fears the island could slip back to full scale war.Colombo’s chief peace negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva said Sri Lanka’s government will go ahead with talks next month […]