Author: Mel Gunasekera
Roaming Multiple
June 14, 2012 (LBO) – South Asians continue to pay more for their international roaming call charges when they travel within the region, despite a pledge in 2008 by regional heads to trim costs, a think-tank said. A Maldivian roaming in Bangladesh will pay 345 times more for a local call, the study showed. Sri […]
Sri Lankan lantern makers feel the pinch from Chinese rivals
May 5, 2012 (LBO) – They are round in shape, colourful, sturdy, covered with cloth, with a little Buddhist flag competing for attention among pictures of pretty flowers. Chinese lanterns have slipped into Sri Lanka’s Vesak market threatening to dislodge the traditional paper lanterns. Colourful Tradition Colourful hexagon lanterns in many homes and places of […]
”s Jubilant
April 26, 2012 (LBO) – India’s Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, regional franchise holder for Domino’s Pizza, is investing 300 million rupees in Sri Lanka in 2012, and would spend up to two billion rupees over the next five years to support growth, an official said. “We are extremely bullish on Sri Lanka, the economy has shown […]
Secret Shoot
May 19, 2011 (AFP) – Under a cloak of secrecy, the first film adaptation of controversial author Salman Rushdie’s celebrated novel “Midnight’s Children” has finished shooting in Sri Lanka. Canadian director Deepa Mehta chose the South Asian island as a location instead of India or Pakistan, where the book is set, to avoid problems with […]
Fourth night of protests in Maldives
May 3, 2011 (AFP) – Anti-government protesters took to the streets of the Maldives for a fourth night on Tuesday, as police baton-charged demonstrators and arrested a senior opposition activist, eyewitnesses said. Police arrested opposition member Umar Naseer on Tuesday night as he led scores of people through the narrow cobbled streets of Male, demanding […]
Sri Lanka want World Cup win for Murali
February 24, 2011 (AFP) – Sri Lanka want to win the World Cup as a farewell trophy for legendary spinner and world record holder Muttiah Muralitharan who will retire from international cricket after the tournament. The spinner, who holds the records for Test (800) and one-day wickets (521), is playing his fourth and final World […]
‘s Murali hopes to end on World Cup high
February 12, 2011 (AFP) – Record-breaking Sri Lankan bowler Muttiah Muralitharan goes into his fourth and final World Cup praying that he ends his glorious international career on a high. “In the end, it boils down to the team that takes it one match at a time.” “My role for this World Cup is to […]
Divisions over Sri Lanka book festival boycott call
GALLE, January 28, 2011 (AFP) – Does it make sense to defend freedom of speech by calling on writers not to speak at a literary festival? South African novelist Damon Galgut pulled out explicitly because of the campaign, while Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and fellow writer Kiran Desai withdrew last week for reasons which […]
Sri Lanka struggles with flood havoc
BATTICALOA, January 14, 2011 (AFP) – The Sri Lankan military and aid agencies struggled Thursday to bring relief to a million people displaced by floods that have claimed nearly 30 lives and devastated the island’s rice bowl. Even as torrential rains eased overnight to bring some temporary respite, the number of people seeking protection in […]
Sri Lankan exporters brace for life without EU tax breaks
DANKOTUWA, August 15, 2010 (AFP) – Sri Lankan exporters braced for hard times as the EU’s withdrawal of import concessions took effect Sunday after Colombo’s refusal to allow scrutiny of its human rights record. Sri Lanka has long been a preferred source for top high streets brands and its garment, china and other exports enjoyed […]
Sri Lankans hit Tamil Tiger tourist trail
KILINOCHCHI, May 19, 2010 (AFP) – The wreckage left by a brutal war has created a new tourist trail in Sri Lanka just a year after the Tamil Tiger rebels were crushed by government forces. “I make about 500 rupees (four dollars) a day,” says Kilinochchi native N. Seelan, who sells palmyrah-based sweets to tourists. […]
Sri Lanka seeks harmony between elephants and humans
LUNUGAMWEHERA, May 17, 2010 (AFP) – In the early hours of a hot dry day, four orphaned elephants begin a bumpy truck ride back to the jungles of southern Sri Lanka where they had been rescued from near certain death. The four baby jumbos — now aged five and six — are ready to leave […]