Category: General Services

Dec 27, 2007 (LBO) – A Sri Lanka minister who was held hostage by angry colleagues inside a television station after he assaulted the news chief of the broadcaster was rescued by commandos, an LBO journalist at the scene said. Chandrasekera’s colleague Lal Mawalage said this was the first time the Rupavahini Corporation had acted […]

Dec 27, 2007 (LBO) – A digital satellite radio disaster alert system that can be remotely activated which was field tested in Sri Lanka is now ready for use in the region to give early warning of tsunamis, officials said. The Addressable Radio for Emergency Alert (AREA) system can send disaster alerts within seconds of […]

Dec 23, 2007 (LBO) – A mapping programme using satellite pictures will help Sri Lanka’s government do better planning and rebuilding in the tsunami-hit eastern and southern provinces, officials said. The French-funded Geographical Information System (GIS) project using high resolution satellite imagery costs almost a billion rupees. The detailed digital maps that can be prepared […]

Dec 21, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s second international literary festival in Galle next year will focus on the theme climate change and would reach out to get a new generation interested in English, its organizers said. The Galle festival was named as one of the best literary festivals in the world, by the American […]

Dec 20, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s immigration authorities have informed Sri Lankan airlines Thursday, that its chief executive Peter Hill’s resident visa has been cancelled, an official said. Hill had started his carrier as a trainee at British Airways forerunner British Overseas Airline Corporation in 1961. Hill, a Briton, was appointed by Emirates airlines, […]

Dec 19, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has decided to revoke the work permit of SriLankan Airlines chief executive Peter Hill, an official said.The Board of Investment chief Dhammika Perera said the action was taken was in the public interest after a request from the airline’s main shareholder was turned down. A government spokesman said […]

Dec 17, 2007 (LBO) – Visa fees for Sri Lankans traveling to the United States has increased from 100 US dollars to 131 US dollar, the US embassy in Colombo said. Applicants who have paid the 100 dollar fee before January 01 would be processed until January 31, but if the interview is after that […]

December 13, 2007 (LBO) – Organizers of a Sri Lankan advertising award scheme say they would clamp down on ‘scam’ ads, which are especially made to win awards but are not widely placed in media. This year the steering committee of the ‘Chillies 2008’ awards has devised stringent rules to counter such scam ads. According […]

Dec 13, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka saw more foreign visitors in November with Western Europe, a key generating market rallying 40 percent to drive total arrivals up by 20 percent, the tourism promotion office said. Arrivals from UK grew 53 percent to 7,938, Germany 24 to 4,005 while the Netherlands grew 85 percent to […]

BANGALORE, India, Dec 12, 2007 (AFP) – India remains the top destination for companies moving information-technology services to lower-cost economies, but China, Russia and Brazil are catching up, said a report released Tuesday.Research firm Gartner also said offshore spending will grow 60 percent in Europe and 40 percent in the US next year in a […]

Dec 04, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s top celco Dialog Telekom wants to collect a million old phones and recycle them in the next two years in an initiative that will keep dangerous heavy metals from contaminating the environment, officials said. Phone batteries for example have heavy metals such a lead, nickel and cadmium. Dialog […]

Dec 04, 2007 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is aware of a campaign to block the renewal of trade concessions for apparel exports into the European Union and the government is taking counter measures, a minister said. “Human rights is just a football in that whole game.” “We’re very well aware of the campaign and the […]