Category: General Services

Nov 01 (LBO) – Sri Lanka™s consumer watchdog is stepping up raids in shops and supermarkets to weed our creative pricing and other offences, as Sri Lanka™s cost of living soars. Consumer prices in Sri Lanka went up to 17.2 percent in October from 15.4 percent in September, driven upwards by higher prices of cigarettes, […]

Oct 26, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka™s trade ministry has shot down efforts by local businessmen to get desiccated coconut off India™s protected list, to avoid a political battle with the island™s largest trading partner. Desiccated coconut is on a preferential trading list which gives Sri Lankan exports to India a preferential duty of 57 […]

October 23, 2006 (LBO) – The Ceylinco Consolidated Group™s 3-billion rupee state-of-the-art women and children hospital is due to open in March 2008. The privately owned Golden Key Hospital for Women and Children, aims to offer pediatric, maternity and gynecological services. Built on a land in Narahenpita, the 200 bed hospital hopes to be fully […]

Oct 12, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has relaxed earlier moves to ban milk powder advertising, instead regulating branded milk adverts so that liquid milk gets adequate airtime. Cabinet spokesperson and media minister Anura Yapa said Thursday that the government had agreed to regulate advertising of branded powder milk. This includes a mandatory slogan promoting […]

Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) – Escalating violence in Sri Lanka has led to unofficial censorship enforced by intimidation and death threats against journalists, an international group said Wednesday. A “fact finding mission” by a dozen media organisations as well as a UN body reported that security forces were interfering in the editorial work of media […]

October 9, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka Monday signed up for 20.5 million euros or a 2.67 billion rupee loan from the Dutch government to improve the drinking water facilities in six rural towns. Disbursed through Denmark™s Nordea Bank, the interest free loan falls under the Danish mixed credit programme where repayments are spread over […]

Oct 09 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has brought in restrictions on imports of remote controlled toys fearing the remote control unit and the frequency band can be used to set off explosive devises, officials said Monday. The regulations limit the frequency radius of ground and water toys to ten metres while aircrafts or any […]

Sept 28 (LBO) – Japan™s Asia Pacific University (APU) tied up with Sri Lanka™s Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and the ICT Agency this week, offering training for small and medium businesses and state institutions. The Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is the only university in Japan to offer an entire curriculum in English from undergraduate […]

Sept 25 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has slashed tariffs by up to 70 percent on top imports like cement imported duty free from India, under a trade deal with the neighbouring country. Sri Lanka™s bilateral trade deal with India allows for a phasing out of tariffs over an eight year period, for goods that are […]

Sept 25 (LBO) – Sri Lankan song writers and other artistes are hoping a new licensing and royalty scheme being drawn up will help protect their creative work and prop up earnings. Local artistes have banded together to form ˜collective societies™, on the lines of similar groups in the United Kingdom, to represent the rights […]

Sept 21 (LBO) – Another round of Indo-Lanka trade talks ended this week, with no firm agreement on resuming controversial duty free exports of vanaspati oil from Sri Lanka to India. The Vanaspati Association of Sri Lanka says however that they have been kept in the dark about talks. Vanaspati is a hydrogenated vegetable oil […]

Sept 20 (LBO) – The government has offered private traders space on board state chartered vessels carrying food to war torn Jaffna on possible commercial terms, to build up a buffer stock ahead of monsoon rains in November that would make passage difficult. The government has been sending essential food items like rice to the […]