Media Policy

June 23, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s president has scrapped a contentious code of conduct for journalists after editors and rights groups condemned it as a further blow to press freedom, government and media sources said Sunday.President Mahinda Rajapakse ordered his information ministry not to proceed with the proposed code of conduct bill, but instead […]

Sri Lanka exports down 6.8-pct in April

June 24, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s exports fell 6.8 percent in April 2013 to 696.6 million US dollars with apparels falling 14.98 percent to 275 million US dollars from a year earlier, and exports in first four months down 7.8 percent, the Central Bank said. Industrial exports were down 7.5 percent to 518 million […]

Cricket: India deny England in Champions Trophy thriller

BIRMINGHAM, June 23, 2013 (AFP) – India added the Champions Trophy title to the World Cup they won two years ago after seeing off England by five runs in a dramatic final at Edgbaston on Sunday. Tournament hosts England, still to win a major one-day international title, appeared to have done the hard work in […]

”s Agadez among new UNESCO sites

PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Japan’s Mount Fuji, a series of ancient terraced rice paddies China, and the desert city of Agardaz in Niger were among the cultural jewels granted World Heritage status by UNESCO at its annual meeting on Saturday. On Saturday, UNESCO also inscribed the landscapes of terraced rice fields of Honghe Hani, south […]

Sri Lanka make two changes for tri-nation

June 23, 2013 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s cricket selectors on Sunday made two changes to their Champions Trophy squad for a triangular one-day series in the West Indies starting this week. Batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan is out with with a calf injury suffered in Thursday’s Champions Trophy semi-final defeat to India, while all-rounder Thisara Perera was […]

” vistors pay £3,000 visa bond

LONDON, June 23, 2013 (AFP) – Britain is planning to force visitors from India, Pakistan, Nigeria and other countries whose nationals are deemed to pose a “high risk” of immigration abuse to provide a cash bond before they can enter the country, a report said Sunday. The Sunday Times newspaper said that from November, a […]

Sri Lanka should guard against weather shocks: World Bank

June 23, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka should take steps to guard against shocks from weather related events with projections of rising sea levels and higher temperatures from climate change, the World Bank, a multilateral lender has said.Meanwhile the World Bank said it there had been bad weather in Sri Lanka’s coast and it will […]

‘s Liberty

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2013 (AFP) – Internet users are taking a fresh look at “privacy” search engines that do not store data or track online activity, in light of the flap over US government surveillance.While Google’s market share has not seen a noticeable dent, privacy search engines like US-based DuckDuckGo and European-based Ixquick have seen […]

Rescuers race against time as India monsoon toll nears 600

DEHRADUN, June 22, 2013 (AFP) – Relief teams were racing against time Saturday to rescue tens of thousands of stranded people in rain-ravaged northern India as the death toll from flash floods and landslides neared 600.Rescue workers who managed to reach those stranded were racing to cut down trees and clear vegetation to allow military […]

Sri Lanka domestic gold prices edge up after tax

Jun 22, 2013 (LBO) – Gold prices in Sri Lanka’s domestic market have started to rise after the state slapped a 10 percent on imports, industry players said.On Friday a gold sovereign (about 8.1 grams) the most popular benchmark price was quoted around 47,500 rupees for 22 carats up about a 1,000 rupees from a […]

Sri Lanka rupee weaker, bond yields up

June 21, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka rupee was quoted below 129.00 to the US dollar in the spot market Friday while bond yields were also elevated, dealers said.The rupee opened at 128.40/60 levels against the US dollar and weakened in mid-day trade.Dealers say there were higher levels of forward covering in the market including […]

Sri Lanka stocks close down 0.9-pct

June 21, 2013 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s stocks closed down 0.90 percent on Friday with index heavy stocks showing losses and companies with interests in gold also retreating due to a 10 percent import tax imposed by the Sri Lankan govenment , brokers said. The benchmark Colombo All Share Index closed 56.17 points lower at […]

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