Category:
Countdown
July 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka™s treasury secretary is to give a ruling on Friday over the controversial tax slapped on television stations airing English content, following a meeting with broadcasters late Thursday. The tax, which also applies to Hindi language content, largely affects English language viewers who account for around 5-percent of total […]
Desperate Measures
July 20, 2006 (LBO) – Top multinationals like Unilever have pulled out imported advertising on local television stations, after all foreign commercials were slapped with a one million rupee tax. With effect from July, all broadcasts of foreign television commercials are taxed at one million rupees a year, per ad, per language of broadcast and […]
Completely Clueless
July 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s media minister Thursday indicated that his ministry has not been consulted before a controversial tax on television stations airing foreign content, was implemented. “It is a decision under the Finance Act. We are just the implementing authority,” minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told reporters. From July 16, all television […]
Stolen Loot
July 20 (LBO) – The British High Commission Thursday warned Sri Lankans of being duped by lottery scams, especially if asked for money or personal bank details to claim winnings. The British High Commission says it gets letters from many Sri Lankans who have received authentic looking letters claiming they have won prizes in UK […]
Ranatunga quits Sri Lanka ministry for cricket administration
July 20, 2006 (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga resigned as junior minister for tourism on Thursday to devote time to the island nation’s cricket administration.Officials said Ranatunga, 42, sent his letter of resignation to President Mahinda Rajapakse giving up his political office to enter Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the main body […]
Let’s Talk
July 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s ports minister Mangala Samaraweera said he was willing to negotiate with striking trade unions if they get back to work on Thursday. “I would like to invite all employees of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority who do not want to sabotage the SLPA (Sri Lanka Ports Authority), to […]
Phase Out
July 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s state run transport authority will give private bus owners a financial handout to encourage them to replace run down buses with new ones. The National Transport Commission will give qualified bus owners 96,000 rupees per bus over 12 months little over three percent of the three million rupee […]
Long Call
July 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s telecom watchdog Wednesday issued notice against two internet service providers for violating license conditions. The regulator said Lanka Global Online (Pvt) Ltd and Pan Lanka Networking (Pvt) Ltd for not filing their audited financial statements for four-years since 2002. Both firms were given 15 days to comply, Telecommunications […]
Japan to cut foreign aid budget by three percent
TOKYO, July 19, 2006 (AFP) – Japan plans to cut its budget for foreign aid, long a top tool of Tokyo’s foreign policy, by three percent in the fiscal year starting in April 2007 due to financial constraints, officials said Wednesday.Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Foreign Minister Taro Aso agreed on the plan over the […]
Shopping an Asian pastime: survey
SINGAPORE, July 19, 2006 (AFP) – Shopping for shopping’s sake has become a “national pastime” for many Asian countries, a global online survey said Wednesday. Seven of the top 10 markets that shop once a week for recreation all hail from the region, the survery by ACNielsen said. The survey of 22,000 Internet users in […]
Indian bloggers angry over blocking of sites after Mumbai blasts
NEW DELHI, July 19, 2006 (AFP) – Indian Internet users, angry at being denied access to popular weblogs, lashed out at the government on Wednesday for banning some websites in the wake of last week’s Mumbai train bombings.There are nearly 38 million Internet users among the 1.1 billion population. “India has clearly joined the Internet […]
Fresh trouble in Sri Lanka Cricket as minister delays decision
July 19, 2006 (AFP) – Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga on Wednesday slammed the sports minister for the delay in naming a committee to oversee the sport in the island nation.Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse had last week, on the request of Ranatunga and other former players, ordered that elections to a deeply divided […]