Celebrating ties between China and Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka-China Journalists Forum in collaboration with Embassy of China will present China Nanjing Little Red Flowers Children’s Art Troupe for the first time in Sri Lanka as ‘Red Flowers on Stage’ on 30 September and 1 October at the Nelum Pokuna Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre. The exclusive ...

Although the Asian region is better prepared for economic turmoil than it was a decade ago, high levels of financial, trade and investment integration with the Western economies ensure that no country is immune to the effects of the Eurozone debt crisis. While most of the European Union (EU) economies struggle to design new austerity measures to ...

The WTO in its annual World Trade Report for 2012, in addition to analysing world trade, has dealt in detail on Non Tariff Measures (NTMs), which has gained an important place in international trade today. In a world of trade liberalisation and free trade agreements which deal mainly with tariff reductions, which are clearly spelt ...

UNITED NATIONS(Reuters): President Barack Obama will say on Tuesday the United States will “do what we must” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned against threatening attacks whose consequences would be devastating. Preparing to take the podium at the United Nations six weeks before the US presidential election, ...

A number of articles which appeared in print media in the recent past signify the volatility in the economy. High volatility leads to vulnerability. Volatility and vulnerability are reflections of the haphazard nature of the economic policies and poor economic governance in a country. What is volatility? Volatility is the severity and the frequency with ...

Reuters: A deeply divided and unproductive Congress wrapped up its final business before November’s elections early on Saturday as the US Senate passed a stopgap measure to fund federal programs and avoid an 1 government shutdown. The 62-30 vote on the funding bill, which now moves to President Barack Obama’s desk to be signed into ...

Previously observed proceedings of Sri Lanka’s Fonseka and Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim   Here to observe proceedings re Rishad Bathiudeen M.P. Acted as Counsel on world’s longest sea chase incident FV Viarsa 1 The Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) observer, Australian Queen’s Counsel Mark Trowell has arrived in Sri Lanka today morning. “I am here on behalf ...

SINGAPORE: Business sentiment among Asia’s top companies fell for the second straight quarter, dragged down by export-orientated economies such as China and Japan, while domestic spending helped boost Southeast Asia’s outlook, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed.  Concerns over global demand are hurting Asia’s export engines, with autos, technology and shipping sectors am...

Commendable achievements Over the years Sri Lanka has gained a considerable reputation for its achievements in social development. It punches above its weight on the UNDP’s Human Development Index. It has also performed very well in meeting the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which focus on indicators related to poverty, health, education and gender ...

It is with great sacrifices that Sri Lanka brought about a victory against ruthless terrorism, which is certainly a feather in the cap of Rajapaksa family. No one can dispute the fact that President Rajapaksa provided the political leadership and ensured that the LTTE was decimated at any cost. The Tamil diaspora and the pro-separatist ...

The place isn’t a paradise for minorities but the economy is recovering By Sam Baker Asuasentinel.com: The Government of Mahinda Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka has probably botched its dealings with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. Still, the disenchantment with Colombo may be overblown three years after the end of the ...

By Saman Gunadasa World Socialist Web Site: A scandal over the manipulation of shares on the Colombo Stock Exchange has erupted in recent weeks, after former Sri Lankan Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Thilak Karunaratne accused Government ministers of acting in league with speculators. Karunaratne was pressured by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to quit his position, ...

The global escalation of commodity prices in the latter part of last decade impacted Sri Lanka’s rice market, with retail prices showing sharp increases for the consumer. The regulatory forces with a ceiling on consumer prices and guaranteed price for paddy did alleviate this problem to some extent. Today it has taken a different turn ...

Reuters: Germany’s Constitutional Court gave a green light on Wednesday for the country to ratify the euro zone’s new bailout fund and budget pact, but insisted the German parliament have veto powers over any future increases in the size of the fund. The eagerly awaited verdict boosted global stocks and the euro currency as investors ...

On Friday (7) afternoon, the eve of provincial council elections in three provinces, a certain gathering took place at 101, Rosmead Place, which houses the corporate offices of Democratic National Alliance (DNA) National List Parliamentarian, Tiran Alles. Consultations that lasted for hours, took place between Alles and UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa and a few ...

It is unfortunate that today many impressions of Sri Lanka in foreign countries are based on unverified facts, and wrong or deliberately manipulated disinformation, carried out by those who once supported the forces of terror. These same elements continue to sow the seeds of division and separatism through various media, and also influence politicians in ...

The first Prime Minister of independent India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, wrote 75 years ago: “It would be absurd to say that the profit motive does not appeal to the average Indian, but it is nevertheless true that there is no such admiration for it in India as there is in the west. The possessor of ...

Reuters: Asian shares were on track for their biggest daily gain in six weeks on Friday after the European Central Bank outlined its plan to calm the euro zone’s debt crisis and firm US data fed speculation of a strong jobs report later in the day. European equities will likely extend gains modestly after rallying ...

By Devin Jayasundera Former Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Chief Tilak Karunaratne on Tuesday rebuked allegations of over regulation and ad hoc measures as having impacted the stock market during his tenure and noted that the SEC Act should be strengthened further to punish manipulators. “What some of the crony brokers and dishonest investors try to ...

Reuters: China’s top state newspaper warned the visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday not to seek advantage from tensions in the South China Sea, ahead of talks likely to focus territorial disputes and other sources of discord. Beijing and Washington have both stressed hopes for steady ties, especially as they confront domestic ...

By Devin Jayasundera Former Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) Chief Tilak Karunaratne yesterday rebuked allegations of over regulation and ad hoc measures as having impacted the stock market during his tenure and noted that the SEC Act should be strengthened further to punish manipulators. “What some of the crony brokers and dishonest investors try to project ...

Government agencies are among the most complex organisations in nearly every country in the world. They often are large, have multiple objectives, and face increasing demands to deliver more services at a lower cost. As a result of this complexity, a government is faced with many organisational issues, including: redesigning their organisations and their interaction ...

All Sri Lankan universities except for the medical faculties have been closed down, but for most citizens, who have observed crisis after crisis in the education sector, this latest development is nothing new. The big difference is currently it is the university teachers who are on strike, not the students. The teachers’ main demands are: ...