Reuters: Vladimir Putin triumphed in Russia’s presidential election on Sunday and, tears rolling down his cheeks, called his victory a turning point that had prevented the country falling into the hands of enemies.  Putin’s opponents complained of widespread fraud, refused

The first Government University of Australia that has set up in the country, the Ballarat University, staged an interesting evening last week under the banner ‘The Ballarat Debate,’ to a select club of professionals at the City Campus that discussed some interesting ideas on Sri Lanka’s economy. One of Sri Lanka’s award-winning marketers and former ...

Benito Mussolini, the fascist ruler of Italy, during World War II, said that his brand of fascism ‘should be more appropriately called Corporatism, because it is a merger of state and corporate power’. Compare this with the dictionary definition of capitalism: ‘A system in which a country’s business and industry are controlled and run for ...

Reuters: Global trade rules for finance, telecommunications and other service sectors have failed to keep pace with changes in technology and are “modest and flimsy” compared with trade rules for manufactured goods, said a report released on Friday. “Services trade policy reform can be both a basis for long-term growth and a way to bolster ...

Thousands of jobs at risk By Indika Sri Aravinda The  tea industry, the country’s second largest net foreign exchange earner is facing a potential crisis as a result of the economic sanctions imposed on Iran by the US government, the Sri Lanka Tea Board said. Tea Board Chairperson Janaki Kuruppu told The Sunday Leader that ...

Reuters: Iran, facing sanctions that could cripple its oil exports, has told world powers it wants to resume long-stalled talks with “new initiatives”, and France said it might be open to addressing suspicions about its nuclear programme. Tehran made the offer in a letter to the EU’s foreign policy chief obtained by Reuters on Thursday, ...

Reuters: China will continue to invest in euro zone government debt, the country’s central bank governor said on Wednesday, while calling on Europeans to produce more attractive investment products for China. Zhou Xiaochuan admitted that China and other emerging nations like Brazil, Russia

(Srilankamirror) - The Russian centre will hold an art exhibition to celebrate 55 years of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Russia. The exhibition will be held from 6:30 p.m. onwards on February 19th 2012 at Palm Lounge, Galle Face Hotel. The event will feature art exhibits

LONDON (Reuters): Sanctions on Iran are already hitting global oil flows even though a European ban on imports from the Islamic Republic does not come into effect until July, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says. The IEA said the sanctions, designed to curb Iran’s nuclear programme that Washington and its allies say aims to produce ...

Born at Moscow in 1961, Valeriy Belenikin is a graduate of the Moscow Academy of Fine Arts named after V.I Surikov. The artist’s conception of his work is based upon truth and the mystery of this life. He is in awe of all that takes place in this world. Not only human banality, but all ...

Following are some responses from three economists to the guest column by Chandra Jayaratne titled ‘Important issues’ for Sri Lankan legislators, the Executive, policymakers, Central Bankers, economists and thought leaders to ponder over published on 2 February 1) I disagree with the Stiglitz-Krugman line. My diagnosis is that Europe is in this mess for two ...

Some important issues for Sri Lankan legislators, the Executive, policymakers, Central Bankers, economists and thought leaders to ponder over: Stiglitz believes that the austerity plans in the EU nations, especially by the debt ridden poorer nations of the group is akin to a collective suicide pact and is an act madness promoted and enforced by ...

Reuters: Kremlin clan in-fighting spilled into the open this week when government officials sympathetic with Russia’s fragmented opposition warned the country’s ultimate leader Vladimir Putin he may soon lose power if he doesn’t undertake sweeping reforms. Putin, Russia’

ZURICH: Consumers in emerging markets currently buy a broad mix of local and foreign products, but rising affluence will ultimately benefit overseas brands, Credit Suisse has argued. The investment bank and ACNielsen surveyed 4,000 adults in eight fast-growth nations, finding that a majority of consumers there still buy unbranded products. In all, 62% have purchased ...

Reuters: The International Monetary Fund is seeking to more than double its war chest by raising $600 billion in new resources to help countries deal with the fallout of the euro zone debt crisis, but the United States and other countries are throwing up roadblocks. The United States and Canada said on Wednesday Europe must ...

Reuters: Sri Lanka may be a minnow in the oil world, but a near total reliance on Iranian crude imports means it has more reason than most to find a way to avoid being caught in the clutches of US sanctions. The island’s only refinery – the 50,000 barrels-a-day Sapugaskanda refinery – is almost entirely ...

MOSCOW (AFP): Russia’s growth ticked up to 4.2 percent in 2011 from 4.0 percent in 2010, making it one of the three best-performing major economies in the world, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. “Russia is in third place among the major economies of the world

By Tisaranee Gunasekara “Nothing is closer to the law of the jungle than a system of distorted laws and procedures” Haaretz Editorial (2.1.2012) President Rajapaksa won the Eelam War, with the help of countless others (including the imprisoned Gen. Fonseka). In fairytales, the hero who saves a country from some deadly peril is rewarded with ...

It will take more than Facebook to heat up the tepid market for initial public offerings. As conditions remain fragile, the backlog of public offerings has continued to grow. More than 200 US companies are now waiting to go public, the highest number in roughly a decade, according to Renaissance Capital, an advisory firm. Demand ...

Below is an interview with Ambassador Dayan Jayatilleke published in the French Diplomatic Review – La Lettre Diplomatique (The Diplomatic Letter) Two years after the end of a three decades conflict, the lifting of the emergency rule in late August 2011 confirmed the beginning of a new era for Sri Lanka. With the recent discovery of ...

Reuters: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will meet this week after more than a year of deadlock in peacemaking, officials said on Sunday, but both sides played down prospects of any imminent resumption of talks. Yitzhak Molcho of Israel and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet on Tuesday in Jordan alongside representatives of the Quartet of ...

10 events and trends that were overlooked this year, but may be leading the headlines in 2012 Foreignpolicy.com: What events and trends flew under the radar in 2011 but could erupt into massive headline-grabbers in 2012? Foreign Policy rounds up the top 10 “stories you missed” this year. 1. India’s military buildup China’s new aircraft ...

PM’s and United Russia’s ratings falling Putin draws parallels with turmoil in Europe Says parliament majority needed to deal with crisis NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (Reuters): Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that if his party lost dominance of parliament in the Dec. 4 election, as a poll

Fitch Ratings says in a newly published special report that credit growth in emerging markets (EMs) is likely to slow in 2012 due to the weaker global economic outlook, policy moves by EM authorities to prevent overheating and base effects. Banking systems in most EMs which experienced rapid credit growth in 2010-H111 remain sound. However, ...

The Group of 20 heads of state met in France in early November launching an annual group meeting of the heads of State. The G20 is made up of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the EU, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea

Reuters) – The head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that Europe’s debt crisis risked plunging the global economy into a “lost decade” and said it was up to rich nations to shoulder the burden of restoring growth and confidence. Christine Lagarde told a financial forum in Beijing that European plans to bolster ...

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Russia, holder of the world’s third largest foreign reserves, gave a vote of no confidence on Monday in Europe’s handling of its debt crisis as the head of the International Monetary Fund visited Moscow to seek support. Prime Minister

MILAN (Reuters): Agricultural commodity markets are set to remain tight with high and volatile prices despite improved supply and weakening demand, the United Nations’ food agency said on Thursday, raising its estimates of global grain output this year. Food prices grabbed the attention of world policy makers after hitting record highs in February and helped ...

Reuters: New investors who have shown interest in Sri Lankan oil and gas exploration await the results of Cairn India’s drilling of a second well in the Mannar Basin before committing to anything, Sri Lanka’s Oil Minister said on Tuesday. Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premajayantha confirmed that Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, Malaysian State oil ...

to resolve its own troubles without support from Russia and fellow BRICs countries. As ...