Indian court rules domestic whisky not “Scotch”

NEW DELHI, Apr. 24 (AFP) – An Indian court has ordered domestic whisky makers not to use the words “Scot” or “Scotch” for their distilled brews as it would violate global copyright laws, a lawyer said Monday. These include 53,000 dollars to Cartier, 35,000 dollars to Time magazine and 280,000 dollars to Microsoft — all […]

”: experts

KUALA LUMPUR, Apr. 24 (AFP) – Rising demand that has pushed prices for natural rubber to record highs is raising fears world supplies will run short, experts said Monday at an international summit in the Malaysian capital. Growing demand has seen prices rise steadily for over a year, hitting 2.0 dollars per kilogram (2.2 pounds) […]

Close Inspection

Apr. 24 (AFP) – Sri Lankan police arrested five Maldivian nationals sparking unconfirmed rumours that the suspects were linked to Al-Qaeda, police and media reports said Monday.The five — two women, two children and a man — were taken into custody at the request of the Maldives government and handed over to the Maldivian high […]

Maldives fishermen bring police record hashish haul

COLOMBO, Apr. 23 (AFP) – Fishermen in the Indian Ocean tourist paradise of the Maldives gave police their biggest catch of illegal drugs after an accidental discovery of hashish in a lagoon, the Haveeru News Service reported Sunday.Lobster fishermen found the hasish packed in 1,697 plastic bags on the ocean bed, the news agency said, […]

E-sex bust

Apr.23 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s immigration authorities have closed an internet-based commercial sex service run by foreign nationals, in the first such operation, officials said. The service run by persons of Ukrainian origin, and solicited clients via the website www.bananaescort.net, ended on April 12, after just two months of operations when sleuths from the Department […]

RSF calls for retrial of Maldivian journalist jailed for life

Apr.20 (LBO) – The conviction on 19 April of Minivan journalist Abdullah Saeed and his sentence to life imprisonment was engineered by the authorities in order to harm the country’s only opposition newspaper, Reporters Without Borders said Thursday. The international advocacy group for media freedom, called for a new trial by an impartial court and […]

Micro Law

Apr.20 (LBO) – Sri Lanka is drawing up a new law to regulate micro-credit organizations scattered around the county. The legislation will cover thrift units operated by co-operative societies, thrift associations in the Samurdhi income support program of the government and other non- governmental organizations in the sector. “At present no one knows how many […]

Adding Muscle

SINGAPORE, Apr.07 (AFP) – India, South Korea and Sri Lanka on Friday joined a regional cooperation pact against marine piracy in Asia, bringing to 11 the number of countries that have signed up, the Singapore government said.The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) is a Japanese initiative […]

Later, Later

Apr.04 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s parliament Tuesday referred laws to safeguard the country from anti dumping and countervailing duties to a select committee for further deliberations. As a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and GATT (General Agreement for Trade & Tariff), Sri Lanka has to enact laws on subsidies and countervailing measures and […]

Guessing Game

Mar. 31 (Dow Jones)–When inflation in Sri Lanka surged last year, the central bank went on an aggressive monetary tightening that saw 125 basis points added over 2005.Inflation has begun to slide since then, and the central bank appears to be preparing to shift to a looser policy, but analysts said it’s unlikely that the […]

Rubber, tea prices boost Kelani Valley sales

Mar. 30 (LBO) – Kelani Valley Plantations Ltd and its subsidiary companies have reported healthy increase in turnover for the financial year ended December 31, 2005 on the back of strong growth in tea and rubber production.In its annual report for 2005 the company reported a 10 per cent increase in turnover to Rs 1.918 […]

Legal Boost

Mar. 20 (LBO) — The modernisation of the main piece of legislation that governs the incorporation and running of Sri Lankan companies would substantially boost capital market activities, corporation law experts have said A draft bill to replace Sri Lanka’s antiquated Companies Act, which has been 13 years in the making, is due to be […]

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