The Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) is a formal system of exemption from the general rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) aimed at encouraging developing countries to export by allowing their products preferential access to the markets of developed countries.

The strong relationship between Iran and Sri Lanka was on show last week with the high profile visit of Iranian President to Sri Lanka and the red carpet welcome that was extended to him by the Sri Lankan state.

In a visit to Sri Lanka, Marks & Spencer’s boss has hailed the country’s “ethical standards” and assured that he will he do ‘everything possible to support Sri Lanka’s application for the GSP+ concessions’.

Chief Executive Officer, Sir Stuart Rose told Sri Lankan ministers Professor G. L. Peiris and Dr. Sarath Amunugama: "I deeply appreciate Sri Lanka’s ethical standards and her splendid performance in the apparel sector"

Sri Lanka has hailed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit here Monday as an important step in cementing closer ties between the two nations.

But the trip also highlighted Sri Lanka's slow turn away from the West, which has expressed increasing concerns about Colombo's human rights record and its embrace of donors less critical of its escalating war against ethnic Tamil Tigers.

Humanitarian agencies in Sri Lanka are preparing for the fallout as increasing food prices and shortages put vulnerable populations at risk of malnutrition and leave many families no longer able to afford essentials such as medical care and school tuition.

The global food crisis, referred to by World Food Programme (WFP) officials as "the silent tsunami" during a summit in London on 22 April, is hitting home.

The strong relationship between Iran and Sri Lanka was on show last week with the high profile visit of Iranian President to Sri Lanka and the red carpet welcome that was extended to him by the Sri Lankan state.

According to a poll conducted by a local think tank its not just Indian politicians who are calling for greater Indian participation in bringing peace to Sri Lanka but also Sri Lankans of all ethnicity.

A survey by the Colombo-based Centre for Policy Alternatives showed that cutting across ethnic lines, there is significant support in Sri Lanka for a greater Indian role on the island, both in the political and economic spheres, the think tank revealed last week.

ACCORDING to Sri Lankan military officials, Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) launched an air attack on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) positions in Manalaaru in the early hours of Sunday.

Two Tamileelam Air Force (TAF) aircraft dropped five bombs around 1.45 am on Sunday March 27, targeting two military bases in the Manalaaru region in the east of the island, injuring one soldier, damaging some buildings occupied by SLA and causing damage to six vehicles.

The United States Government has sent out a strong warning to Sri Lanka over the island’s rapidly growing close ties and diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In the backdrop of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s scheduled state visit to Sri Lanka tomorrow, US State Department Spokesperson Tom Casey has clearly disclosed their concerns over the Iranian President’s South Asia visit.

MARKING the World Press Freedom Day, local and international rights groups appealed to the warring parties to refrain from hurting media workers and comply with their obligations under international law.

Free Media Movement (FMM), a Sri Lankan based media rights organisation, in a press release said ‘never before has it been so dangerous to be a journalist in Sri Lanka as now’.

Sri Lanka's military victory over the Tamil Tigers in the multi-ethnic east of the island means little to displaced people.

THE MILITARY advisor to the British High Commission in Sri Lanka, Lieutenant Colonel A. S. Gash, along with two other British military officers, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Rex and Wing Commander Andy Lee flew to Jaffna last weekend on a two-day official visit to the Sri Lankan military there.

High global food and fuel prices are damaging Sri Lanka's economic growth more than its ongoing civil war, the central bank governor said on Tuesday, but shrugged off suggestions it could miss a 7 percent target.

The Asian Development Bank said earlier this month growth would probably slow to 6 percent this year and next on high interest rates and global economic weakness.