Jul 12 (FT) Central Bank said it has revised growth down to 3% from 4% earlier in the year, but kept policy rates unchanged on moderate inflation, international rate cuts, and expectations of lending rates declining in the coming weeks, to boost economic expansion. CB Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy on Thursday remained optimistic about Sri Lanka’s growth prospects in 2019, but acknowledged positive sentiment and more..

Jul 12 (DM) CEB will inform the police and would then go ahead with erecting electricity posts to provide power to the Kuragala Temple, Minister Ravi Karunanayake told parliament. “We will inform the police and go ahead with erecting electricity posts to provide power to the Kuragala Temple, as initially, we have got permission from the Department of Archaeology to do it,” he said. “I cannot say anything about the blocking of Iraj’s Facebook fan page as the TRC should clarify the matter,” more..

Jul 12 (DN) Any institution, which consumes more than 2,000 units, will have to obtain 25% of that power from renewable energy sources in the future, Minister Ravi Karunanayake said. He said the Ministry has decided on the above step to further promote the Sooryabala Sangramaya programme (a programme to promote solar energy launched in 2016). He said obtaining 25% of power from renewable energy sources would be made compulsory for institutions which consume more..

Jul 12 (Island) Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday alleged that the govt had brought about a draft bill to amend the Finance Act to remove the Central Bank from the purview of the Finance Ministry. Addressing a press conference, he said that the govt was trying to take control of Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF). Central Bank had been under the Ministry of Finance as per the provisions of the Finance Act, he said. more..

Jul 12 (DM) Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) extended a formal request to the parties working under the banner of the Joint Opposition to participate in its maiden convention to be conducted on August 11, a party leader said yesterday. The SLPP will announce its presidential candidate at this convention. The party leaders met with Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday evening, where they decided to support the no confidence motion moved by the JVP against the govt. more..

Jul 12 (CT) Attorney General’s Department denied claims by Ven. Magalkande Sudaththa Thera that the Attorney General was previously informed about the mastermind of the 21 April, Easter Sunday terror attacks, Zahran Hashim, but had failed to take action. The monk yesterday submitted a letter in this connection to the Attorney General’s Department claiming that the Kattankudy Police Officer-in-Charge had submitted a 300-page document in this connection on 7 June 2017. more..

Jul 12 (FT) The proposed amendments to the Monetary Law Act (MLA) are to be reviewed by a committee of economists, after President Sirisena voiced concerns about the proposed changes. In a memorandum to the Cabinet, the President said that before the amendments to the MLA are submitted to the Legal Draftsperson, it must go through a broader stakeholder dialogue & consultation process. more..

Jul 12 (DN) Colombo Archbishop Malcolm, Cardinal Ranjith at a special Mass in Rome to commemorate the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings, said this is a golden opportunity for Sri Lanka to rise again and unite as a nation. The Sunday Mass was organised by the community of Monsignor Neville Joe Perera in Rome on July 7. “Let us make a new Sri Lanka that rises steady and strong from the ashes,” the Archbishop said. He encouraged the faithful to respect the tremendous diversity more..

Jul 12 (WO) Three men imported more than 350,000 illegal diazepam tablets from Sri Lanka to Wales. Paul Jones, Paul Roche, and David Clark were caught as part of Operation Etna to tackle the supply of Class C drugs into the UK and their onward distribution in the Bridgend area. The defendants were responsible for the importation of more than 350,000 diazepam tablets – used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms, and fits – with a potential street value exceeding £32,000. more..

Jul 12 (AD) All Muslim MPs who resigned from their ministerial portfolios have decided to accept their previous positions once again, MP Amir Ali said. At a press conference on June 3, all Muslim cabinet, non-cabinet, state, and deputy ministers announced that they would resign from their portfolios. MPs said their resignations would allow investigators to probe the claims without interference. However, the 4 ministers and 5 junior ministers only resigned more..

Jul 12 (DM) SL’s voters have in the past ended up with leaders whom they don’t eventually want. This is because the majority of the people don’t really know what they want in life. In the past the public, who made up the majority, were from the down-trodden masses and they were the ones who had the power to elect a president. The voters who belonged to this section were mostly wrenched in poverty. Their basic intention was to find some means to survive the 30 days in a month. more..

Jul 12 (DM) Prez Sirisena after assuming office in 2015said that he would be in the office only once and that he would not contest another Presidential election. He readily agreed to reduce the tenure of the President from six years to five years through the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which was adopted on April 2015. He also pressurized the loyalists of the former President Rajapaksa who were then under his wings as members of the SLFP to vote for that Constitutional Amendment. more..

Jul 12 (DM) There are many who aspire to be the next Prez in a few more months. While main political parties are desperate in deciding who their presidential candidate should be and in what political alliance if any, there are also individuals staking a claim for the presidency from a distance. They all claim they have the magic answer to solve all problems. While talking about all problems and solutions to them, more..

Jul 12 (ST) After tense encounters between squatters and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation which is struggling to complete the last stage of an oil pipeline from the Colombo Port to the Kolonnawa storage facility, 389 squatter families in Bloemendhal will be relocated at a cost of Rs 1.7 billion. The treasurer of the Executive Officers Union of the CPC, Manu Jayawardena, said squatters had complained to Minister Ravi Karunanayake, more..

Jul 12 (ST) As the seventh strike in six months by rail staff ended this week – a stoppage in solidarity with a worker facing reprimand after being reportedly found drunk on duty – the public’s frustration boiled over. Strikes, some lasting two days, derailments due to poor maintenance of tracks, accidents and delays have plagued commuters all year. Wednesday’s 35-hour strike was the third in three consecutive weeks. more..

Jul 12 (Island) The country was in such a deep political crisis that the forthcoming 2019 presidential election wouldn’t restore stability, General Secretary of the Communist Party Dew Gunasekara said. He warned of dire consequences unless political parties represented in parliament took remedial measures urgently. Gunasekara said that he hoped that the national leadership would adopt a novel approach to tackling national issues. more..

Jul 12 (Island) Many organisations that fight for the cause of the public said that the govt had put them in a tricky situation over the distributing of land with an ulterior motive, according to the whims and fancies of IMF and World Bank. Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) said that it was not in a position to force the govt not to give lands. CEJ Executive Director, Hemantha Withanage said that giving land titles to people was necessary. more..

Jul 12 (EN) Sri Lanka’s ministry of science, technology and research will hold an exhibition, ShilpaSena, to promote science among the public and help innovators find investors to fund the manufacture and marketing of their products. “The main objective is to create a platform to pass the knowledge to the general public and to connect innovators with the private sector and entrepreneurs for more business opportunities,” more..

Jul 12 (DM) The govt has initiated action for trading in electricity with India by interlinking the two grids, an official said. Initial discussions were conducted and the ADB would be assigned to do a feasibility study in this regard. A steering committee co-chaired by Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Dr. Suren Batagoda and his Indian counterpart Ajay Kumar Bhalla has already been established to execute this programme. more..

Jul 12 (FT) Minister Ravi Karunanayake told Parliament that he plans to appoint a new Commission to revise electricity rates. Karunanayake, who had earlier submitted a Cabinet paper to trim the powers of Public Utilities Commission, which has to approve any increase of power prices, said that generating costs were uneven, & even though PUCSL had recommended new tariffs, some of them were not feasible. more..

Jul 12 (AT) For the first time in SL Presidential elections history, a Muslim candidate who will not represent any mainstream political party but will only represent the Muslims of the country, is set to come forward as a candidate. Well informed Muslim political sources said that all Muslim political parties will back a separate Muslim Prez candidate who would likely be nominated by the SLMC on behalf of all Muslim parties. more..

Jul 12 (AD) Supreme Court postponed the hearing of the Fundamental Rights petitions filed against former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernanado and IGP Pujith Jayasundara until July 25. A 7-judge bench of the SC today commenced hearing the petitions filed by 12 parties against IGP and former Defence Secretary, claiming that they had violated fundamental rights by failing to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks. more..

Jul 12 (CT) The UNP-led Government on Tuesday finally broke through years of vacillating on the politically explosive and highly controversial Land Bill gazetting it to the annoyance of President Sirisena, the SLFP and all other parties in the Opposition, drawing immediate censure from SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekera who was quick to lash out at the fact that the UNP had not included any of the amendments suggested to the Bill by the President. more..

Jul 12 (FT) Sri Lanka can be considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Yet, the society and political ambience of this beautiful country are in a deplorable level, which is extremely ugly and comical. While there are many reasons which have led to this situation, I intend to talk about one important factor which has not been sufficiently discussed. The destruction of honesty and sincerity, which can be considered the most important elements that should form the essence of more..

Jul 12 (SLN) Sri Lanka navy apprehended a group of Indian fishermen who engaged in fishing illegally in Sri Lankan territorial waters with their fishing craft (Dhow) on 11th July 2019. A Fast Gun Boat attached to the Northern Naval Command, on routine patrol, apprehended these Indian fishermen who had trespassed about 3 nautical miles into the Sri Lankan territorial waters for poaching. The apprehended fishermen were brought to the naval base SLNS Elara. more..

Jul 12 (DN) A loan agreement was signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and ING Bank NV of the Netherlands of EUR 45 million (around Rs. 9 billion) to strengthen Health Delivery Services in the Northern Province, on Wednesday July 10 at the Hague, the Netherlands. With the conclusion of the conflict in the Northern Province, the Govt of Sri Lanka took up the challenge of rehabilitating and reconstructing services and infrastructure facilities in the Northern Province. more..

Jul 12 (DM) State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene warned that there could still be individuals who have a leaning towards Islamic State (IS) ideology who could launch more attacks but assured that law enforcement authorities are vigilant of such a scenario. Responding to a question by a journalist, the State Minister said IS fundamentalists had carried out attacks not only in Sri Lanka but also in more..

Jul 12 (EN) Central bank denied that a de facto target rate controlled through overnight repo auction was pushed up in the run up to a monetary policy meeting that left the floor of a policy corridor unchanged at 7.5%. Sri Lanka's floor rate is now active with weak bank credit reducing economic activity and imports generating a balance of payments surplus and putting upward pressure on a soft-peg with the US dollar. When the central bank buys dollars, stopping the peg from more..

Jul 12 (EN) Blue Mountain, a real estate and property group in Sri Lanka is under investigation after customers made complaints alleging fraud, police said. Borella Crimes Division is probing 24 complaints and Mount Lavinia is investigating another 9 cases. Customers have complained saying they have paid deposits for properties but have not received deeds. The cases related to amounts ranging around 2.5 million rupees, according to police. more..

Jul 12 (Reuters) When Colombo’s mayor announced Sri Lanka’s congested capital would go car-free this Sunday to promote a healthier lifestyle, she might have expected a few grumbles from petrolheads. But no one appears to have anticipated the furious backlash from women in the city, who say cars offer them much-needed protection from sexual harassment on the streets and on public transport. more..

Jul 12 (LP) Former PM of Nepal Madhav Kumar Nepal and Sri Lanka’s PM Ranil Wickremesinghe met today at the PM’s Office at the Parliamentary Complex. The bilateral discussion between the two premiers focused on how to move forward in overcoming social and economic challenges faced by both countries. Former PM of Nepal expressed his regret over the people who were killed and affected by the Easter Sunday attacks and praised the arrest of suspects in a short time. more..

Jul 12 (Island) Megapolis and Western Development Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told Parliament yesterday that the country needed a proper counter terrorism mechanism and the intelligence units should be restructured to be better equipped to face modern terror threats. Participating in the debate in parliament on the no-confidence motion against the govt moved by the JVP, he said that whenever there was such a terror attack in the country, the blame was pinned on some others. more..

Jul 12 (NR) Several MPs today expressed their views on the appointment of Ambassadors despite a lack of educational qualifications. During today’s Parliament debate Minister Gayantha Karunatileka responded to an inquiry by JVP MP Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, who charged that Ambassadors are being appointed with only an A/L qualification. The MP stressed the US, UK, Australia, Japan, France, China, India more..

Jul 12 (DM) TNA MP E. Saravanapavan said his party cannot trust the present govt, but at the same time cannot allow the forming of another Rajapaksa govt. Mr. Saravanapavan said this during the debate on the no-confidence motion brought against the govt in parliament last afternoon. “This govt has deceived the people in the North. They promised a political solution to the national issue through a new constitution. However, nothing had come through, though discussions were held 70 times. more..

Jul 12 (AD) Parliament was adjourned until July 23 due to due to lack of quorum in the House today. Today’s parliamentary session was expected to continue until 6.30 p.m. today, however it was adjourned by the Speaker due to lack of quorum. Meanwhile a Private Members’ Motion on abolishing the death penalty was tabled at the Parliament earlier today. The motion was moved by UNP MP Bandulal Bandarigoda. A Party Leaders’ meeting was also called at 11.30 am chaired by more..

Jul 12 (Island) Top police and intelligence service officers had been asked to appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) probing the Easter Sunday attacks, Committee Chairman Ananda Kumarasiri said. He said they would appear before the PSC on July 24. They had originally been informed to appear before the PSC On July 12 but the session had been postponed as some officials were abroad and more..

Jul 12 (AD) Muslim ministers who resigned from their ministerial portfolios will be taking up their ministries again, says former State Minister of Health Faizal Cassim. He said that they resigned from their posts in order to ensure the security of the public and not to create any racial issues. Cassim says that the party of former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen been informed them that he, too, will be taking up his ministerial post again as his name is mostly cleared. more..

Jul 12 (Island) The security forces have started excavating a location at Sivanagar in Puthukuduirrippu because they have received that the LTTE buried a large haul of gold there during the war. The security forces have obtained a court order and are carrying out excavations under the supervision of Mullaitivu court officials. Three weeks ago the security forces arrested 14 persons including women who had travelled to the former LTTE stronghold from the south and more..

Jul 12 (EN) SL’s industrial activity recovered in May after slumping to a three-year low in April 2019, when traditional holidays were followed by the Easter Sunday bombings, which disrupted economic activity. Index of Industrial Production, compiled by Dept of Census and Statistics, rose to 106.1 index points in May, from 96.9 points in April 2019. April index was the lowest in a 3-year period since the beginning of its compilation in 2016. more..