Jan 3 (FT) The Finance Company (TFC) yesterday said Expressions of Interest (EOI) has been called for a minimum equity investment of Rs. 25 billion with applications accepted over the next fortnight. TFC, in a stock market filing, said that the Board of Directors had resolved on 31 December to call for a fresh round of EOIs from prospective strategic investors for an equity investment in TFC. Both local and foreign investors have been encouraged to apply. Prospective investors are expected to more..

Jan 3 (CT) There is no doubt that cricket is the most popular sport in our country, but who can play it without a bat? Two types of willows are commonly used for manufacturing cricket bats: the English Willow (grown in Australia) and the Kashmir Willow (grown in areas of Kashmir). All bats used in Sri LAnka are imported as the country does not manufacture cricket bats; that is until this guy did. Staunch was established in June of 2019 as the sole cricket bat manufacturer in Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 3 (Xinhua) SL govt's aim to kickstart its economy in 2020 will be eased with the fruition of major infrastructure projects, Ajith Nivard Cabraal, senior advisor on economic affairs to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, said. Cabraal, also a former CB governor, said that 2020 will be a year of opportunity for the country as well as domestic and int'l investors as many long-gestating infrastructure projects will be nearing completion. more..

Jan 3 (CI) This is nowhere near the most exciting match of the decade, or even the most exciting T20 match. It is remembered only during debates on whether batsmen should declare themselves out when struggling in a T20 innings. Yet it is also a tactical masterclass in defensive T20 cricket. In the final of the 2014 World T20, Sri Lanka gave lives to three of the most dangerous batsmen in the world - Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh - but managed to execute their defensive bowling more..

Jan 3 (FT) EDB’s newly appointed CEO Prabhash Subasinghe met with the country’s leading exporters yesterday at the Board premises. 25 exporters, covering the country’s main export sectors, attended this meeting. At the outset, he thanked them for the great contribution made by them to SL’s economy, and acknowledged the importance of exports to the country. Exporters present at the meeting welcomed the appointment of Subasinghe, as he shares the interests of the exporter community. more..

Jan 3 (ST) Desperate to manage runaway prices prescribed by a mafia, the govt has floated a plan to buy rice from private millers to be distributed among consumers at reasonable prices as a short-term measure. Once again, the rice mafia backed by politicians and govt officials were blamed for the prevailing situation where nadu and samba varieties are both selling at Rs. 98 a kilo. Although this is the controlled maximum retail price more..

Jan 3 (Stuff) SL cricket greats Muttiah Muralitharan and Mahela Jayawardene have signed on for the cross-codes Black Clash Twenty20 match in Napier. They will anchor Sir Graham Henry's Team Rugby as they look to spring another upset over Team Cricket in the rematch on January 17. Apparently the Sri Lankans are both huge rugby fans – and All Blacks fans in particular. "These guys wouldn't be playing for us unless they had a rugby pedigree," Henry said with his usual dry humour. more..

Jan 3 (DN) The Sri Lanka Junior Open Golf Championship 2019 will take place from January 6 to 8 at the Royal Colombo Golf Club (RCGC) sponsored for the 12th consecutive year by Prima Sunrice Bread. The event, one of the most prestigious in the junior golf calendar, will once again be categorised into four age groups: 15-18 years (Gold Division), 12-14 years (Silver Division), 10-11 years (Bronze Division) and nine years and under (Copper Division). more..

Jan 3 (Island) British govt was having discussions with the SL Ministries of Justice and Foreign Relations on a case filed over containers of hazardous waste from UK dumped here. Central Environmental Authority (CEA) Managing Director Hemantha Jayasinghe said that UK Environmental Agency officials would visit Colombo shortly. Jayasinghe said that initially UK wanted to take back the waste dumped here. more..

Jan 3 (CT) Nipun Dhananjaya of St. Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa, will lead the SL Junior cricketers to South Africa for the 13th Edition of U-19 World Cup to be held from 17 Jan to 9 Feb. Two changes have been made to the squad that toured Bangladesh, Mohammed Shamas and Thaveesha Abishek who were sidelined then have been included here. This is the second instance the U-19 World Cup is being held in SA. 16 Teams split into four groups will be in the fray for honours. more..

Jan 3 (AD) Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, Professor Sampath Amarathunga has been appointed as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). He takes over from former UGC Chairman Professor Mohan De Silva, who had served in the position since 2015. Professor Amaratunge obtained his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and his M.A. in Economics from the University of Colombo. more..

Jan 3 (DN) Four Chinese power sets for the Aruwakkalu Sanitary Landfill Project arrived at the Colombo Harbour yesterday. They were unloaded and kept at the Railway Department until constructions at the Kelaniya Transmission Station are complete. The cost of four power sets imported from China was USD 8.8 million excluding taxes, and that the cost was borne by the govt. “The design of the power sets is the same as more..

Jan 3 (FT) Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga will meet the industry champions for the first time on 7 January to discuss the key issues pertaining to the development of the sector and seek suggestions for a quick revival post the Easter Sunday setback and other issues. Next week’s meeting was mooted by Minister Ranatunga, to assure support for the full recovery of the industry post the crisis year of 2019 following the Easter Sunday tragedy. Tourism Ministry has invited 10 key travel associations more..

Jan 3 (FT) Keshala Jayawardena, a well-known personality in the banking sector with an experience expanding well over a decade, yesterday assumed duties as the Chairperson of National Savings Bank (NSB). She had previously served as the Chairperson of Kandurata Development Bank and the Regional Development Bank. Having graduated from the University of Peradeniya, with a Degree in Political Science, she obtained her Master’s Degree in Political Science from the same university. more..

Jan 3 (FT) SL has to repay an estimated Rs. 2 trillion in public debt in 2020, with about half that amount made up of foreign repayments, but the Govt emphasised it was confident of turning around growth, and already has plans in the pipeline to meet payments and attract investments. Development Banks and Loan Schemes State Minister Shehan Semasinghe said that Finance Ministry officials are focusing on the debt repayments. more..

Jan 3 (DM) UNF Parliamentary Group which met yesterday had decided to support the progressive steps that are taken by the govt for the betterment of the country. UNP MPs Kavinda Jayawardene and Mujibur Rahaman said the UNP group decided to support the govt in fulfilling the pledges which Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa pledged in his manifesto. “We have decided to support the govt in implementing pledges such as providing fertilizer free of charge to paddy farmers and reduction of taxes. more..

Jan 3 (DM) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was scheduled to undertake an official visit to China on Jan.14 to 15, has postponed his visit on China's request, informed govt sources told the Daily Mirror yesterday. No reasons have been given for the request to reschedule the dates, however fresh dates will soon be discussed by both sides. President Rajapaksa's visit to China, if undertaken, was supposed to be his second official visit since assuming office in November. more..

Jan 3 (CT) An estimated Rs 120 billion should be allocated from the Budget for pharmaceuticals, Minister Pavithradevi Wanniarachchi, said. Speaking to the Media following an unscheduled visit to the Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama, Wanniarachchi said the Govt was taking necessary legal action against former Health Minister, Rajitha Senaratne and former Chairman of the SPC, Rumi Mohammed, in accordance with the reports more..

Jan 3 (TM) Sri Lanka has been ranked first in the category of Asia’s Best Nation for Wildlife Tourism by Top 10 Asia, an English language magazine published in Malaysia, the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Kuala Lumpur announced today (01). High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Malaysia Kapila Jayampathy accepted the honour of Asia’s Best Nation for Wildlife Tourism at the Top Asia Corporate Ball 2019 on 22 November 2019 which was held in Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. more..

Jan 3 (DM) Public Administration Ministry is planning to submit a note to the Cabinet seeking clarification on action regarding the allocation of a govt house by the former govt for the lifetime use of TNA leader R. Sampanthan, an official said. The previous govt had approved a Cabinet paper allowing Mr. Sampanthan to continue to use the house allocated to him as the then Opposition Leader even after he relinquished office. The former govt had also spent Rs.35 million for its renovation. more..

Jan 3 (DN) Moragahakanda-Kalu Ganga reservoir Project Director P.B. Wijerathna reassured people living downstream of the Moragahakanda reservoir that the reported minor leak was not a threat. He said that a small leak had been observed at the upper level of the dam for several days when the reservoir reached its maximum water capacity. Chinese engineers who built the dam have already planned to look into the leakage as soon as more..

Jan 3 (DM) Cabinet yesterday decided to withdraw the Counter-Terrorism Bill introduced by the previous rule to be enacted in place of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The former govt worked out this bill which is modelled on the counter-terrorism legislation in the UK. The previous govt enacted the legislation and repealed the PTA in keeping with its commitment to the UNHRC in terms of the resolution 30/1. Former Minister Mangala Samaraweera presented this bill to P'ment on Oct 9, 2018. more..

Jan 3 (FT) The Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya said that the Parliament of Sri Lanka has been regarded highly amongst 170 Parliaments of the world, and that it has become one of the exemplary Parliaments. The Speaker made this observation while attending the New Year ceremony held at Parliament, where the staff took oaths of the Public Service, undertaking their duties for the year ahead. “There is a new President appointed now. The new Govt is in action. more..

Jan 3 (CT) A traditional grand ceremonial event that included the Guard of Honour to the Prez and a 21-gun salute, that is generally held at the inauguration of a new Session of Parliament, will not take place at a sudden behest of Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Accordingly, the inauguration of the 4th Session of 8th Parliament will be conducted in a simple manner without any ceremonial event. more..

Jan 3 (DM) SL tea industry, which has weathered many storms, now faces the threat of attempts being made by unscrupulous individuals to adulterate tea and make a fast buck. The warning call came from a former president of the Central Province Tea Factory Owners’ Society when he addressed an audience at a function held recently for members and their loved ones of the tea community. Sri Lankan tea has a reputation for being among the best in the world and questionable practices such as the above more..

Jan 3 (DM) 71 years is a long time to govern a country without a sustainable economic development plan and clearly, Sri Lanka did not have such a long-term plan since independence in 1948. Hence, it is little wonder we have regressed economically. We simply depended on revenue from tea and rubber left behind by the British without diversifying our economy for too long. We failed till now to develop appropriate industries, particularly agriculture and fisheries, more..

Jan 3 (DM) A situation similar to the one that prevailed after the 2015 prez poll has unfolded. On both occasions, the political party that mustered a majority in Parliament ceded to a smaller party – last time submissively and this time voluntarily. Immediately after Maithripala Sirisena was sworn in as Prez on Jan 9, 2015, he unceremoniously dumped incumbent PM D.M. Jayarathna and replaced him with UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe more..

Jan 3 (ST) The national anthem’s Tamil version – sung at Independence Day celebration since 2016 – will be dropped again from Feb 4 next year. Public Administration Ministry, the event organiser, has resolved that the national anthem must only be sung in Sinhala. “The country has only one national anthem,” Public Administration Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said, adding that it was a govt decision. more..

Jan 3 (ST) Action plans are in place to combat climate change in Sri Lanka but experts fear it is irreversible and has already raged well out of hand. “Our country lacks strong policy on climate change that fits its status as a highly vulnerable country, said Vidhura Ralapanawe, environmentalist and climate researcher. “If we do not address both mitigation and adaptation, the money earmarked for development will more..

Jan 3 (RN) 57% of Sri Lankans are unwilling to pay extra to purchase food even if doing so would protect the local agricultural industry, according to a survey conducted by Advocata Institute. The survey conducted in April 2019 has covered the views of 855 respondents in 18 districts within eight provinces in Sri Lanka taking the demographic variables age, gender, educational qualifications, socio-economic class and more..

Jan 3 (DM) Railway Services State Minister C. B. Ratnayake yesterday launched the programme for providing a bag of vegetables and a bag of dry rations at a concessionary rate of Rs.500 each at the Maradana Railway Station to ease the commuters. Addressing the media after the ceremony the minister said this concessionary package of Rs.1,000 generally costs Rs.1,600 at retail shops. more..

Jan 3 (Island) Manifestos of political parties were not really meant to be implemented. The public, too, didn’t believe manifestos were to be implemented whoever won national level elections. But for the first time, the people believed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa would make a serious effort to implement his manifesto whatever the difficulties, SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris told the media on Wed (1) at Nelum Mawatha, Battaramulla. more..

Jan 3 (EN) SL should change the constitution and overhaul proportional representation elections to giver stronger powers to a stable govt to carry out its program, Prez Rajapaksa said. He said SL’s constitution has been changed 19 times. “There are many uncertainties and conflicts in the constitution.” Prez said. “We have to change the constitution to protect the sovereignty, independence and security of the country.” more..

Jan 3 (AD) Waruna Liyanage has sworn in as a MP from the UPFA to fill the seat vacated following the demise of UPFA Ratnapura District MP Ranjith De Zoysa. However, he has taken a seat in the Opposition during the 4th session of the 8th Parliament, which was inaugurated today. MP Ranjith De Zoysa (57), who had been receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Singapore, passed away on the 4th of Dec 2019. more..

Jan 3 (AD) A light transport aircraft of SL Air Force crashed into an area close to Haputale this morning. All four of the Air Force personnel, two pilots and two observers who were onboard at the time of the incident, have been killed in the crash. The Y 12 Fixed Wing Light Transport aircraft that took off from Weerawila had been on a routine air reconnaissance mission at the time it crashed at Thambipeella Mw, Ayspeella at 9.15 am. more..

Jan 3 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that it is essential that changes be made to the existing constitution in order to safeguard the security, sovereignty, stability and integrity of the country. He made this observation while delivering his Policy Statement following the ceremonial inauguration of the fourth session of the eighth Parliament today. Addressing the MPs present in the House, more..

Jan 3 (CT) SL since 1978 has been running a deficit in the current account of its balance of payments led by huge trade deficits. This results in, pressure on the rupee leading to cost push inflationary pressure, in a scenario where Sri Lanka has a high poverty rate of 37.3% for an upper-middle income country. A way out is to boost exports, which may include searching for new markets. Meanwhile, the latest industry report published by the Department of Census & Statistics gives a mixed picture. more..

Jan 3 (FT) After ending the internal civil war, there were no killings of civilians or damage to property caused by terrorist attacks until the recent attack launched on Easter Sunday, by a group of extremist Muslim youths. But, in the aftermath of the internal civil war the country was gradually pushed into a crisis which was greater than the one that prevailed during the period of protracted bloodshed. The distortions and decline that occurred in the social, political and economic sphere during more..

Jan 3 (Island) Colombo Crime Division (CCD) yesterday questioned former IGP Pujith Jayasundara over a 2016 road accident, which MP Champika Ranawaka was allegedly involved in. CCD officers visited Jayasundara at the Welikada Remand Prison and questioned him for nearly 3 hours. Jayasundara has been remanded for failure to take measures to prevent the Easter Sunday attacks despite having prior knowledge of the terror strikes. more..