Jan 7 (DM) With a view to incentivise the adoption of battery systems in rooftop solar systems, the Cabinet nod was granted this week to introduce a new tariff system for the rooftop solar sector, to enhance the reliability in electricity supply, Minister Gamini Lokuge sought the approval of the Cabinet to roll out the proposed programme, in accordance with the recommendations made by the Cabinet Sub-Committee appointed to review the proposed programme. more..

Jan 7 (FT) The Colombo stock market sustained its resilience for a week yesterday as both indices closed positive with nearly Rs. 10 billion turnover. All Share Price Index closed up over 92 points or 0.7% (lowest hike in recent days) and the S&P SL20 improved by 35 points or 0.78%. Turnover in comparison to Wednesday was lower at Rs. 9.4 billion involving 419 million shares. Asia Securities said after witnessing an initial downfall, the indices rebounded sharply with ASPI comfortably more..

Jan 7 (TM) Retailer turnover reached pre-pandemic levels during the recently ended festive season despite the challenging external circumstances but questions still remain regarding the sustainability of this near-term recovery. Speaking to us, SL Retailers’ Association (SLRA) Founder Chairman Hussain Sadique stated that despite the existing challenging external market conditions retailers had managed to achieve sales at around pre-pandemic levels during recently ended festive season more..

Jan 7 (FT) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has announced that the Board of Directors of Geological Survey & Mines Bureau (GSMB) will be dissolved if an online system for issuing permits for sand, gravel, soil excavation and transport is not prepared within 3 months. According to the current procedure followed by GSMB for issuing permits for sand, gravel and excavations, the public has to visit the head office as well as the regional offices, which is very congested on a daily basis. more..

Jan 7 (Island) The SJB says that even after the top Litro management has been caught lying as regards the main cause of the LPG gas-related explosions, CID has not conducted a probe. Top SJB spokesperson Mujibur Rahman alleged that the CID hadn’t at least recorded the statements of the top Litro management as regards a complaint he lodged with the CID on 03 Dec., with regard to gas-related incidents. more..

Jan 7 (TM) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva openly questioned the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) via a Twitter post yesterday as to whether the current gold reserves of $ 382.2 million will be sold in part or full. “Is the CBSL about to sell all or part of the remaining $ 382.2 million gold reserves of Sri Lanka?” Dr. de Silva questioned in his Tweet. He further added in his comments the data of the reserves as at 5 Jan 2022, on which the gold reserves were at $ 384.1 million and had dropped down to $382.2 m. more..

Jan 7 (CT) The country’s foreign reserves haemorrhaged for the second consecutive market day to yesterday, this time by US$ 286.29 million (Rs 57,258 m) due to Govt of SL’s (GoSL’s) foreign debt servicing commitments and to meet essential imports at the discounted, administered, benchmark spot rate of Rs 200 to the US dollar as at Tuesday. Transactions between GoSL and Central Bank of SL (CBSL) are foreign reserves neutral. CBSL is nontransparent in its open market operations. more..

Jan 7 (TM) Small and medium-scale rice mill owners have warned of a possible rice shortage by the end of Feb 2022 and skyrocketing rice prices of around Rs. 300 per kilogramme (kg) in the coming Sinhala and Tamil Avurudu/New Year season in April. United Rice Growers’ Association President Muditha Perera said that the price of a kg of nadu rice could go up to Rs. 300 by the coming Sinhala and Tamil New Year season. more..

Jan 7 (Island) Deputy Director General of Health Services, Dr. Hemantha Herath urged the public to get vaccinated at the earliest opportunity, given the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. He said that the number of cases would increase after the festive season and it was a trend observed across the world. “Taking the vaccine is the best way to tackle this and to protect yourself. If you have taken the first dose, get the second and if you are double jabbed, get the booster. more..

Jan 7 (TM) Former State Minister Susil Premajayantha has requested govt leaders to conduct an inquiry into the statement made by SLPP MP Tissa Kuttiarachchi that the former was removed from the said post on the basis of intelligence reports. Speaking to the media, Premajayantha said that he was always open about what he had to say and queried how a MP accessed intelligence reports. “Intelligence units should not come after people like us. more..

Jan 7 (FT) Marking a new milestone in Sri Lanka-India economic and energy partnership, an agreement was reached with the Finance Ministry to develop the Trincomalee Oil Tank Complex, which was previously under the control of the Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC), as a project with the majority of the tanks under the control of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). Accordingly, the 2003 lease agreement regarding more..

Jan 7 (FT) It can be said that at present, SL is caught up in an evil trap that carries the country towards an inescapable devilish collapse. In this article I wish to propose a way out from this trap based on a strong social effort without causing serious harm to the country and the society. The present impasse created by this trap, if not arrested, could cause a huge destruction to the country and the society. Therefore, the political movements as well as the people must pay their serious attention more..

Jan 7 (FT) The FT on Wednesday had a very insightful editorial titled Time for the IMF. The editorial noted that the “Govt’s announcement of the Rs. 229 billion relief package fits right into this Govt’s now preferred mode of operation – firefighting, as opposed to planning and pre-empting. Further the editorial said, “The funds for the relief package, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa has assured, will be sourced from within the budget, without any new taxes being implemented. more..

Jan 7 (AD) There will be island-wide disruptions to the power supply for a period of one hour between 5.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. today (January 07), says the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). Many areas including Colombo and suburbs also experienced sporadic power cuts until 9.30 p.m. last night. The CEB officials stated that the situation was the result of the breakdown of a generator at the Kelanitissa power plant as well as the high electricity demand. more..

Jan 7 (EN) US Singer Cher, who had has taken an interest in Sri Lanka elephants after helping a troubled animal that was gifted to Pakistan, slammed a state-run elephant orphanage in the island nation over a video of newborn twins going into the water. “Does this look right, humane to anyone?,” Cher questioned, in a twitter.com post. “These babies look terrified, they want their mother. Why do PPL sell their souls for dollars.” The reaction came after a video of the newborn elephant twin, more..

Jan 7 (AD) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to lift the one-year ban imposed on cricketers Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella. Accordingly, they will be eligible to play during the Zimbabwe tour, subject to meeting required fitness standards, the SLC said. The trio was suspended from international cricket for a year on July 30, 2021 for breaking SL’s bio-bubble on a night out in Durham the previous month. They were also fined 10 million rupees (USD 50,000 approx.) each, more..

Jan 7 (DM) Booster dose will also be made mandatory to access public spaces in addition to first and second doses, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. He stated that a new vaccine card with a QR code and a vaccination app would be introduced soon. "Thereby, three doses of a COVID vaccine would be made compulsory for people when entering public places," he added. He said plans are afoot to turn all local govet bodies in the country into vaccination centres to expedite booster rollout. more..

Jan 7 (AD) A decision has been taken to roll out the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine to children aged 16 - 19 years who have completed 03 months since the first dose, says Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. Speaking on the matter, President of the SL College of Paediatricians, Professor Shaman Rajindrajith said, “Although the prevalence of Covid-19 disease is low among children, majority of child fatalities from the infection were that of those who suffered from complications. more..

Jan 7 (DM) SL has set aside the funds required for the upcoming int'l bond settlement due in less than two weeks, just weeks after Fitch Ratings downgraded the sovereign deeper into the junk category, on the heightened debt default concerns amid razor thin foreign exchange reserves. SL is due to repay two Int'l Sovereign Bonds (ISBs) maturing this year and the first one worth of US $ 500 mil falls due on Jan 18, while the next one worth of US $ 1 bil is coming for settlement in July. more..

Jan 7 (DM) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa will miss the opportunity to have a meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat global investor summit since the event was postponed due to the surge in Covid numbers. A meeting had been planned between the Minister and the Indian leader on the sidelines of the event. It was slated to be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on January 10. During the two-day official meeting between Dec 1 and 2, last year, more..

Jan 7 (DM) A request made by former President Maithripala Sirisena that he be released from several civil lawsuits filed by the victims of Easter Sunday attacks was today rejected by Colombo District Court. The relatives of those who have died during the suicide bomb blasts took place in Colombo and individuals who injured had filed 128 lawsuits before Colombo District Court claiming compensations from former President Maithreepala Sirisena and several others. more..

Jan 7 (EN) Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) trade unionists has told Sri Lankans already burdened by gas and milk powder shortages to brace themselves for power cuts in the coming days due to the CEB’s inability to purchase furnace fuel. One union leader on Friday (07) asked CEB’s consumers to find candles. A CEB statement said due to a breakdown in power plants and increased electricity demand, power cuts can be expected in several areas of the country on Friday as well. more..

Jan 7 (DM) Amidst the foreign exchange crisis, the govt is exploring credit arrangements with China and India for the import of essential pharmaceuticals. The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) is currently struggling, being unable to open Letters of Credit (LC) to import more than 80 essential drugs. State Minister Prof. Channa Jayasumana said that the current stocks of drugs would be sufficient for a few weeks, and a shortage might crop up in case LCS could not be opened. more..

Jan 7 (EN) SL will release around US$ 15 million to clear containers with essential foods as part of an ongoing process, CB Governor Nivard Cabraal said. SL’s main importers have said about a thousand containers are stuck at the Colombo Port awaiting foreign exchange awaiting dollars releases by banks. However others say about 300 containers are stuck due to problems with documentation and restricted items. Foreign exchange is progressively released for essential imports and more..

Jan 7 (EN) Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has established a 24/7 vaccination centre at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Colombo for unvaccinated Sri Lankan returnees. Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Dushantha Wijesinghe said on Friday that the vaccination centre at the BIA will operate round the clock all week and will administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for local returnees coming from abroad who have not been vaccinated with the first, second or booster dose. more..

Jan 7 (Island) Another person afflicted with malaria had been detected at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, acting director of the hospital, Dr. S. Jamunanandan said. The patient has returned from an African country, he said. In the past few days, four malaria cases were detected in Jaffna. Doctors have detected Plasmodium falciparum, a unicellular protozoan parasite, in the patients. This is considered the deadliest species of Plasmodium that causes malaria in humans. more..

Jan 7 (TM) People’s Bank has paid the Chinese company Seawin Biotech for the first shipment of controversial organic fertiliser today. The decision was taken after the Colombo Commercial High Court, last week, dissolved the enjoining order preventing the payment on Letter of Credit to China-based Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co., Ltd. The enjoining order in question was dismissed on the 3rd of January as all parties had agreed on a mutual settlement, subject to conditions, to ship more..

Jan 7 (Island) Questions being raised about the actual cause of gas leak explosions would be answered when the findings of an investigation were made public soon, Minister Johnston Fernando said yesterday. Speaking at a ceremony to mark the opening of a three-storeyed building at Kurunegala Maliyadeva Girls’ School, Minister said, “We have suspicions about the so-called gas explosions. Incidents have been reported from many places. However, there were no such incidents reported from the houses in Colombo 7, more..

Jan 7 (DM) An ambiguity has been created as to whether outdoor musical events can be held or not under existing quarantine regulations. According to Public Health Inspectors Union, permission cannot be granted to hold outdoor events including musical events under the existing quarantine regulations. "As per the health guidelines issued on January 1, outdoor events are not permitted," PHIU Head Upul Rohana said. "Thus, he requested musical event organisers not to come to them seeking approval more..

Jan 7 (AD) India on Thursday assured Sri Lanka of its support to tide over difficult times even as it welcomed the Trincomalee tank farms project saying it will augment bilateral energy security. India’s External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, when asked at a media briefing on the possibility of India extending the credit line to help Sri Lanka overcome its economic crisis, said it has always stood by the people of that country. more..

Jan 7 (Island) It would take several weeks to sort out the cooking gas shortage, Litro Gas Chairman, Thushara Jayasinghe said. Jayasinghe said that they were currently issuing about 90,000 gas cylinders to the market a day. “Earlier, we issued about 60,000 cylinders a day. The number has been increased by 33% to deal with the current situation. We had to recall cylinders and to adhere to a new standardisation process. So, there are some limitatations affecting our output.” more..

Jan 7 (Island) Milk Powder Importers Association yesterday said that the shortage of imported milk powder would last at least until the end of January. Spokesman for the Association Asoka Bandara said that a ship carrying milk powder was expected to reach Sri Lanka at the end of January or early February. Bandara added that the price of milk powder in the world market had been going up for nine weeks coupled with a dramatic rise in freight costs. “This is why the prices of imported powdered milk were increased more..

Jan 7 (DM) Ten outstanding women professionals were felicitated by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday. The Wise Woman National Programme was launched at the BMICH, Colombo with the intention of empowering women to the full potential and to get their contribution to the economy. The percentage of women in the country is 52%. However, a survey has revealed that the share of female labour in the total population is as low as 30%. more..

Jan 7 (AD) A fundamental rights (FR) petition has been filed seeking the nullification of the agreement signed with India to develop the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm. The petition was lodged before the Supreme Court by the Secretary of National National Bhikkhu Front, Ven. Wakmulle Uditha Thera. A total of 47 parties including the Attorney General on behalf of the President, Cabinet of Ministers including Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and its chairman, more..

Jan 7 (DM) Sri Lanka’s fast growing gem and jewellery industry is gearing up to gather momentum as it acknowledges that the recently issued gazette by the govt will pave the way for a smooth sailing forward. The new regulation that came in after continuous lobbying by the industry, provides the “much-needed” factor in uplifting the industry after being hit by the pandemic and will ensure the US$ 1 billion target is met, the SL Gem and Jewellery Authority (SLGJA) said. more..

Jan 7 (EN) Noting the tenet of collective responsibility and a constitutional cap on the number of cabinet ministries, Prez Rajapaksa defended a decision to sack a state minister who had openly criticised the govt. “I had to remove a state minister. If a state minister says this govt is wrong, he is saying he is wrong too. Every MP, minister and state minister has a collective responsibility towards the govt. If one makes an allegation against another, more..

Jan 7 (EN) A collective of bakery owners has warned of possible bread shortages after wheat importers informed them of supply disruptions as money printed to keep interest rates low triggered forex shortages. President of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners Association N K Jayawardena told reporters that in discussions held with flour importers, the association was informed that the situation was dire. “The companies said they can give us as much flour as we want, but the issue is with dollars. more..