Oct 20 (FT) Fitch Ratings said yesterday rated SL corporates in consumer-goods retail, power generation and homebuilding will be among the most affected if the economic crisis deepens or is sustained for a prolonged period. It said significant cost inflation affecting demand and profitability, import restrictions disrupting operations, and high interest rates are key risks faced by domestic corporates in the next 12-18 months. “Based on base case forecast assumptions, we project more..

Oct 20 (GV) Scrolling through newsfeeds I find at least one article that refers to the number of people who are starving every day in SL. My friends who are teachers say that children’s lunch boxes contain less variety. A principal reported that children are fainting at their morning assembly. As the economic crisis continues, such incidents and the number of people at risk keep rising. Before the economic crisis, Household Income & Expenditure Survey (2019) shows that 9% of the total population more..

Oct 20 (FT) Amidst growing criticism Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday justified a hike in income tax for both corporate and personal saying it was for the greater good of the country going forward and critical to garner much needed financial support from the international community. In an address to the nation, Prez said IMF with whom the Govt has signed a Staff Level Agreement for a $ 2.9 billion 4 year financial support, advised the need for more..

Oct 20 (ST) Thousands of schoolchildren in grades 6, 7, 10 and 11 studying Islam as a subject have no textbooks since Dec 2021, after the Commissioner-General of Educational Publications Dept ordered principals to stop distribution and recall the books. The recall came after the One Country, One Law Presidential Task Force headed by Ven Galagodaththe Gnansara Thera conveyed concerns about some of the contents of the books. Now a civil society organisation called Centre for Justice more..

Oct 20 (DN) Winning Asia Cup T20 runners-up gives a big boost for the SL women's cricket team and they are going to be ready for the next World Cup in South Africa next year in February said National women's cricket head coach Hashan Tillakaratne said. Our men's team won the Asia Cup T20 in Dubai while our Netball team won the Asia cup for the sixth time and these two achievements gave a huge morale boost for our women's team before this Asia Cup. We knew we had to play Asia Cup more..

Oct 20 (TM) The CIABOC has commenced a preliminary inquiry with regard to a complaint lodged by the Young Lawyers’ Association of SL (YLASL), Young Journalists’ Association of SL (YJASL), and Action Committee Against State Repression (ACASR) that several senior police officials, including IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratne, are misusing State resources, including police officers, to attack peaceful protests. more..

Oct 20 (CI) Right-arm fast bowler Kasun Rajitha has replaced fellow speedster Dushmantha Chameera, who suffered a grade two tear in the calf of his left foot, in SL's T20 World Cup squad. Rajitha, who last played a T20I in Oct 2019, is in Sri Lanka and will travel to Australia as soon as possible. In addition to Chameera, batter Danushka Gunathilaka has also been ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a hamstring tear. Ashen Bandara, one of the travelling reserves, will replace him. more..

Oct 20 (IT) SL head coach Chris Silverwood said on Tuesday that he is confident that the islanders will be able to qualify for the Super 12 stage of fhe T20 World Cup in Australia. Silverwood expressed delight with the way SL bounced back from their loss to Namibia to outclass UAE in their second Group A match in Round of 1 of the World Cup on Tuesday. SL, who were on a high after winning the Asia Cup in September, were stunned by Namibia by 55 runs in their World Cup opener earlier on Sunday. more..

Oct 20 (TM) A national policy is to be formulated to ensure the wellbeing of children with special needs in SL. Views in this regard were expressed when the Parliamentary Children’s Caucus met in Parliament on Tuesday under the Chairmanship of SJB MP Rohini Kumari Kavirathna Wijerathna. Further, it was decided to have extensive discussions with Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and other affiliated institutions, Children and Women’s Bureau, and representatives of UNICEF on the problems more..

Oct 20 (TM) Havelock City’s commercial complex, Mireka Capital Land (Pvt) Ltd., is set to be opened by Prez Ranil Wickremasinghe this morning. 50-storey commercial complex had successfully leased out 40% of office space, whilst the adjoining large shopping mall had leased out 80% of lots as of early this year. On 14 Oct 2020, DFCC Bank entered into an Rs. 9 billion revolving financing arrangement for the Havelock City Commercial Development Project, a fully-owned entity of Overseas Realty more..

Oct 20 (Island) State Higher Education Minister Dr. Suren Raghavan said Higher Education Ministry, and UGC, wouldn’t get involved in the ongoing issue pertaining to the sale of SUV by Chancellor of Colombo Uni Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda. Dr. Raghavan emphasised that as it was a private matter there was no need for them to intervene. He said so in response to query whether the Ministry would inquire into more..

Oct 20 (FT) Business leader Dhammika Perera’s eldest daughter Donna Brindhini Perera was yesterday appointed to the Boards of 10 listed companies, ownership of which is controlled by him. At 22-years-old, Donna becomes the youngest to serve on listed company boards as a Non-Executive, Non-Independent Director. Her formal entry into the corporate world is akin to following her father’s footsteps – he became the biggest investor in listed companies in early 2000s at the age of 33. more..

Oct 20 (FT) Govt is making plans to designate the Colombo Int'l Airport, Ratmalana (CIAR) for private aircraft in the future. “Ratmalana Airport will be used as a dedicated airport for private jets, as well as flying schools,” Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told the Parliament. Noting that a large sum of money was spent on converting the Rathmalana Airport into an int'l airport before he took office, Minister said that there are concerns surrounding the modus operandi followed in the upgrades. more..

Oct 20 (TM) SLPP MP Wasantha Yapa Bandara alleged that the son of CEA Chairman Siripala Amarasinghe is constructing a building in an environmentally sensitive area in the Knuckles Reserve, which is a protected natural reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and therefore called for a thorough investigation into the ownership of this land and the legitimacy of constructing a building in such a natural reserve. He informed Parliament about the alleged construction more..

Oct 20 (DM) SL Police, which used to attack the advancing protest marches earlier, has now even started assaulting those who participate in peaceful commemorations of the aragalaya, an attorney testifying at an inquiry conducted by the HRCSL said. Following an investigation voluntarily commenced by the Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) and over a complaint lodged by President of Young Journalists Association Tharindu Jayawardena against the police attack more..

Oct 20 (Island) The CID yesterday (18) informed Acting Fort Magistrate Shilani Perera that Rs 3 bn in an account maintained by Thilini Priyamali, Proprietor, Thico Group of Companies, had been withdrawn between January and June 2022. The Court was also told that there had been seven other cases before the High Court, and Magistrate Courts, as well against Priyamali arrested in the first week of this month on a complaint more..

Oct 20 (Island) Sri Lanka will only achieve stability through democratic political reforms, and economic reforms alone will not create a stable govt, former Director General of Govt Information, Dr. Ranga Kalansooriya, said on Tuesday, at an event, organised by the Media Law Forum. Commenting on the new Bureau of Rehabilitation Bill, he said that the vagueness of the Bill is a serious concern. “Among those who need to be rehabilitated is an other category. Who are these others? more..

Oct 20 (DM) Mahanayaka of Asgiriya Chapter Ven Warakagoda Gnanarathana Thera expressed concern about politicians and senior govt officials neglecting their duty towards the country. During a meeting with the representative of Nidahas Sevaka Sangamya of Sri Lankan Airline, Mahanayake Thera pointed out that the majority of politicians and the govt officials were corrupt. He said the national assets and public funds were in danger due to poor administration & corruption. more..

Oct 20 (TM) President’s Counsel (PC) Maithri Gunaratne raised concerns regarding the presence of a group of lawyers, including Attorney-at-Law Rakhitha Rajapakshe, who is the son of Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe PC, appearing on behalf of the suspect in the case of suspected fraudster Thilini Priyamali, who is accused of large-scale financial fraud involving several VIPs. more..

Oct 20 (FT) Critiquing the policies of the last decade of Chairman Mao Zedong’s life, Fidel Castro once remarked sadly that there are some leaders who break with their feet, what they built with their hands. That would be even truer of Robert Mugabe and Alberto Fujimori than Mao. It fits Mahinda Rajapaksa. It wouldn’t fit Gotabaya who simply broke with his feet what generations had built with their hands (i.e., agriculture). Mahinda and his SLPP cannot come even close to anything remotely more..

Oct 20 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has proposed a set of important electoral reforms for all elections along with specifics for local govt. The four proposals relevant to local elections are – (1) Reducing the number of councillors from the present 8,700+ to 5,000 (2) Setting up 14,000+ Jana Sabhas at Grama Nildhari Division level in parallel to the existing local councils (3) Reducing autocratic actions by Local Council Chairmen by converting the chairmanship in each council to more..

Oct 20 (MFA) Foreign Minister Ali Sabry met the U.S Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador Donald Lu at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday. Referring to the Foreign Minister’s meeting with the Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the 29th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on 04 August, 2022 in Cambodia and several high-level visits from the U.S. to Sri Lanka in recent times to support the Govt’s efforts to address the present more..

Oct 20 (SLN) SL Navy conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from SL’s waters on the night of 19th Oct. The operation led to the seizure of an Indian trawler with 03 Indian nationals poaching in the island's waters off the Kovilan Lighthouse, Kareinagar. SL Navy has stepped up its patrols and operations in SL’s waters to curb illegal fishing practices of foreign fishing trawlers. In a similar operation conducted in dark hours of 19th Oct more..

Oct 20 (BN) After Sri Lankan protesters booted out former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier this year, his allies are now looking to water down their demands to curb the powers of the island nation’s presidency. Lawmakers on Thursday are set to kick off a debate on a constitutional amendment that would curb sweeping powers granted to the president to make the position more accountable to lawmakers. more..

Oct 20 (EN) SLFP will vote for the 22nd amendment to the constitution bill, SLFP chairman and former Prez Maithripala Sirisena said. Speaking in parliament, Sirisena said the SLFP agrees that the 22nd amendment contains very good reforms that can strengthen democracy, the public service and also help reform state institutions. SLFP is represented by 14 legislators who sit in the opposition, not counting several who have joined the govt. more..

Oct 20 (DM) SL has been among the top 13 destinations and safest countries in the world to travel to, the Tourism Ministry said. According to the worldpackers website, travelling should be enjoyable for everyone and should be relaxing and fun, not scary. According to the website, the Ministry said with a large majority of the country's culture being Buddhist, this makes it a pretty safe place to travel as their mannerisms tend to be calm and welcoming. SL was ranked 12 among the safest more..

Oct 20 (CI) As far as banana peels go, SL found themselves on a big one, which in turn was placed on an oily surface. Playing the first round of the 2022 T20 World Cup, after coming in as Asia Cup champions, they struggled to adjust to a slow, two-paced Geelong pitch and ended up paying for it with a defeat to Namibia. Add to it a soft outfield that can leave you vulnerable to injuries. Five of the SL players have been injured so far. more..

Oct 20 (Xinhua) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe was presented the country's first-ever green apple harvest as the country looks to strengthen its agricultural sector amid a food shortage. Farmer Lakshman Kumara had cultivated the green apples on two acres of land from Thambuttegama in the North Central Province and handed over his maiden harvest to the president in Colombo. During their talks, Kumara told the president that the apple seeds were imported and following proper testing, more..

Oct 20 (DM) A total of 183 Sri Lankan nationals who had been seeking asylum in Australia were sent back, said Commander Maritime Border Command and Commander of Joint Task agency Task Force, Operation Sovereign Borders Rear Admiral Justin Jones. These are from six irregular maritime ventures attempt to reach Australia, said Rear Admiral Jones, who earlier participated in the Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting in Delhi, working with regional partners on more..

Oct 20 (Island) The GMOA vowed to do everything in its power to prevent the enactment of the Inland Revenue Amendment Bill. Accusing the govt of unilateral action in this regard, the GMOA, in a statement issued under the hand of its Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge, declared that it would take maximum possible trade union measures against the move. The GMOA issued the statement in the wake of the Governor of the Central Bank, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and Foreign Minister, more..

Oct 20 (AD) The govt has taken a decision has been taken to wind up operations of the Covid-19 Health and Social Security Fund, which was established to provide relief to those affected by the outbreak of the epidemic. Meanwhile, the approval of the Cabinet has also been obtained to wind up the operations of the fund. The Secretary of the Covid-19 Health and Social Security Fund, Dr. Tharaka Liyanapathirana notified the public that the Covid-19 Health and Social Security Fund more..

Oct 20 (EN) Supreme Court has determined that a controversial rehabilitation bureau bill is, as a whole, inconsistent with article 12 (1) of the constitution and may therefore be enacted only by special majority, Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said. Announcing the verdict in parliament Thursday (20), Abeywardena said the bill, titled Bureau of Rehabilitation Act may be enacted by special majority as required by more..

Oct 20 (Island) SL Administrative Service Association has asked Parliament to empower Committee on Public Finance (COPF) and Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) to recover losses caused by politicians and officials. SLASA has also requested that the culprits be subjected to judicial process. Association made the proposal at a meeting of the National Council Sub-Committee on Identifying Priorities in Formulating Short-, Medium- & Long-Term Policies, which met more..

Oct 20 (DM) Director General of Sports today gave an undertaking to the Court of Appeal that the elections for the SL Football Federation will be held within 69 days commencing from today. Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena PC appearing for Sports Authorities gave this undertaking in connection with a writ petition filed by Prez and Secretary of the Football Federation of SL. Jaswar Omar Lebbe and Upali Hewage filed this petition challenging the legality of more..

Oct 20 (DM) All private bus associations have decided to launch a countrywide bus strike from next Tuesday (25) night as they are unable to pay the leasing installments during this economic crisis and against seizing their buses from owners who have leasing instalment arrears. IPPBA Secretary said at least 50 buses have been taken by the leasing companies for not paying installments. "During COVID pandemic, bus operation more..