Sep 8 (FT) In my column when I had mentioned that over 80% are qualified with an O/L or below in SL, a letter intimating that 87% of SL’s Parliament being equipped with a PhD, Degree, Diploma and GCE A/L was received, signed by the Director Legislative Services/Director Communication (Acting) – Parliament of SL. I was pleasantly surprised that one would go to read an article in such depth and it had been followed up on its content. I will be failing in my duty if I don’t acknowledge the spirit more..

Sep 8 (EN) Sri Lanka needs judicial review to stop laws which are changed at the last minute in the committee stage without debate and may be against the constitution, chief opposition whip Lakshman Kiriella said. “This is serious shortcoming in the parliamentary system (in Sri Lanka),” Kiriella told speaker Mahinda Abeywardena. “You know that in the committee stage amendments are bought. If the correct or wrong amendments are passed it cannot be questioned in court.” more..

Sep 8 (EN) The SJB has called for the immediate release of actress and protest leader Damitha Abeyaratne who is in remand custody for forcibly entering the presidential secretariat. Premadasa told parliament that he visited Abeyartne at the Fort Police station where she is being held after she was arrested the previous day. Police said Abeyaratne had entered presidential secretariat illegally on July 10, more..

Sep 8 (DM) The Social Security Contributions Levy is the reintroduction of the Nation Building Tax (NBT) in a different name, NPP MP Vijitha Herath said today. He told Parliament that this tax was introduced by former Finace Minister Basil Rajapaksa when the VAT was 8%. He said there was no authenticity to introduce this tax now as the VAT was increased to 15% from the interim budget. "When this new tax of 2.5% was imposed, total tax amount will increase to 20 to 21%. more..

Sep 8 (DM) Arguments flared up in Parliament regarding actress Damitha Abeyratne who was arrested on Wednesday with Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa calling for her release and to put a stop to state terrorism and the ruling party assuring that she will be freed if she has not done anything wrong. “Ms. Abeyratne has not done anything wrong. She has not damaged public property and only exercised her right. It seems that govt hates artistes & uni students. Stop state terrorism. more..

Sep 8 (AD) With prospects of an all-party govt in crisis-hit Sri Lanka looking increasingly dim, 37 MPs representing the ruling SLPP and SLFP have been appointed as state ministers before Prez Wickremesinghe. SLFP MP Ranjith Siyambalapitiya and SLPP MP Shehan Semasinghe were sworn in as State Ministers of Finance before the President today. Both have served as state ministers of finance in different govts. more..

Sep 8 (Island) SL Navy vessel P 627 has departed Seattle, US over the last week sans nine members of the crew who fled from the ship in spite of stringent measures in place to thwart such an eventuality. SL’s efforts to locate them haven’t been successful though their disappearances were brought to the notice of relevant authorities. On two previous occasions six members of P 621 (SLNS Samudura/formerly of the US Coast Guard Courageous) and P 626 (SLNS Gajabahu/ more..

Sep 8 (DM) Actress Damitha Abeyratne was today ordered to be remanded till Sept 14 after being produced before Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage. She was arrested by Colombo North Divisional Crime Detective Bureau (DCDB) for allegedly forcibly entering Presidential Secretariat and obstructing the duties of police officers during Galle Face protests. Damitha Abeyratne was represented by a group of lawyers including President's Counsel Rienzie Arsekularatne, more..

Sep 8 (DM) Court of Appeal today issued notices on SLPP parliamentarian Sanath Nishantha to appear in court on Sept 13 over two contempt of court cases filed by two lawyers. The lawyers Vijitha Kumara and Priyalal Sirisena had filed these applications against Puttlalam District MP Sanath Nishantha for committing the offence of Contempt of Court under the provisions of constitution. Court of Appeal two-judge-bench bench comprised Justice Nissanka Karunaratne and Justice R. Gurusinghe. more..

Sep 8 (DM) SL writer Shehan Karunatilaka, 47, is among the six authors who have made it to the Booker Prize shortlist, which were announced at a news conference in London on Tuesday. He becomes the second writer from the island nation to have emerged as a finalist in two years; last year, it was Anuk Arudpragasam, 34, who figured on the shortlist for his second novel, A Passage North, an examination of life in the aftermath of war, and a meditation on the passage of time. more..

Sep 8 (CT) Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said the Govt of SL, on 18 July 2022, had rejected a visit by a team tasked with looking into an evidence-gathering mechanism. On 8 July 2022, a project team for the evidence-gathering mechanism wanted to visit SL and approached the Govt to seek permission for the visit to discuss their work, but the Govt had responded on 18 July indicating that given its rejection of resolution more..

Sep 8 (AD) Administrator of USAID Samantha Power is planning to engage in a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka this week. Power is expected to arrive on the island on Sept 10. She will be holding discussions with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and other govt officials during her visit. USAID administrator’s visit comes after U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen informed the SL govt that the United States, as a creditor nation, would participate in restructuring Sri Lanka’s debt. more..

Sep 8 (Island) The UK has so far not provided direct assistance to SL, struggling to cope up with the balance of payment crisis. UK Development Minister Vicky Ford has explained that their support would be directed, through international lending and relief agencies. Minister Ford stated the UK position on Tuesday in response to a query raised by Labour member, Sam Tarry, regarding aid to people affected by the economic crisis Minister Ford said: “The UK is closely monitoring the political, economic and more..

Sep 8 (TM) SL’s exports can compete without the tariff concessions provided by the EU’s GSP+, as the utilisation of the GSP+ by exporters is declining, stated the Dept of Commerce (DoC), suggesting that exports are not heavily dependent on the said concessions. In its annual report for 2021, DOC stated that SL’s GSP plus utilisation rate in 2010 was at 73%, which was the highest percentage recorded in a year, more..

Sep 8 (CT) Despite receiving Cabinet approval, 80 imported buses designed to transport schoolchildren have been parked at a Homagama Panagoda vehicle yard for the past seven years without being used. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said during an inspection of Ashok Leyland’s vehicle yard in Homagama, that the company imported eighty buses specially designed to transport school students seven years ago with the collaboration of the Govt. He said due to a lack of approval more..

Sep 8 (FT) Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Monday approved the appointment of a committee to introduce a comprehensive legal framework to strengthen national security. The objective of the committee is to overcome shortcomings in existing anti-terrorism laws, enforce the law, and strengthen investigations and supervision. The proposal also includes introducing regulations in line with terrorism and extremist violence. In addition, the Cabinet paper has proposed to appoint a committee more..

Sep 8 (EN) State run fuel retailer said there was no truth in the recent claim by Filling Station Association which said 300 fuel sheds have been closed down due to the lack of supply. “Recent media reports that 300 fuel stations have to close daily are completely false,” CPC said. Filling Station Association Prez Kumara Rajapakshe said that nearly 300 filling stations have been closed temporarily island wide due to complications arising from a new payment system and inadequacies in supply of fuel. more..

Sep 8 (DM) In the wake of the increase in prices of consumer goods and various items including in the construction industry, Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has initiated the process to consider putting Maximum Retail Prices (MRP) to few crucial sectors such as cement and steel. Earlier, Prez had instructed the minister of trade to find ways and take immediate measures to bring down the cost of living amidst the economic instability. Accordingly, CAA had issued several extraordinary gazette more..

Sep 8 (EN) A govt minister has rejected a UNICEF report that ranked the island nation sixth in a global child malnutrition index, even as opposition lawmakers warn of an imminent child malnutrition crisis and a looming protein deficit as prices of food and protein sources skyrocket. Minister of Plantation and Industries Ramesh Pathirana said the UNICEF findings cannot be accepted as conclusive since the data analysed for the report was from 2016. more..

Sep 8 (AFP) SL added 37 new senior posts to its govt on Thursday, sparking a social media backlash over useless public spending in the middle of its worst economic crisis on record. The country of 22 million has suffered months of rampant inflation, severe shortages of essential goods and widespread protests, pushing it to default on its foreign debt in April. The 37 new state ministers will not accept their modest salaries, but they are entitled to three cars each with fuel, state housing, bodyguards, more..

Sep 8 (TM) The next objective of the aragalaya (struggle) should be to build new leaders to be sent to Parliament, stated aragalaya leaders. Dr. Pathum Kerner, a prominent figure amidst the GotaGoHome campaign, which sought to hold former Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa accountable for his perceived mistakes, said that the next struggle should be to build new leaders to be sent to Parliament. “The country is the most valuable. Let’s make 100 brand-new faces. It’s up to you. more..

Sep 8 (AD) Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (COPF) will conduct an investigation into the allegations against the irregularities in the tender on purchasing coal, its chairperson MP Harsha de Silva said. The probe will be conducted in accordance with a request made by Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, lawmaker added. On Wednesday, Minister Wijesekera had mentioned in a tweet that he made a written request from more..

Sep 8 (DM) Although we have sufficient renewable energy and hydropower, the existing stocks of coal in hand will come to an end by end October, PUCSL Chairman Janaka Rathnayake said. He stated that we are currently producing around 70% renewable energy and that with sufficient rainfall in the hydro catchment areas, we can generate 60% of the hydropower that we require. "Two coal power plants out of three are running smoothly. Therefore, a power cuts would not be imposed more..

Sep 8 (TO) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in SL-led Individual Crowdfunding Facility; Rebuild Sri Lanka platform went live on Thursday providing the opportunity for global citizens to contribute to alleviating the impacts of the crisis in the country through: www.undp.org/srilanka/donate. SL is experiencing its worst economic crisis since 1948, with 5.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance (UN OCHA, 2022) and almost 6.3 million more..

Sep 9 (CT) The Gota Go Home aragalaya at Galle Face was a powerful and a unique historical event. Such a mass uprising has not ever happened before. This fact may be agreed by all in my opinion without any controversy. It was the young men and women who over hundred days pitched camps at Galle Face green braving sun and rain to raise the voice of the voiceless and also to demonstrate their dissatisfaction towards the way the country is governed and their aspirations for a just and more..

Sep 9 (GV) Аir pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health and one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally, with some estimated 6.5 million premature deaths attributed to indoor and outdoor air pollution. This figure is expected to more than double by 2050. Particularly in developing countries, air pollution disproportionately affects women, children and the elderly, especially in low income populations, as they are often exposed to high levels of air more..

Sep 9 (DM) Sept 9 marks five months since the protest campaign to oust the then Prez Rajapaksa began at Galle Face. Tear gas and water cannons being fired on protesters, people storming public buildings were familiar sights during the Aragalaya protests. One incident that drew a lot of attention was protesters entering State television and activist Dhaniz Ali being forcibly evicted from a plane at the airport over that incident. more..

Sep 9 (ST) The historical record of presenting the govt’s annual budgets in SL is no different from reading a collection of fairy tales. They often carried catchy titles. I am quoting just a few of them here: Pro-poor budget, Development budget, Vision for the Future, Enterprise SL, Empowering the people and Nurturing the poor, Vision for development, Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour. Then they brought about – sometimes out of the blues – the promises of auctioning unavailable resources more..

Sep 9 (DM) The deepening economic crisis in Sri Lanka is felt mostly by children. This was highlighted recently by an official of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) who toured the island on a fact finding mission. Sri Lanka boasts of traditional food like red rice, varieties of greens, green gram and manioc among other nutritious consumables that are put on the table for breakfast and at other meal times. But there is also the issue of most children not fancying these nutritious foods; more..

Sep 9 (TM) The anxiously awaited comprehensive report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) on the Situation of human rights in SL (A/HRC/51/5) is now before the eyes of the world. In other words, neither the Executive President nor any other artful dodger can hide this report any more. Even though it is known as the Advance unedited version, any dream that the team from Colombo in Geneva, Switzerland, more..

Sep 9 (TM) A total of 37 new State Ministers were sworn in at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday, under the patronage of Prez Wickremesinghe, further expanding the number of Ministries under the new Govt. Among these portfolios are State Ministers for the areas of foreign employment promotion, finance, transport, Provincial Councils and Local Govt, agriculture, sports and youth affairs, plantation industries, power and energy, water supply, investment promotion, piriven edu, more..

Sep 9 (CT) Yesterday this newspaper carried a story under the heading 80 imported buses lying idle at Panagoda yard, with a strapline, Allocated to transport schoolchildren. It read, Despite receiving Cabinet approval, 80 imported buses designed to transport schoolchildren have been parked at a Homagama Panagoda vehicle yard for the past seven years without being used. Minister Bandula Gunawardena said, during an inspection of Ashok Leyland’s vehicle yard in Homagama, that more..

Sep 9 (FT) Uber Eats is aggressively adopting electric, with the US-based mobility service provider listing sustainability as a global priority. Uber Eats Regional General Manager for Asia Pacific Region Saskia de Jongh said there is a great deal of focus on reducing its carbon footprint through transport and even packaging. Electric bikes have already been deployed by Uber in SL, partly due to the prevalent crisis, but Saskia adds this is also part of a global campaign to open up to different more..

Sep 9 (FT) PUCSL Chairman warned that SL might lose 900 MW of coal power generation due to the unavailability of sufficient stocks and the ramifications of it will have to be borne by the public with long power outages. “At the moment we have two of the three Norochcholai coal power plants fully operational. However, coal stocks we have is only sufficient till the last week of October and if Govt or CEB is not allowed to import, there is a high possibility that the plants will be forced into more..

Sep 9 (ST) When one part of a food chain cannot sustain itself, it becomes difficult for us to sustain the whole. This is something we have scientifically recognised since childhood. Now a similar situation has been created in SL. In the face of the current economic crisis, people are adopting different food patterns and due to the increase in food inflation, a situation is unfloding where people are unable to get the nutrition they need. more..