Sep 11 (ST) The current crisis in SL has presented a fresh opportunity for mysterious funds to extend credit lines to local banks, bankers said. They said this trend has come in the wake of the exchange rate crisis and the country’s default along with the country rating being very low. When the govt is downgraded to default grade, the banks in the country are also automatically put in the same grade as they cannot get a better rating than the sovereign, which opens up opportunities more..

Sep 11 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to travel to the UK next weekend to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Prez’s Office is currently making the necessary arrangements in coordination with the SL High Commission in London. A highly-placed Govt source said that the Prez was likely to meet with members of the British Govt during his brief visit. Prez is expected to travel to London a day prior to the funeral and depart the day after the funeral. more..

Sep 11 (TM) A new resolution on Sri Lanka is to be made public this week following the commencement of the 51st session of UNHRC session tomorrow in Geneva. Informed sources said that the proposed new resolution on SL would, for the first time, mirror the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The first or zero draft of the resolution is likely to be presented by either tomorrow or the day after (13). more..

Sep 11 (ST) The Health Ministry is to make emergency purchases of medical supplies because of a delay in obtaining medicines under an Indian credit line facility of US$ 130 million, officials said. Accordingly, the ministry is preparing a list of 300 pharmaceuticals and will go ahead with the purchase in view of an acute shortage of these essential drugs. Some of the reasons cited for the delay in purchasing medical supplies from India are difficulty in finding suitable Indian suppliers, more..

Sep 11 (ST) Economic stability and food security in SL are among a wide range of topics being discussed by the visiting USAID Administrator, Samantha Power. Ms Power opened the two-day official visit to SL yesterday morning and is scheduled to meet political party leaders to learn their views on how to address the economic and political crises in SL. She is scheduled to meet people from all walks of life, from senior govt officials and private sector employees to farmers, more..

Sep 11 (ST) Motorcycle or three-wheeler parties were how some of the smaller political groups were humorously identified at one time. It was good enough for the leader and the general secretary, according to the first analogy. The second had room for one more, an office bearer. The serious side, however, was that they were bereft of a broader vote base and varied interests bound them together for sustenance and survival. more..

Sep 12 (DM) When ex-prez Rajapaksa fled the country and then PM Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed interim Prez, it appeared to take the wind out of the sails of the Aragalaists. The phenomenon was best exemplified in the manner that the numbers of protesters at the GotaGogama site at Galle Face Green rapidly shrank. Numbers decreased so rapidly, that in the end, only hard-core protesters belonging to particular political party & a radical student formation remained at site. more..

Feb 12 (CT) The country faces the risk of enhanced blackouts next month due to the possibility of the selected coal supplier, by tender, allegedly defaulting on their contract in fears of non-payment of dues. The supplier first wants legal assurance that they will receive payment for their supply before shipping coal to Colombo. This is but one of a series of malaise facing the country after it defaulted on its debt repayments five months ago, in April 2022, but the Govt of SL is still restructuring its debt, more..

Feb 12 (SO) Love him or hate him, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nilenthi Nimal Siripala De Silva is a force to be reckoned with. As he lingered over a late afternoon at his office, Minister De Silva engaged in a frank and laidback interview with the Sunday Observer. Q: Are you happy that you had entered the political arena? A: Yes, of course. I’ve been interested in politics since I was in elementary school. more..

Feb 12 (TM) It was reported recently that the use of drugs among schoolchildren and the incidence of schoolchildren undergoing drug-related rehabilitation have risen drastically, and that the Police’s duty in curbing this menace is not being fulfilled properly, as they are allegedly aiding and abetting this racket. To deal with this situation, there is a pressing need to go beyond the standard methods of preventing the same, such as checking schoolchildren’s bags. According to Ceylon Teachers’ Union more..

Feb 12 (DM) On Feb. 5, 1952, in London, King George VI, went hare hunting at his estate and returned to the castle, dined with his wife and Princess Margaret before retiring. Thousands of miles away in Kenya, his older daughter, Elizabeth, on a long-planned international tour of colonies covering Africa, Australia and New Zealand and Ceylon (present Sri Lanka), was having a wonderful day too. She was filming rhinos and Elephants with her movie camera. more..

Feb 12 (TM) Last week, the spotlight was turned towards child malnutrition in Sri Lanka, with concerns about the country’s worsening child malnutrition, causing some to question the accuracy of the data presented by international aid agencies. Where does Sri Lanka stand in terms of child malnutrition? There is no straightforward answer as there are disparities in the data sets available from international agencies & Ministry of Health. more..

Feb 12 (ST) It is entirely fitting that, Prez Wickremesinghe, while swearing in an obscene number of State Ministers including those who assaulted peaceful protestors at the Galle Face Green on May 9th 2022, had the profound gall to issue a directive this Friday instructing the frugal manner in which state funds must be spent. What is frugal about appointing all these state ministers when the economy has been destroyed by these very individuals forming part of more..

Feb 12 (ST) The Queen is dead, the four words the British people had long braced themselves to hear, when it came, still came with a shock. Wave after wave of grief plunged the nation into mourning as the death of their beloved monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96, was formally announced by Buckingham Palace with the going down of the sun on Thursday evening. Statement said: The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this evening. Only two days earlier on Tuesday, more..

Sep 12 (ANI) SL Navy took hold of a local multiday fishing trawler carrying 85 individuals, suspected to be a group on an illegal migration attempt to a foreign country via sea, during a patrol conducted off Batticaloa in the wee hours of today (11). Sri Lanka Navy has been conducting regular search operations and patrols covering the sea and coastal areas around the island with the aim of suppressing illegal migration and other forms of illegal activities. In a similar effort, more..

Sep 12 (Island) The tallest multi-purpose tower in SL, the Lotus Tower, is scheduled to be re-opened in Sept 2022, sans broadcasting facilities. In 2011, the then govt of the day promoted, and proposed a multi-purpose tower which was expected to provide facilities for broadcasting, telecom/defence activities. Its dual purpose was also to showcase the local attractions from the tower top with multi-faceted public facilities sprinkled on the ground. Indeed, the intention was a good one, more..

Sep 12 (TM) As the crisis-driven brain drain steadily increases, experts warn that SL risks undermining economic recovery efforts as the island nation will soon face a serious human capital problem due to a lack of professionals and skilled labour. According to SL Foreign Employment Bureau General Manager D.D.P. Senanayake, approximately 211,000 people – many of them young professionals and trained workers – more..

Sep 12 (Island) The world gasped in horror as it watched a video footage of some savages stripping an unconscious female tsunami victim of her valuables, in this thrice-blessed land, in Dec 2004. There were also a large number of instances where various other crimes such as rape were perpetrated against tsunami survivors. Many houses were looted, and even some kind-hearted people who rushed to the disaster-hit areas, carrying aid, were mugged. more..

Sep 12 (ST) There is the new govt in waiting! The horse trading appears to be a prolonged back-bending extraction and when it comes, we will see who will lead the engine of restructure; the buzz word in governmental preoccupation. Prez is taking his time as he is wont to do and then for the duration of the current administration, it will be known who those in Camelot are? It is likely that we will see a new Minister of Sports as it is normally bundled or will the incumbent continue as it is? more..

Sep 12 (CI) Before the Asia Cup, SL vs Pakistan was a final that not many would have predicted, with India touted as favourites. Before this edition, the two teams last met in the tournament in 2016 when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by six wickets. Although Sri Lanka emerged victorious against Pakistan in the Super 4 this time, it is tough to predict who holds an edge in this match where toss will play a crucial role. While Sri Lanka have benefitted with some strong performances by their openers, more..

Sep 12 (CI) It seemed inconceivable on the opening night of the Asia Cup that SL would end up beating Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan on the bounce. From nearly being dumped from their own party - they are the hosts, remember? - to a run to the final, their spree has added a refreshing twist to a tournament many felt would be a three-match India-Pakistan series with some undercards thrown in between. SL's ordinary record coming into the tournament has made their run more..

Sep 12 (DM) Sri Lanka won the Asian Netball Championship for the sixth time when they defeated Singapore 63-53 in the final encounter played at the OCBC Arena in Singapore on Sunday. The champions Sri Lanka and runners-up Singapore also qualified to represent the Asian region at the 2023 Netball World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. Even then, unbeaten SL’s chances of retaining the title was in doubt at one stage as they conceded more..

Sep 12 (ST) After a methodical review, the Govt will soon overhaul the existing social welfare schemes and their benefits targeting delivery of subsidies to the poor and vulnerable communities. The identification of needy recipients countrywide is to be made via a credible procedure while evaluating existing schemes without political differences or favouritism, Finance Ministry sources divulged. The ministry is in the process of establishing transparent and objective criteria to identify recipients of more..

Sep 12 (Island) Women’s Chamber of Industry & Commerce, SL (WCIC) re-launched its flagship property under the theme WCIC Prathibhabisheka, to recognize and reward the outstanding women entrepreneurs of SL and the SAARC region. WCIC will showcase the excellence of outstanding women entrepreneurs through WCIC Prathibhabisheka – The Women Entrepreneur Awards 2022, powered by DFCC ALOKA. “The relaunched property is structured to assess the businesses more..

Sep 12 (CI) A tournament that began for Sri Lanka with tumult at home and turbulence in the UAE has ended with them taking home the Asia Cup trophy. Pakistan were the side at the receiving end of this thumping, outclassed with the bat, outsmarted with the ball, outdone in the field, and out-thought in the captaincy department by an electric Sri Lanka performance which wrapped up a commanding 23-run win. more..

Sep 12 (DM) Sri Lanka Legends breezed past Australia in the opening match of their campaign in the Road Safety Series on Sunday. Sri Lanka rode on a tremendous first innings batting show to post a mammoth 218 runs on board, which ended up being more than enough to beat Australia, who were led by former all rounder Shane Watson. For SL, their openers took over the scene swiftly, hitting 6 sixes and a massive 24 boundaries between themselves. While Dilshan went on to make 107 off 56 more..

Sep 12 (FT) Qatar Airways Group said it is looking to onboard a significant number of new employees from SL to support its global operations and enhance customer experience over the coming months. Starting from 15 Sept, the network will start accepting applications from SL citizens for various roles across divisions. As the company looks to rebuild the workforce and fuel expansion, SL recruitment drive is part of the group’s global recruitment drive – biggest talent acquisition more..

Sep 12 (FT) Govt’s recent clamp down on sports goods due to the foreign exchange crisis in the country is affecting a lot of sports, especially cricket. Whilst the national cricket team has performed brilliantly in the UAE where they have reached the Asia Cup final and our Under-19 cricketers comprising schoolboys have beaten England in the Youth Test series, complaints are pouring in especially from school cricket authorities that the ban is affecting them badly as cricket more..

Sep 12 (TM) Following allegations that many religious sites including Buddhist temples cannot bear the recent 555% increase in electricity tariffs on religious sites, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs has focused its attention on discussing possible solutions with the Ministry of Power and Energy and implementing a programme to provide solar panel systems to religious places. Minister Vidura Wickramanayake said that he had discussed the revision of electricity tariffs of more..

Sep 12 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe said that SL is focusing on an export oriented, very competitive market economy as the country has the opportunity of supplying South Asia, Southeast and east Asia. “Our focus is on competitiveness and export markets. That’s what we are working on looking at the industry for technology and modernising agriculture. If you look at the region by 2050 from Saudi to Indonesia more..

Sep 12 (FT) SL yesterday engaged in discussions with the Core Group on SL at the UNHRC in Geneva ahead of the 51st session scheduled to begin today. The SL delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry held discussions on constructive engagement and working together to achieve effective and sustainable progress. Minister Ali Sabry and Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe have met with Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al- Nashif Saturday. more..

Sep 12 (DM) SL is likely to face an uphill task to reach the ambitious primary surplus target set out by the IMF, which requires a significant increase in State revenue through revenue-based fiscal consolidated measures, according to a top economist. “The IMF is asking SL to reach a primary surplus of 2.3% of GDP by 2025. It requires a huge effort even by the standards of large fiscal adjustments in EM. Improvements of more than 4% of GDP aren’t common. more..

Sep 12 (ANI) President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Sunday said that the govt will not oppose the Private Member's Bill presented to Parliament to decriminalize homosexuality, however, the bill will require the support of individual members of Parliament. "We are for it, but you have to get the support of individual members. It's a matter of their private conscience," he said. Prez expressed these views during talks with the Administrator of the USAID, Samantha Power in Colombo. more..

Sep 12 (EN) The US has called for political as well as economic reforms the head of USAID said after meeting Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, opposition figures and members of the civil society. US AID announced US$ 40 million of financing for farming on Sept 10 and another US$ 20 million for humanitarian needs on Sept 11. Sri Lanka is in the worst currency crisis in the history of the island’s intermediate regime central bank with inflation topping 60%. more..

Sep 12 (TM) SL Muslim expatriates voiced disappointment over the current implementation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against muslims in SL, and stressed that they would take up the human rights violations in relation to this rigid law at the 51st UNHRC sessions scheduled to commence today in Geneva, Switzerland. SL Muslim Expatriates’ Council International Affairs Co-ordinator Aiyoob Azmin said that more..

Sep 12 (CT) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa will lead a new political alliance, according to Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa. He also said, the SLPP will serve as the main party in that alliance and that discussions with political groups to build that alliance have already begun and are progressing well. He emphasised that the SLPP has launched numerous programmes to prevent the political power base from collapsing and to prepare for the upcoming elections. more..