Apr 19 (EN) Sri Lanka will present a new electricity law to the parliament in May 2023 as part of reforms to state-run Ceylon Electricity Board, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has said. The cabinet of minister had given approval this week for a “roadmap and timeline of the CEB restructuring process”. “The final draft of the new Electricity Act will be presented to the Parliament for approval by the end of May,” Wijesekera said in a twitter.com message. more..

Apr 19 (TM) Collective of Samurdhi Trade Unions says that they will launch a trade union action boycotting the Wasath Siriya 2023 Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations organized by the Presidential Secretariat on Saturday at Colombo Shangri La Green in Colombo. Chairman of the All-Ceylon Samurdhi Managers’ Association P.K. Ranugge stated that the govt has taken steps to spend a large amount of money for the New Year celebrations at a time when people are suffering from more..

Apr 19 (AD) Chinese Embassy in Colombo says that the country’s wildlife authorities have clarified that they are not aware of the request to export 100,000 toque macaque monkeys from SL to a Chinese private company and that no such application has been received from any side. The Embassy said it has noticed recent disinformation on local and foreign media about SL to export 100 thousands of endangered toque macaque more..

Apr 19 (TM) The Election Commission (EC) is yet to take a decision on whether or not it will discuss with Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe about the problematic situation that has arisen regarding the release of the funds necessary for the Local Govt (LG) election. State Minister of Local Govt Janaka Wakkumbura recently said that they had requested the EC to discuss with the Finance Ministry and the Treasury regarding the release of the necessary funds for the LG election. more..

Apr 19 (DM) Whilst highlighting that the engagement with IMF to revive the county’s battered economy is slated to be a highlight successful endeavor, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry said the incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe had continued the engagement which he began. “I was the Minister of Finance during the time during which the county was going through its hardest period and it was I who started engaging with the IMF. Prez Wickremesinghe continued this exercise. more..

Apr 19 (Bernama) Malaysian Immigration Dept has busted a syndicate that had been trafficking children to Europe, says department director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh. He said the Bahnu Internationals syndicate's modus operandi was detected following the arrest of a local husband and wife, aged 37 and 26 respectively, on April 12 in Kuala Lumpur. The couple turned up at the Kuala Lumpur Immigration hq to get a Malaysian passport more..

Apr 19 (AD) A lawyer representing former Attorney General Dappula de Livera appeared before the Terrorism Investigtaion Department (TID) today, on his behalf. Former AG was informed yesterday, to appear before the TID today, in order to record information on his controversial statement pertaining to a coup behind the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019. Accordingly, a lawyer representing de Livera had appeared before the TID this morning, and stated that a seven-paged legal objection more..

Apr 19 (BN) Economists sharply cut SL’s growth outlook through this year as curbs on imports and still-limited reserves persist even as the IMF releases bailout loans and authorities work toward debt restructuring efforts. The economic contraction is seen more than doubling to 9.9% in the first quarter from the previous estimate of 4.4%, the latest Bloomberg survey of economists showed. Growth is likely to bounce back from the second quarter though at a slower pace of 1% more..

Apr 20 (DM) One of America’s best-known newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst has said news is something that someone wants suppressed. The rest is advertising. Thus, news conferences, media statements, and speeches made at political rallies are largely advertising. In this modern digital age, journalism is to dive deep down below the headlines and tell the people not only what happened but also why it happened. While maintaining the traditional principles of fair, more..

Apr 20 (CT) Prior to pontificating to the Speaker of the Parliament and MPs, should not the OPA first put its own house in order in regard to its constituent members – in this instance the BASL which has not even acknowledged receipt of my e-mail of 31 March sent to its Professional Purpose and Ethics standing committee regarding an open and shut case of a seemingly fraudulent Power of Attorney which has been Certified and Attested by a prominent attorney-at-law. more..

Apr 20 (DM) World Bank Country Director for SL, Faris Hadad –Zervos responds to questions related to the current economic crisis of SL and the way forward. Q: Sri Lankans have begun to feel some relief in terms of somewhat reduced prices of essential commodities, availability of domestic gas and absence of petrol lines. World Bank says it is a challenging time ahead. How can SL sustain the present momentum and get SL back on more..

Apr 20 (DM) The campaign to get the Indian govt to recognize same-sex marriage has reached a critical stage. A Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court is set to hear the final arguments in the case on April 18. Compared to other countries in South Asia, India has progressed in the matter of recognizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) rights. The colonial Indian Penal Code (IPC) had defined homosexual acts as more..

Apr 20 (CT) Although the primary focus of authorities with regard to the MV X-Press Pearl ship fire should be the initiation of legal proceedings before the lapse of two years, we are still struggling with clearing controversies on the same. Environmentalists recently pointed out that legal action should be initiated before the lapse of two years ending 19 May 2023. The progress on the same has been rather slow-moving. It was against such backdrop allegations that a certain group demanded more..

Apr 20 (TM) Corruption has remained a persistent issue not only in SL but in every country, and it has been a major topic of discussion in a plethora of matters including governance, finance and economy, democracy and the rule of law. In SL’s case, it has received great attention in the recent past, with the widespread belief that one of the main reasons, if not the main one, for the economic crisis the country is struggling with, is corruption on more..

Apr 20 (TM) The uncorroborated information that a bomb attack on a mosque in Akurana, Kandy, was possible, spread like wildfire on the night of Tuesday (18) and in the early hours of yesterday (19). While reports claim that the said information was first received by the Police, who had subsequently conveyed the same to the Akurana Police Station, it had become a breaking news item among Akurana residents within hours, although its veracity remained unclear. more..

Apr 20 (Island) One of the most quoted phrases of Karl Marx, the German philosopher and political theorist, popularly known as the Father of Communism, is History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce. This quote has made its way to common usage through the years, especially the initial part of History repeats itself. Marx’s words seem to be a good fit for many occasions and the current attempts to restart private medical schools is one such situation. more..

Apr 20 (Island) The govt has risen from a long slumber and ordered a probe into a claim Dappula de Livera made, as the Attorney General, in May 2021, that there had been a grand conspiracy behind the Easter Sunday carnage (2019). He was summoned to the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) following Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakse’s recent call for an investigation. He did not turn up, but a lawyer representing him visited the TID yesterday, and handed over a document. more..

Apr 20 (Island) There is much concern about and discussion over inflation. We all realise that the rapid rise in prices, unmatched by a similar rise in incomes in recent months, creates problems for most of us. On the one hand, that process cuts down our real incomes. My income is Rs.100 a day and the price of mangoes goes up from Rs.25 a piece to Rs.50 a piece; my income falls from four mangoes a day to two mangoes a day. In gross fashion, that is what people are complaining about. more..

Apr 20 (DN) This is the start of my Test career and I have a long journey to go said SL champion leg spinner Prabath Jayasuriya who was adjudged the Man of the Match in their victorious first Test against Ireland on Tuesday. I know this is just the sixth match of my Test career. I was able to take 43 Test wickets with an average of 21. 46 and was lucky to get my personal best figures of 7 for 52 in the Ireland Test which gave me a big boost more..

Apr 20 (FT) Virtusa has added 13,000 sq. ft. of new office space to its Colombo facility as part of its ongoing expansion strategy to support the company’s growing headcount. The opening of the new space was graced by Virtusa Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Ram Meenakshisundaram, Senior Vice President – Human Resources Rahul Sahay, alongside Virtusa SL’s leadership including Country Head Naresha Supramaniam and other executives. “Virtusa Sri Lanka remains one of more..

Apr 20 (Island) Dialog Axiata together with Engineering Faculty of SL Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) hosted Industry Symposium 2023 at the SLIIT campus premises in Malabe. This event aimed to bring together pioneers from various industries to discuss and explore current industrial challenges and to create an environment for effective collaboration with academia, for the purpose of developing new and innovative solutions. Zone 24×7, Meu Labs, ACL Cables, LTL, more..

Apr 20 (FT) Onomichi Dockyard Co. Ltd. Japan being the majority shareholder of the Company has nominated and appointed Thimira Godakumbura as the Managing Director and CEO as its Nominee Director on the Board of Colombo Dockyard PLC effective from 19 April 2023. Godakumara was previously the Chief Operating Officer and succeeded D. V. Abeysinghe who retired after a 38 year service (including 6.5 years as MD/CEO) at Dockyard. He however will continue to serve more..

Apr 20 (FT) UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) recently opened a Packaging and Testing Centre (PTC) at Industrial Technology Institute (ITI). Centre facilitates testing and consultation on packaging materials for the food and spice sectors, aimed at further strengthening SL’s export markets. Chief Guest at the opening was Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana. Managed by the ITI, the PTC is supported by UNIDO & funded by European Union (EU). Speaking at the opening EU Ambassador more..

Apr 20 (DM) Shanthi Pushparaja*, mother of three children who was taken to Oman promising a job as a house maid is one of those nearly 90 SL women who went to the Middles East and ended up in Oman with no way to come back home. Shanthi’s husband who was living in the North and looking after the three children, died suddenly leaving no one to look after the 3 kids. During father’s funeral two-year-old youngest son more..

Apr 20 (Island) Sri Lanka Athletics seeks to improve the standards of coaches specializing in jumps, sprints, and hurdles by conducting its first-ever World Athletics Coaches Education Certification System (CECS) Level II coaches’ course in SL. Lal Chandrakumara, the Chairman of the Coaching Committee of Sri Lanka Athletics said that it was a rare opportunity for local coaches as Sri Lanka Athletics is hosting the Level II coaches’ course here for the first time. more..

Apr 20 (CT) Govt has decided to extend the deadline for submission of the Request for Proposal (RFP) and Expression of Interest (EOI) to serve as transaction adviser to the State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit (SOERU) of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilisation, and National Policies until 8 May, 2023, Unit head Suresh Shah said. He said, “State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit & Standing Cabinet-Appointed Consultants Procurement Committee more..

Apr 20 (TM) SL Customs is in the process of improving its monitoring mechanism for valuation of imported goods in order to increase its reduced revenue due to the import restrictions that are in place. SL Customs Senior Director Sudath Silva stated: “We are strengthening our monitoring mechanism in order to ensure that people provide the correct values to the Customs. Through this, we are trying to fix vulnerable areas more..

Apr 20 (FT) State Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe has highlighted that it is time to change the perspective on public debt and its policies, to enable countries to overcome their ongoing challenges. Speaking at the UN ECOSOC panel, Semasinghe called for a change of perspective on public debt to enable countries to rise above challenges and foster economies that support the creation of wealth and sustainable development in a spirit of true multilateralism. more..

Apr 20 (FT) A gazette notification released by all district returning officers has officially announced the postponement of the Local Govt elections for a second time. The elections were scheduled to be held on 25 April after it was postponed from the initial polling date of 9 March. However, issuing the gazette notification, district returning officers said the 2023 LG election cannot be held on 25 April as scheduled and a new date will be announced once the treasury releases the necessary fund more..

Apr 20 (TM) A group of civil society representatives made critical remarks regarding the Indian High Commission (HC) in Colombo yesterday for allegedly refusing to accept a written objection presented against the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill. Several civil society representatives including the Families of the Disappeared Chairman Brito Fernando had visited the Indian HC to hand over a petition against the proposed Bill, which is to replace the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). more..

Apr 20 (TM) UNP General Secretary Palitha Range Bandara yesterday said that the UNP will endorse the new Anti-Terrorism Bill as it has understood that this Bill is more democratic than the current Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA). He said this when he was inquired by The Daily Morning about the UNP’s position on the proposed Anti-Terrorism Bill. “Compared with the PTA, the new Bill is very democratic. more..

Apr 20 (FT) SJB charged that transparency remains a serious problem with the Govt, amidst reports the State will look to restructure domestic debt by end next month having previously said there won’t be a domestic haircut. SJB MP Harsha De Silva said no one will be willing to volunteer to take a cut, and warned this could pose a major challenge to the sustainability of the financial sector. “There is Rs. 9 trillion in domestic debt of more..

Apr 20 (DM) Sri Lanka’s industrial activity is still to return to pre-crisis levels, as the demand destruction policies in place at home are continuing to take their toll, while the country’s major export, apparel, is facing a temporary demand slowdown amid monetary tightening and higher inflation in major markets such as the US and Europe. In February, the Index of Industrial Production, which measures the manufacturing heft of the economy, recoded an index value of 84.1, more..

Apr 20 (Island) Institutions including SriLankan Airlines, Land Reforms Commission, and UGC have been scheduled to be summoned before the COPE during the coming sitting week. Officials of the SL Export Credit Insurance Corporation have been asked to appear before COPE on 25 April. On 26 April, the Land Reforms Commission officials will be questioned on the progress made in the implementiaon of directives issued at the COPE meeting held on 21.10.2022. more..

Apr 20 (CT) Sri Pada Vandana Pooja Committee, which convened on 18 April, decided to curtail off-season pilgrimages to the Sacred Site with immediate effect owing to several issues. Committee met under the aegis of the Chief Incumbent of Sri Pada, Ven. Bengamuwe Dhammadinna Thera. Airing his views on the occasion, Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province Tikiri Kobbekaduwa said due to devotees trekking Sri Pada Site during off season many issues have cropped up. more..