Jan 22 (SO) Most of the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) are doing what the private sector should be doing and these tasks should be unbundled, said Head of State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring, Suresh Shah. He was speaking at a corporate discussion on Social Market Economy as a potential driver for economic growth and wealth in Sri Lanka, at the Taj Samudra, Colombo last week. It was organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF), an organisation funded by more..

Jan 22 (ST) Have you experienced any drop in call quality or an alert message saying you have received a call from a particular number? SL’s economic crisis has hit wireless telephone connectivity severely with consistent and constant call drops threatening businesses and day-to-day lives. One of the main reasons that call drops occur is when there are constant power cuts. Mobile phone towers have back-up battery power to support usage for a few hours, but the lack of more..

Jan 22 (TM) China has sent a letter last week to SL’s Finance Ministry expressing its support to the IMF programme being pursued by SL as a solution to the ongoing economic crisis faced by the country. Letter was received by the Finance Ministry last week, a few days after India had sent a letter to the IMF expressing the country’s support for SL’s debt restructuring programme. SL govt was expecting the Chinese Govt to respond more..

Jan 22 (DM) Election Commission (EC) could carry through the provisions of the just passed Election Expenditure Act only if it permits to do so within the already decided time frame of the local govt polls, Chairman of the EC Nimal Punchihewa said yesterday. He said that the EC was constitutionally bound to implement the statutory provisions stipulated in the Act but it cannot hinder the conduct of LG polls. “EC is ready to enact the provisions of this Act soon after Speaker put his signature more..

Jan 22 (TM) Wildlife Ministry is to present a paper to the Cabinet of Ministers on the lands identified by the Forest Dept to be released in the Northern Province, it is learnt. The decision to present a Cabinet paper was reached during a meeting between Prez Wickremesinghe and members of the TNA. Prez was accompanied by Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, newly-appointed Wildlife Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, and senior officials from more..

Jan 22 (TM) National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) has decided to slap a 2.5% late payment charge on all State institutions that delay paying their water bills, with effect from 1 Jan. Decision to issue the late charge payment to the State sector comes as NWSDB struggles to recover arrears owed to it by customers. According to NWSDB Deputy General Manager, the new charge will come into effect from 1 Jan with the standard grace period of one month. more..

Jan 22 (ST) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will go to the market once again to secure a potential team sponsor for the national cricket team after its long standing backer Dialog Axiata ended its partnership prematurely citing financial constraints. Dialog Axiata, one of the leading mobile communication providers in the country, joined hands with SLC in 2013. Since then, it renewed its commitment several times, making a huge contribution to the development of the game. more..

Jan 22 (ST) Chinese company selected for the construction of the proposed elevated highway from New Kelani Bridge to Athurugiriya has notified Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardena that it had allocated substantial resources to get to the current level and wishes to swiftly implement the project in accordance with its agreement with Govt of SL. But the contract’s award to China's CHEC is mired in controversy. more..

Jan 22 (AD) The final rites of veteran SL filmmaker Sumitra Peries, who passed away on Thursday (19), were performed with full state honours this afternoon (21). The procedure took place at the Independence Square in Colombo, prior to which the body was being brought from the late filmmaker’s sister’s residence to National Film Corporation at 3 p.m. today, where several artists and cinematographers came to pay their respects. She passed away at the age of 88 while undergoing treatment at more..

Jan 22 (AD) CEB has informed the Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) that power cuts will have to be imposed even during the 2022 GCE A/L Exam, scheduled to begin on Monday (23). This statement was made in response to PUCSL’s announcement earlier today (21), in which they assured that no power interruptions will be imposed after 7 p.m. during the period in which the 2022 GCE A/L Exam is scheduled to take place. Accordingly, CEB noted that such a relief cannot be more..

Jan 22 (AD) The driver of the bus, which was involved in a deadly collision in Nanu Oya that claimed the lives of seven people including children, has been arrested by the police. 62-year-old, who is receiving medical care at the hospital under police custody, is expected to be produced before the court tomorrow (22). During preliminary investigations, police uncovered that the bus driver’s careless driving had resulted in the accident. A bus transporting a group of students had fallen more..

Jan 22 (ST) China yesterday responded to SL’s long-standing request for a commitment on rescheduling its debts as a prelude to a bailout by IMF with an offer for a two-year moratorium. In a letter to Prez in his capacity as Finance Minister, the Exim Bank of China responsible for much of the loans given to SL said the two-year moratorium would be a short-term suspension of the debts owed to China while asking all parties, i.e. SL’s creditors to get together to work out medium-term and more..

Jan 22 (EN) The ability to change leaders is a fundamental right and if the govt delays upcoming LG polls, the people must take to the streets, surround the president’s house and parliament if needed, and demand that the election be held, JVP former legislator K D Lal Kantha said. Addressing a group of indigenous medical practitioners, he said that if the people cannot change their leaders through an election, those leaders must be more..

Jan 22 (AD) NPP leader MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake has warned Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena that attempting to obstruct the upcoming LG election is a punishable offence. Dissanayake noted that the deliberate obstruction of the upcoming election that is due to be held on 9 March, is an offence punishable by three years of imprisonment. NPP leader said this in regard to the affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court last evening by Siriwardena, stating that more..

Jan 22 (ST) The 2023 local govt election will take place on Thursday March 9, Election Commission announced last evening. More than 16.6 million people are eligible to vote at the elections, which are being held to elect 8,711 members to 340 local bodies comprising 24 MCs, 41 UCs and 275 PSs. Supreme Court, however, has now issued an interim injunction, suspending the acceptance of nominations for the Kalmunai MC. Suspension will be in place until conclusion of FR petitions. more..

Jan 22 (ST) India appears to have bolstered SL’s economic and political sectors reviving new hopes for an earlier recovery. Stock market rose to buoyant levels, as a missive from New Delhi to the IMF confirmed willingness to extend financial assurances and resurrected an ethnic reconciliation programme that was virtually dead before birth. All this was the result of the two-day visit to Colombo by External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishanker. more..

Jan 23 (DM) In its concluding remarks, the Supreme Court in what has already been widely welcomed as a historical judgement has said “…we must express our shock and dismay at the deplorable want of oversight and inaction that we have seen in the conduct of affairs pertaining to Security, Law and Order and Intelligence”, in words clear and penetrating! The seven Judge divisional bench of Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, having dispassionately analysed more..

Jan 23 (DM) All state revenue fronts have been restrained, and handling public finances proves to be a serious concern. Treasury Secretary in an affidavit to Supreme courts stated they face a deficit of around Rs. 290 billion per month. In view of the situation, it is vital to prioritize spending. General feeling among independent citizens is that the LG poll is not a priority. According to another section and as per surveys conducted by responsible fora, most of them think a general election would more..

Jan 23 (CT) Upul Dharmadasa, who served as the Chairman of Civil Aviation Authority of SL (CAASL) over the last 3 years, bade goodbye to his post last week, after he was replaced by Deputy Chairman, G.S. Withanage. Dharmadasa was interviewed on how the aviation business degenerated to the point where it is currently up for sale. According to him, the industry flourished under Singapore’s and UAE’s management more..

Jan 23 (DM) Two days ago, the US announced it was designating Russia’s Wagner group, which operates in Ukraine alongside Russian troops in Ukraine - a transnational criminal organization. The Wagner Group operates in a similar manner to that of America’s Black Water mercenary group which operated in Iraq together with US regular troops after the US invasion of that country. US invaded Iraq in March 2003, on spurious charges of Iraqi possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction more..

Jan 23 (TM) Amidst the controversial situation surrounding the prices of eggs, CAA issued a gazette notification in August stipulating a maximum retail price (MRP) for eggs. The new MRP of a white egg and a brown egg is Rs 44 & Rs 46, respectively. However, amidst opposition and also a decision by the Court of Appeal to suspend the said gazette, the MRPs did not come into effect. One of the main arguments in that regard was that MRPs should be realistic, although it is completely acceptable more..

Jan 23 (TM) Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake, while noting that the funding for the election and the method of disbursement was satisfactory, pointed out that excessive campaign financing and political social media campaigns could have a negative impact on the election. He explained that the funds for elections were not released all at once but in stages. Referring to the new campaign financing more..

Jan 23 (CT) During the holiday season, especially in Dec and April, when people who have come to work in Colombo from the outstations are returning home, it is common practice for short-distance buses in and around Colombo to get temporary road permits and do long distance runs to make a few extra bucks. A Moneragala resident working in Colombo once said that he made it a point to not to travel on those temporary-permit buses and relied only on the usual buses on the route when returning home more..

Jan 23 (Island) State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya has, at a recent media briefing, endorsed Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardena’s position that it is difficult to allocate funds for an election at this juncture, and political stability is a sine qua non for achieving economic recovery. But neither Siriwardena nor Siyambalapitiya grumbles about the country’s pecuniary woes where the govt’s wasteful expenditure is concerned. more..

Jan 23 (Island) My Lunches with Orson is the title of a collection of interviews that Henry Jaglom, a US avant-garde filmmaker, did with Orson Welles, over a period of two years (1983-1985). It is at once insightful, refreshing, provocative, and compelling, and it shows Welles at his best. At the time, Jaglom was around 10 years into his own career; he had tried his best to stage a comeback for Welles, and failed. The book reveals Jaglom’s admiration for Welles, and more than anything, more..

Jan 23 (ST) It says much for Machiavellian type political audacity, that the hype surrounding SL's Regulation of Elections Expenditure Bill disguised one starkly glaring absurdity. Leaving aside the flap over the Opposition claiming (not without reason) that the Bill was just another tactic by a Govt under siege to delay the forthcoming local govt elections, its contents were problematic at several levels. Bill sought to address the regulation of expenditure by individual candidates more..

Jan 23 (TM) Claiming that certain activities of mainstream media institutions and social media platforms have led to great social ills, State Minister Shantha Bandara said that Govt’s attention – considering requests made by the public, as well as Govt and Opposition politicians – has been focused on introducing the necessary legal provisions to subject them to some form of regulation. He said: more..

Jan 23 (FT) Foreign Ministry Director General Policy Planning and Overseas Administration Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad recently launched a useful publication titled SL-Oman Past Present and Future. It unravels the historic bond between Oman and SL and lays out a roadmap towards enhancing future ties with crucial data from both nations’ Govt agencies in order to promote greater economic cooperation between both nations. Ajwad explained that SL-Oman Past Present and Future more..

Jan 23 (ST) If not for his cultivated sublime equanimity, it may have come as a rude shock for the Malwatte Chapter’s Maha Nayaka, custodian monk of the sacred Tooth Relic, the Most Venerable Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangalabidana Thera to be told this week by a top Chinese Embassy official that he should not welcome the exiled Tibetan Dalai Lama in SL. The amazing warning, that if the Dalai Lama was welcomed in SL then the nation will have to suffer more..

Jan 23 (DN) Buwaneka Gunatilleka and Ranithma Liyanage emerged men’s and women’s singles champions and 16-year-old Pulina Wellalage of St. Sebastian’s College, Moratuwa won a triple crown in the boys under 17 event in the National Badminton Championship concluded at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday. In the men’s final, Buwaneka Gunatilleka the defending champion had a straight two-sets win over 18-year-old Viren Nettasinghe of St. Peter’s, Bambalapitiya to clinch the title. more..

Jan 23 (ST) Sri Lanka’s poor domestic cricket standard was once again exploited as the first two matches of the four-day National Super League (NSL) Tournament ended inside three days with winners registering easy innings wins. The results reflects the skills of the players as well as the quality of pitches being used in the country’s premier first class tournament as team Kandy and team Galle walked home comfortably against their below par opponents — Colombo and Dambulla. more..

Jan 23 (ST) Four of SL’s most influential medical bodies have sent strong letters of protest against Health Ministry moves to import drugs from locally-unregistered Indian suppliers, saying it violates due legal process and endangers the lives of patients. Cabinet recently sanctioned a proposal by Minister Keheliya Rambukwella to use the Indian credit line to buy medical supplies–without competitive tender–from a handpicked, more..

Jan 23 (FT) Main Opposition SJB yesterday declared that the upcoming Local Govt (LG) Election serves as a referendum of whether the public confidence remains with the current Govt or not. “If the UNP and SLPP fail to secure victory, then they no longer have a mandate to rule,” SJB Treasurer and MP Dr. Harsha de Silva told journalists yesterday. Noting that the Elections Commission has fixed the LG polls for 9 March, MP expressed hope the Govt will not try to scuttle the process. more..

Jan 23 (DM) Former SL fast bowler Dhammika Prasad is one of 5 cricketers shortlisted for the position of head coach of the Nepal cricket team. 40-year-old former fast bowler had applied for the head coach post and was recently interviewed online. Incidentally, Prasad was a fast bowling consultant for the Nepal team for two series against the USA and Scotland. The other four shortlisted and interviewed candidates are Monty Desai (India), Glenn Pocknall (NZ), Russell Domingo (SA), Dav Whatmore more..

Jan 23 (TM) Two letters from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), imposing an immediate ban on the Football Federation of SL (FFSL), have surfaced in the media. Two letters have been sent to former FFSL General Secretary Upali Hewage, informing him of an immediate ban enforced on the country’s football governing body. Two letters mention several reasons for the ban. more..

Jan 23 (CT) After a difficult game against Australia, India came back with a resounding 7 wicket win against Sri Lanka to boost their chances of making the semi-finals of the ICC Under-19 T20 World Cup 2023. India got off to a dream start, with Titas Sadhu (1/10) and Mannat Kashyap (2/16) reducing Sri Lanka to 8/2 within the first two overs. The duo bowled probing lengths through the Powerplay overs, restricting Sri Lanka’s scoring options while also inducing mistakes. more..