Jan 30 (AD) STF has arrested two underworld figures during special raids carried out in Kaduwela and Ambalangoda areas. Accordingly, large-scale drug trafficker and organized criminal gang member Sudath Kithsiri Thushara, alias Weliwita Sudda, was arrested in a raid carried out by the STF at Kotelawala, Kaduewela yesterday. Raid was conducted based on a tip-off received by STF, leading to the arrest of the 46-year-old, who had also been in possession of 13 grams of more..

Jan 30 (DM) Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka insisted that he has no links to any political party in the country. In a Twitter message, Shanaka said that he has noticed his image being circulated in a political party propaganda. “I’ve noticed my image circulating in a political party propaganda. I have no inclination with any party or ever have participated as an ambassador. My one true love and passion is playing cricket for my country,” he tweeted. more..

Jan 30 (TM) Since a member of the Elections Commission (EC) had received threatening messages via WhatsApp, SSP Nihal Thalduwa said that this could cause delays to the investigation, as there are int'l legal requirements to be met to obtain information from the relevant foreign organisations. When queried whether there could be potential inconveniences in carrying out investigations over the death threats on EC members, more..

Jan 30 (DM) Prez Wickremesinghe should think of its future generations before worrying about the world's perception on SL, an SJB candidate contesting the local govt election said today. SJB candidate for the Sri J'pura Kotte Municipal Council Chamith Wijesundara who was referring to recent remarks made by Prez Wickremesinghe that the world might have a negative perception of SL if it fails to celebrate independence said SL should not waste funds thinking of the global perception. more..

Jan 30 (AD) The Constitutional Council met today in Parliament presided by the Speaker and the Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, the Communications Dept of the Parliament said. PM Dinesh Gunawardena, Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, MP Sagara Kariyawasam, other council members Dr. Prathap Ramanujam, Dr. (Mrs) Dilkushi Anula Wijesundere, Dr. (Mrs) Dinesha Samararatne were present at Council more..

Jan 31 (DM) Tomorrow, we move into a new month and a special one because on Feb 4 we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our independence. Govt of Prez Wickremesinghe and the SLPP are taking practical, but difficult steps to revive the socio-political and economic crisis since independence. Prez has officially declared that the country is bankrupt while the cost of living has soared sky high, while millions of people are finding it difficult to have proper shelter, sanitation, education, health more..

Jan 31 (DM) Can someone tell me how on earth these two campaign slogans are mutually compatible? Both were heard loud and clear in the last week’s Black week anti-tax demonstrations by the country’s professional classes - Govt doctors, university dons, CEB engineers, bankers etc. First is the opposition to the govt’s new personal income tax, a progressive tax system that lowered the taxable threshold to Rs.100,000 per month and levied an incremental tax at 6% for each more..

Jan 31 (TM) Sri Lanka has been through several fate-altering situations in the past three years and the most impacted in society are the lower- and middle-income earners. SL’s highest food inflation rate was 94.9% in Sept 2022 as per the CCPI, and the World Food Bank noted that SL is among the top five countries with the highest food price inflation. While there is a marginal reduction in food inflation, even essentials remain way beyond more..

Jan 31 (CT) By proroguing parliament Prez has given the MPs, and the country at large, a reminder of the power of the presidency. There was no evident reason for the president to suddenly decide to prorogue parliament. More than 40 parliamentary committees, including important ones concerning public finances, enterprises and accounts have ceased to function. Prez’s office has said that when parliament reconvenes on Feb 8, after the celebration of country’s 75th Independence more..

Jan 31 (TM) The forthcoming LG election is being held under questionable and controversial circumstances. On the one hand, this is the first election that comes after the people took to the streets in unprecedented numbers last year (2022) demanding a system change in SL’s political and economic spheres. On the other hand, the organising of the LG election has been facing considerable legal and policy-related, ideological and practical challenges and disputes since more..

Jan 31 (CT) The proposed restructure of the CEB has stirred several debates amongst many, including CEB engineers and has also been discussed in the political arena. In order to highlight the issues regarding such a proposal and the background which led to the said proposal, a public forum was held, in which they also sought to promote a reform process in the power sector. A committee was appointed to draft a report more..

Jan 31 (CT) Education Ministry is preparing the framework to recruit 26,000 graduates, in public service, as teachers in an effort to alleviate the teacher shortfall, with the objective of just filling a teacher shortage in schools. Numerous schools across the country are in need of experienced teachers in order to offer pupils a quality education, regardless of their social position. According to a news story, which quoted Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha, more..

Jan 31 (ST) And they still call it Resplendent Isle. Whatever hardships its people undergo, however much they need to struggle for a handout-to-mouth existence, at least they have not lost their sense of humour. Nor, it would seem, the country’s leaders and their acolytes, some of whom were somebody else’s obedient ones until they woke up one morning and were crowned with ministerial portfolios or some other occupations where they could dip their fingers into the public purse. more..

Jan 31 (Island) Sri Lanka is trapped in debt due to decades of corruption and short-sighted economic policies. To come out of the trap or, I would say, escape the moment, govt is seeking loans from the IMF, or anybody else who is willing to lend, no matter the conditions. To this end, under the IMF’s tutelage, govt is seeking to privatise education, aware that it will face the wrath of the people. In this setting, to suppress the protests, the govt has adopted a strategy of demonising students, more..

Jan 31 (Island) It is common practice for cricket officials when they attend ICC meetings to ask their colleagues on the sidelines of those meetings for recommendations for names if the post of Head Coach of the national cricket team had become Sede vacante. It’s a pretty good move too given these officials’ local knowledge on coaches looking after domestic sides. When Tryphon Miranda, the secretary of the board asked his Australian counterpart Bob Merriman in 2005 more..

Jan 31 (ST) Prof Harendra de Silva, President of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) who was reinstated in his position after an Appeal Court ruling was back in his office on Friday, the day after he was reinstated in his position by the Court of Appeal following his dismissal by the then Health Minister Pavitra Wanniarachchi. On Thursday, Court of Appeal quashed the Nov 2020 decision to sack Prof de Silva and four other members of more..

Jan 31 (EN) Sri Lanka’s private creditors are not looking for authorities to impose a haircut on domestic debt but a re-profiling to ensure that gross financing targets are met, sources with knowledge the situation said. According to a letter purportedly sent by India to the IMF which is now in the public domain, SL expects to maintain its gross financing need (GFN) made up of deficit financing and old debt roll-overs remain below 13 percent of gross domestic product in the period 2027-32. more..

Jan 31 (DM) The UK-Ceylon Defence Pact of 1947 was entered into with great expectations from both parties. But it was jinxed from the word go. Continually contested right throughout its existence, it was given a quiet burial by mutual consent in 1957. The story of the hard-nosed negotiations and the final derogation of the Agreement by the SWRD Bandaranaike govt in 1957 is told in detail by Robert Barnes of York St. John University, UK, in his 2022 publication entitled: In the Mutual Interest: more..

Jan 11 (DM) Popular SL YouTuber Sepal Amarasinghe who was held in remand custody for allegedly making disrespectful comments about the Temple of the Tooth Relic has announced through his lawyer that he is ready to deliver a public apology to the Buddhist community living all over the world. In a letter addressed to the Mahanayake Thero of the Asgiriya Chapter, Attorney-at-law Darshana Kuruppu said his client is ready for a public apology if his client's remarks hurt more..

Jan 31 (FT) SJB MP Kabir Hashim has been invited as part of a high level global team of six evaluators to perform a peer review of the Evaluation Function of the UNFPA. Hashim, an economist, is the Chair of the Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation. Kabir is a graduate of the Int'l Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) and advocates for institutionalisation of evaluation through Parliaments. A peer review is the mechanism created by UNEG more..

Jan 31 (FT) SL’s merchandise exports in 2022 achieved $ 13.07 billion, up by 5% from 2021 sustaining its resilience, but fell short $ 1.03 billion from the set target. EDB forecasted a total exports target $ 16.1 billion for 2022, consisting $ 14.94 billion from merchandise exports and $ 2 billion from service exports. The highest performance of total exports was $ 15.91 billion in 2018. Merchandise exports have sustained growth momentum more..

Jan 31 (Island) SLPP-UNP combine, which is taking great pains to delay the LG polls for fear of losing them, is all out to make the public lose interest in elections; it is trying to engineer a low voter turnout. Voter apathy is usually advantageous to unpopular regimes in power. Trotting out lame excuses to make a case for postponing the mini polls, the govt claims that it is so broke that it cannot allocate funds for an election at this juncture. Curiously, it is not without such pecuniary difficulties more..

Jan 31 (SO) Sri Lanka’s ICT sector and its sub-sectors including IT/ITES, and Telecom towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has planned for a three billion dollar industry by 2024 through export revenue and has projected to contribute $15 billion to the Digital Economy by 2030, said Vice Chairman Federation of Information Technology Industry SL (FITIS), Indika De Zoysa. De Zoysa, who is also the Strategic Adviser at Huawei SL, was speaking at the Technology Channel more..

Jan 31 (EN) Hundreds of SL Port workers held a protest on Monday against Prez Wickremesinghe’s tax hikes, which they blamed to be the conditions of the IMF and vowed to continue the agitation until the taxes are reduced. Thousands of state workers saw their income being taxed for the first time in their lives because most state workers never paid such taxes. Wickremesinghe administration has raised taxes up to personal income to 36% more..

Jan 31 (TM) An emergency meeting was held yesterday (30) at the National Sports Council (NSC) regarding the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Selection Committee debacle. National Selection Committee, Sports Ministry, and NSC agreed to implement a transparent system when appointing the SLC Selection Committee, and to allow any former player to apply for membership in the committee. The meeting was held with the participation of Sports and Youth Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, more..

Jan 31 (DN) SL A team led by promising all rounder from SSC Nipun Dhananjaya is expected to put up a good challenge against visiting England A team in their first four day unofficial cricket test at the Galle Stadium. This is going to be a good test for the SL second string team who are playing this series before the important NZ cricket tour which will commence on March 8. SL cricket President XI led by all rounder Sahan Arachchige defeated England Lions by 4 wts in their 3-day warm up game. more..

Jan 31 (CT) Ceylon Miracle Journeys together in partnership with Sri Lanka Railways and the Ministry of Tourism have embarked on a new journey that offers passengers an iconic rail experience to the misty mountains of Ella in five- star comfort. The luxury rail service will commence on the 14th Feb. The breathtaking experience offered in a premium luxury train will leave every Tuesday at 5.30am and will arrive at Ella 4pm at Badulla, while 5-star train will leave to Colombo on the following day more..

Jan 31 (FT) The apparel industry has ended 2022 with a 22% growth in exports to $ 5.9 billion over 2021 but year-on-year growth dip in performance in last quarter has reinforced its struggle. The 2022 exports figure points to the apparel industry doing better than the pre-COVID performance ($ 5.3 b in 2019) but the 2022 last quarter exports value is lower comparatively. Industry analysts pointed out that though growth is a high 22% between 2021 and 2022, in comparison to 2019, more..

Jan 11 (EN) A future SL govt under the SJB is not obliged to support deals with the IMF or any other international funding agency as the current govt does not have mandate to sign such agreement. Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s govt is in discussion to obtain $2.9 billion IMF loan once the sovereign debt defaulted country agrees with all its bilateral creditors. Wickremesinghe govt has already implemented many IMF demands more..

Jan 11 (CT) Tamil diaspora groups are praising Ottawa's sanctions on SL officials, while asking Canada to bring that country to international tribunals. "Tamil diaspora has been calling for a new Nuremberg-like tribunal to prosecute the leadership of govt of SL," Vel Velautahpillai, a board member with the Federation of Global Tamil Organizations, said Monday on Parliament Hill. Ottawa sanctioned four high-ranking officials earlier this month for alleged human-rights breaches during more..

Jan 31 (Island) The CSE is planning to attract a greater number of investors to the stock market this year through the introduction of some new product lines. In order to increase the choice of instruments available to equity investors, the CSE intends to focus in the immediate term on instruments, such as, stock borrowing and lending and regulated short-selling, CSE CEO Rajeeva Bandaranaike said. The latter instruments would help in generating more liquidity and trading among equity investors, more..

Jan 31 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Vidura Wickramanayake to prepare and submit a Cabinet memorandum for the upcoming activities of the Sinhala Cultural Institute. In order to continue the Sinhala Cultural Institute’s activities which protect the nation’s cultural identity, Prez also encouraged the formation of a joint committee with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Prez issued these instructions during discussion more..

Jan 11 (Island) The capacity of the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery (SOR) has not increased since it was established in 1969, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake says. Speaking at a public rally recently he that in 1969, the SOR used the most advanced technology available at the time. “CPC started construction in 1968 and SOR started operations, refining oil, on August 5th, 1969. During that time, CPC could refine 50,000 MT of crude oil. 55 years later, capacity remains the same. more..

Jan 31 (TM) The Constitutional Council (CC), at yesterday’s meeting, decided to publish advertisements calling for applications to appoint members to seven independent commissions scheduled under Article 41B of the Constitution, including the Election Commission (EC), while Chairman of the SLPP, Prof. G.L. Peiris stated that reconstituting the EC should take approximately two months, more..

Jan 31 (F2F) Indian fabric is gaining ground in the SL textile market as imports from India are increasing in the island country compared to Chinese supplies. SL’s fabric imports from India are witnessing an upward trend as they jumped by more than 50% in four years, but its import from China remained almost stable during the same period. SL’s fabric imports from India increased to $565.848 million in 2021 from $374.214 million in 2017, according to Fibre2Fashion’s TexPro. more..