Mar 15 (DN) SL U-19 cricket team led by all rounder Shevon Danial have a good chance to get match exposure during the Tri nation cricket tournament in UAE which will commence on March 20 and before the next year U-19 world cup this is an ideal opportunity for youngsters said SL U-19 coach Jehan Mubarak. U-19 team is scheduled to leave today for this tri nation series while three players Sineth Jayawardena from Royal Malsha Tharupathi from Richmond and Dinura Kalupahana more..

Mar 15 (FT) Central Bank Executive Officers' Union (CBEOU) yesterday lobbied to all political parties seeking true independence for the monetary regulatory authority ahead of the new bill to be taken up in Parliament. The move follows the CBEOU identifying possible Impediments to Central Bank independence as outlined in the Central Bank of SL Bill. CBEOU, is an employee trade union of Staff Officers of the CBSL. more..

Mar 15 (DN) The special Cricket Advisory Committee is very important and it has to be appointed soon for the benefit of cricket development, said former cricket administration heads (Presidents and Secretaries) at the discussion with the Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe at the Sports Ministry Board room last Monday. The sports Minister has invited former cricket admin heads to share their views about the changes to the cricket constitutions made by more..

Mar 15 (DM) Former Minister Wimal Weerawansa thrashed SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa calling him a broiler chicken who was pumped up without any experience or political knowledge. Weerawansa speaking at a rally in Hambantota said Namal was playing cricket with a group of SLPP MPs while the people were suffering. "He is just like Ranil. He still has not learned anything. It is reasonable that people get angry. He never learns. He is a prematurely grown broiler chicken," he said. more..

Mar 15 (FT) After years of long pursuit, the Anti-Corruption Bill ‒ a landmark piece of legislation defining measures to reduce corruption and vulnerabilities by improving fiscal transparency and public financial management was finally approved by the Cabinet Monday to proceed with the next steps. The move is a result of negotiations with the IMF for a bailout package, amidst the ongoing economic crisis. Such a Bill was long overdue and more..

Mar 15 (AD) The Sri Lanka Railway Department has confirmed that only 10 office trains are operated this morning (15 March). Accordingly, only 10 office trains are in operation this morning, owing to the collective trade union action launched today against the govt. Last night (14 March), however, it was announced that for the convenience of commuters, 13 office train services would operate at the usual time in today’s schedule, despite the planned multisectoral token strike. more..

Mar 15 (FT) Amid strong growing protests against heavy taxation, the Govt yesterday hinted that the PAYE tax threshold might be revised by April. “There is a possibility that the threshold might come down by April, if the Govt revenue expands as a result of tax reforms introduced,” Minister Bandula Gunawardena said in response to queries. The tax hike has resulted in a series of protests mainly led by State-sector trade unions whose members are paid lucrative salaries. more..

Mar 15 (DN) Sri Lanka is looking to target USD four billion revenue from the tourism industry this year, Minister of Lands and Tourism, Harin Fernando said. He said during the sidelines of the MICE EXPO, organized by the Sri Lanka Convention Bureau and Sri Lankan Airlines, which began at Shangri – La yesterday and ending today that the country has already earned around USD 330 million plus from tourism receipts in the first two months of 2023. This is by attracting over 200,000 arrivals. more..

Mar 15 (TM) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) is yet to make a decision regarding the non-appearance of Minister Tiran Alles before it, as per a summons which had been issued seeking clarifications concerning measures taken by the Police to control two protests organised by the IUSF on 7 and 8 March. Although he had been summoned before the HRCSL on Monday, which the HRCSL later termed to be a mere request, Alles had not made an appearance claiming that more..

Mar 15 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday wrote an open letter to all official bilateral creditors of SL with multiple appeals and assurances ahead of next week’s Executive Board consideration and approval of $ 2.9 billion four year Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The letter contains clarifications aimed at providing comfort to all and enable SL’s to progress swiftly to the next stage of the debt treatment negotiations. more..

Mar 15 (Island) High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay and Minister Jeevan Thondaman, on Monday, exchanged diplomatic notes, paving the way for a three-fold increase in unit cost of a house under Phase-3 of Indian Housing Project (IHP). This step would now enable expeditious completion of Phase-3 of IHP, under which 4000 houses are being constructed through grant assistance by Govt of India in plantation areas of SL, spread across 7 Districts in Central, Uva, Southern Provinces. more..

Mar 15 (DM) The Magisterial inquiry into the suspicious death of businessman Dinesh Shafter was postponed for March 22 by Colombo Chief Magistrate today. The case was postponed for a further date due to the unavailability of the permanent Magistrate who inquired about the post-mortem inquiry today. Consequently, Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis, before whom the case was called, postponed the case for March 22, 2023. On the previous inquiry date Magistrate more..

Mar 15 (CT) About 800 buses belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) are non-operational due to driver and conductor vacancies at the SLTB, Transport and Highways Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. He said the Public Service Commission has instructed the ministry to hire 800 drivers and conductors on a contract basis, and interviews are underway. Gunawardana said it is expected to operate these buses by the Sinhala and Tamil New Year season this year. more..

Mar 15 (DN) A Vietnam Company into apparel sourcing is keen to invest in SL, said Ambassador of Vietnam in SL Ho Thi Thanh Truc at the National Chamber of Commerce of SL hosted Vietnam – SL Bilateral Trade and Investment session at the Chamber. She disclosed that this is the first major FDI from Vietnam to SL and it would be via a joint venture with a local company. "Many SL companies have invested in 27 projects in Vietnam & total FDI value amounts to around USD 41m by 2022.” more..

Mar 15 (TM) Even if the general Treasury releases the necessary funds to the Govt Printing Dept for the printing of ballot papers for the LG elections, there is a risk that the printing of ballot papers will be delayed if the necessary funds are not released by the Treasury to the Police. Govt Printer Gangani Liyanage said that following the recent discussion with the Election Commission (EC), she had written two letters to more..

Mar 15 (Island) Teachers’ trade unions had not asked their members to boycott the evaluation of GCE A/L answer scripts, Mahinda Jayasinghe, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teacher Service Union (CTSU) said yesterday.. Earlier minister of education Susil Premajayantha said there was a shortage of 4,000 teachers and 1,300 university academics to evaluate A/L answer scripts. “We have not asked teachers to not apply for paper marking directly or indirectly. more..

Mar 15 (AD) A team of CID officers has brought back the notorious drug dealers and criminal figures Nadun Chinthaka alias Harak Kata and Salindu Malshika Gunaratne alias Kudu Salindu to the island this morning (March 15). The CID dispatched a team to Madagascar earlier this week to repatriate Sri Lankan drug kingpin Harak Kata and his infamous accomplice Kudu Salindu who were arrested while on a visit to the Indian Ocean island off the southeastern coast of Africa. more..

Mar 15 (TM) Trade unions (TUs) affiliated with many crucial sectors including health, ports, electricity, banking, railways, ports, education and higher-education have decided to support the islandwide strike which is to be launched from today. Following talks held on Monday between the governmental authorities and the collective of trade unions representing professionals, the latter, which are engaged in various trade union actions more..

Mar 15 (FT) The LTTE formed in May 1976, conducted a 33-year-long armed struggle until May 2009, to establish a separate state in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of SL. Although the LTTE known as the tiger organisation was basically a guerrilla outfit, it adopted positional warfare methods for a lengthy period of time by capturing and retaining territory like a conventional military. The tigers threw up many unofficial military leaders who were de ranks and positions similar to more..

Mar 15 (FT) I was shocked and rather ashamed to listen to the outburst of His Eminence the Cardinal where he comments on all Sri Lankans saying that we belong to a corrupt society from top to bottom! Lest I am misunderstood I am myself a Catholic and come from a family which has done our bit for the religion and its institutions. I must acknowledge that His Eminence had a point in criticising the extravagance associated with the anniversary celebrations to mark Independence. more..

Mar 15 (AD) The notorious drug dealer and criminal figure Salindu Malshika alias Kudu Salindu, who was arrested in Madagascar and brought back to SL by CID this morning, has filed a petition before the court, requesting to ensure his safety. Accordingly, the Court of Appeal has ordered the Attorney General to inform his stance regarding the petition, on March 20. The order has been issued by the Appellate Court bench consisting of its president Justice Nissanka Karunaratne more..

Mar 15 (SLN) The SL Navy took hold of a multiday fishing trawler, suspected of involvement in human smuggling, in the wee hours of 12th March 2023. The apprehension was made in the eastern seas off Nilaveli, Trincomalee and the Navy also nabbed 03 suspects aboard in this operation. The Navy conducts regular patrols and search operations in the coastal and sea areas of the island to prevent a wide range of illegal activates taking place via sea routes. As an extension of these efforts, more..

Mar 15 (EN) More than 40 state-sector trade unions called off a protest that disrupted the health and education sector largely after the PMD claimed that many sectors worked partially despite calls to bring the country to standstill. The state-sector trade unions have called for a full-day protest on Wednesday against the tax hike. Govt has raised personal income taxes to up to 36% to reach its revenue targets which is used to more..

Mar 15 (DM) The SL Rupee (LKR) has depreciated against the US Dollar (USD) today for the third consecutive day, according to the Central Bank. Accordingly, today's buying rate of USD is Rs. 327.59 while the selling rate is Rs. 344.66. The Rupee has been appreciating against the USD and other major currencies since earlier this month, but the Rupee continue to depreciate against the USD since last Friday. Yesterday's buying rate of USD was Rs. 319.84 while the selling rate more..

Mar 15 (AD) SLPP MP S. M. Chandrasena has hinted at a potential cabinet reshuffle in the near future. Speaking to the media today in this regard, Chandrasena stated that talks regarding a cabinet reshuffle are underway. “It is reported that the cabinet reshuffle will take place soon. It is actually something that needs to be done,” he said when inquired as to when the reshuffle might take place. When questioned by a reporter whether it is likely for the MP to receive a portfolio himself, more..

Mar 15 (Island) The COPE will ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take steps to close two branches of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation in the Maldives and Seychelles, as they are making huge losses. The COPE made that decision during a meeting to review the Auditor General’s reports and current performance of the SL Insurance Corporation (SLIC) Limited for the financial years 2019 and 2020. more..

Mar 15 (AD) The island-wide strike launched by the GMOA is set to be called off at 8 a.m. tomorrow (16). Media Spokesperson of the GMOA, Dr. Chamil Wijesinghe mentioned that the strike action will be called off temporarily tomorrow, taking into account a series of proposals submitted by the Presidential Secretariat to the Professionals’ Trade Union Alliance (PTUA), as well as views and opinions of the trade union members and also the inconveniences faced by the general public. more..

Mar 15 (DM) The Govt is contemplating to restart the Malabe-Colombo Light rail project, after getting the cabinet nod for it, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said today. The project was to begin in 2020 and was to be completed by 2024 initially but it was delayed. The light train is to cost US$1850 million. The distance of the light rail track is 16km long with 16 exist/entry points. The Japanese govt had agreed to fund the project during Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe's recent visit to Japan. more..

Mar 15 (EN) SL’s Treasury bill yields plunged across maturities, dealers said after a surrender rule was lifted on the exchange rate, leading to an appreciation rupee. The 3-month yield fell to 27.94% from 28.75 a week earlier, according to bid results sent to dealers. The cut-off was believed to be just above the weighted average. Amid a strike by central bank staff the usual press release was not sent at the usual time. All 50 billion rupees of the 30-month maturity offered was sold. more..

Mar 15 (FT) The International Finance Corporation recently extended much needed support to Sri Lanka with a $ 400 million cross-currency swap facility for three leading commercial banks. It will support the private sector with critical financing, contributing to the country’s urgent need to stabilise the economy. In this interview with the Daily FT, IFC Country Manager for SL and Maldives Alejandro Alvarez de la Campa explains the rationale for such support, the expectations as well as more..

Mar 15 (FT) UK has selected SL in its new preferential Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) for deeper analysis of market potential. This was revealed by UK High Commissioner Sarah Hulton yesterday at a forum to promote DCTS, successor to the GSP+ scheme post-Brexit. “SL utilisation rates of some of the lines are relatively low and they are products that SL exports to other countries but not to the UK,” more..

Mar 15 (PMD) The Chinese Embassy, today, handed over a donation of material to the Govt of Sri Lanka as a donation for the production of police uniforms. The donation was made by the Ambassador of China to SL, Qi Zhenhong, to Minister Tiran Alles. This donation was made at the Presidential Secretariat in the presence of Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Chief of Staff and Sagala Ratnayake and Secretary to the President, Saman Ekanayake, were also present at the event. more..

Mar 15 (AD) The wife of Zahran Hashim, the main suspect behind the Easter Sunday Attacks of 2019, has been granted bail by the Kalmunai High Court. Accordingly, Abdul Cader Fathima Saadiah was granted bail after being detained under the PTA for four years. Five days into the coordinated bomb blasts on the 21st of April 2019, extremist militants had opened fire and set off explosives at Sainthamaruthu in Kalmunai as the security forces closed in to raid their safe house. more..

Mar 15 (Reuters) SL's economy shrank 7.8% in 2022 from the previous year, govt data showed on Wednesday, as the country struggled with its worst financial crisis in more than seven decades. The island's fourth-quarter GDP contracted 12.4%, according to the figures. SL's growth is expected to shrink by 3% this year, Moody's Investors Service said on Monday but growth is expected to rebound in 2024. more..

Mar 15 (AD) Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry has stated that there is a realistic possibility that SL is on a sustainable path to recovery. “We shouldn’t sabotage these necessary yet long overdue reforms for political reasons”, Sabry said, emphasisng that although govts may come and go, the state must be preserved and protected. Minister made these remarks in reference to a recent statement made by Duminda Hulangamuwa, Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce more..

Mar 15 (TM) PM Dinesh Gunawardena is to prevail upon Prez Wickremesinghe to submit a proposal to the Cabinet to rectify a historic decision taken by the British Crown to exile Ceylon’s national heroes of the Udarata Maha Kerella (Great Rebellion of 1817-1818/1818 Uva Wellassa Rebellion) to the Island of Mauritius. He also stated that even though there are State Counsels and Prez’s Counsels (PCs), no one has come forward to correct the decision of the Crown which betrayed SL’s national heroes. more..