Oct 6 (TM) China SL Joint Centre for Education and Research (CSL-CER) of the Uni of Ruhuna said that it has so far not reached any agreement with the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan Six – which has made a request to arrive in Lankan waters but is yet to receive the relevant Govt authorities’ clearance - on any matter. CSL-CER Co-Director Prof. Disna Ratnasekera who handles University’s research collaborations on the marine ecosystem more..

Oct 6 (FT) MAS Matrix, the diversified flat-knit apparel manufacturing facility under MAS Holdings, announced the launch of its latest product platform, MVTM. The technology and product capability of the MVTM range, is poised to revolutionise athleisure wear. Crafted for the modern, fast-paced lifestyle, the collection offers a range of highly functional, versatile & fashion-forward designs. Core of MVTM lies in the fusion of movement & momentum, encapsulated in its abbreviation, MVTM. more..

Oct 6 (DN) Prima KottuMees Brand Ambassador, Ashanya Premadasa was selected by Ceylon Motor Sports Club to represent SL at the Karting SLALOM Cup of the Asia Pacific Motorsport C'ship 2023 held in Malaysia. This high-speed, adrenaline-pumping tournament has gained immense popularity in the heart of Southeast Asia, among seasoned racers and budding Go-Kart enthusiasts. Tournament took place in Malaysia, attracting top talent from across the nation and neighboring countries. more..

Oct 6 (FT) SJB MP S.M Marikkar declined Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe's invitation for the Opposition to collaborate with the Govt, citing their inability to support the numerous deceitful actions of the Govt. “We are not a traditional opposition. If we are, we would have appealed to the IMF and the World Bank to withhold their support for the SL Govt,” he said. MP emphasised that the Opposition stands in support of the country, and their disagreements with the Prez are rooted in policy matters. more..

Oct 6 (DN) As part of their continuing efforts to strengthen market standards and investor confidence, officials of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recently met with Compliance Officers of all categories of Market Intermediaries. The meeting served as a valuable opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue on regulatory matters and industry best practices. Emphasizing the importance of the compliance function, more..

Oct 6 (DN) In the first eight months of this year, the value of remittances to SL has increased to US$ 3,863 million, showing a remarkable growth in the remittances of foreign employees. This is a remarkable growth when compared to the value of remittances during the corresponding period last year. The value of the remittances during the period under review last year was US$ 2,215 million, by foreign SL workers who directly contribute more..

Oct 6 (DN) Ministries are actively engaged in discussions aimed at resolving these issues The Sri Lanka Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, (FTA) which marked Sri Lanka’s second and Pakistan’s first FTA has not yielded the desired outcomes, said newly elected President of Sri Lanka Pakistan Business Council (SLPBC) Indhra Kausal Rajapaksa, at their 31st Annual General Meeting. He said that this is primarily due to bureaucratic hurdles, including non-tariff barriers. more..

Oct 6 (FT) The Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe forecasted a notable rise in private sector credit growth, commencing from the final quarter of 2023 boosted by the simultaneous relaxation of lending rates and an overall improvement in economic conditions. “With seasonal demand, we could see further expansion in credit flow in November and December, setting the stage for a robust start to the upcoming year,” he told journalists yesterday. more..

Oct 6 (Island) There is a shortage of 800,000 houses in the country, former Chairman of Housing Development Authority (NHDA) Lakvijaya Palansuriya says. He said that during the past 18 months or so, the construction sector had suffered huge setbacks due to the economic crisis. Low and middle-income families were the worst affected, Palansuriya said. “Building a house is not a priority anymore. The number of those living in temporary residences have increased by about 50%,” more..

Oct 6 (FMT) Kuala Lumpur police chief Allaudeen Abdul Majid said the murder of three Sri Lankan nationals in Sentul, here on Sept 22, was motivated by money. “We can safely say it is about money… debt, money, payment, and so on,” Allaudeen said, adding that the bodies showed no signs of abuse or torture. “They died from suffocation. We are still waiting for further reports from the relevant parties,” he said. Allaudeen said four people detained in Petaling Jaya more..

Oct 6 (Island) In a scathing indictment of SL’s governance landscape, the IMF had handed down a damning verdict, SJB MP Harsha de Silva said. Discussing the contents of the IMF’s Governance Diagnostic Assessment report, he said that the IMF’s verdict was clear: corruption had eaten into all state institutions from top to bottom. MP de Silva said that one of the main reasons for the delay in disbursing 2nd tranche of IMF more..

Oct 6 (DM) Seated on the balcony of the Virat Kohli Pavilion in the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi, India, Mahela Jayawardena gave his batters a near-30-minute pep talk before they joined the rest of the Sri Lanka team for routine exercise and batting, bowling and fielding drills. Jayawardena is the consultant coach of the national team and was flown in on Wednesday to share his expertise with the squad in a bid to make an impact on cricket’s biggest stage. more..

Oct 6 (CT) At a time when every dollar holds significant value for the country, the Government has decided to grant tax concessions to a company involved in the assembly of electric and hybrid vehicles, whose owner is a close associate of Prez’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake, JJB Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake alleged in Parliament. Raising a question, under the Standing Order 27/2, Dissanayake asked on whose behalf and on what basis these concessions were granted. more..

Oct 6 (TM) COPE criticised the National Medicines Regulatory Authority's (NMRA) purported decision not to submit documents requested by the National Audit Office (NAO), with the former claiming that it is a violation of the Constitution. This was revealed when NMRA officials were summoned to the COPE on Wednesday. In that meeting, Auditor General (AG) Chulantha Wickramaratne said that NMRA Director more..

Oct 6 (FT) Kathiravelu Nythiananda Douglas Devananda is a senior SL Tamil political leader. The Secretary-General of the EPDP has been continuously representing the Jaffna district in Parliament since 1994. Devananda known generally as Douglas, has served as a cabinet minister in different Govts for more than 15 years. He is currently the Minister of Fisheries in the Govt headed by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe. Douglas Devananda is one of the few Tamil political more..

Oct 6 (FT) The year was 1991. All the Mahaweli major reservoirs had been completed. Kotmale, Victoria, Randenigala and Rantembe power plants were in full operation. Their electricity production was instantly absorbed into the industrial boom at the time. Yet, 70% more of the country’s households were without an electricity connection, awaiting expansion of the power distribution network. Without giving ear to professional advice (just as it is today), Govt at the time, had cancelled more..

Oct 6 (AD) Five persons who were injured after a tree fell on a Deniyaya-bound bus in Kollupitiya have succumbed to their injuries, the Colombo National Hospital reported. 17 persons were reported injured earlier this morning (06) after a tree fell on the passenger bus at Duplication Road in Kolluptiya. The incident had taken place near the Liberty Junction. The injured passengers were rushed to the Colombo National Hospital for immediate medical attention. more..

Oct 6 (EN) Two more petitions were filed at the Supreme Court against the proposed Online Safety Bill, this week. Parliament’s Deputy Chairperson of Committees informed Parliament that the Speaker had received the copies of two more petitions filed at the Supreme Court under Article 121(1) of the Constitution in respect of the Bill titled Online Safety. This is in addition to the two previous petitions that were filed on Wednesday (4). The controversial Online Safety Bill more..

Oct 6 (EN) SL’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is facing a dearth of skilled workforce with most having already left the country. SL has aimed at boosting the digital economy to contribute at least $15 billion to the economy by 2030 under the Digiecon-2030 plan which includes digital nomad visas, e-payments in all govt institutions, and single window approvals. SL’s ICT workforce should be at least 175,000 more..

Oct 6 (MFA) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Diraja Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir will undertake an official visit to SL from 08 – 12 Oct. During the visit, Malaysian Foreign Minister is scheduled to have bilateral discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry at the Foreign Ministry and pay courtesy calls on Prez and PM. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia will be accompanied by Undersecretary of South and Central Asia Division (SCA) Dato’ Syed Mohamad Bakri more..

Oct 6 (DM) MP Chandima Weerakkody, raising a privilege issue in Parliament said that Defence Secretary and Army Commander had threatened him at a Committee meeting in the Parliament complex recently. He said that Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne had made a threatening statement during the meeting of the SOC on National Security chaired by MP Sarath Weerasekara when he (Weerakkody) had made a statement regarding the downsizing of the Army. more..

Oct 6 (TM) The purported incident of slain President R Premadasa’s wife Hema Premadasa having allegedly requested the Presidential Secretariat for a host of stationery items is currently being discussed in the political arena. During a Parliamentary session early this week, Govt MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage made some remarks on a letter that had allegedly been sent by Hema Premadasa to the Procurement Division of more..

Oct 6 (TM) Former CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who earlier made a statement before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) looking into the causes of economic bankruptcy in the country, is to be questioned on his tenure as the CBSL Governor by PSC members, today. PSC's Chairman and Govt MP attorney Sagara Kariyawasam said that while they had summoned Cabraal and UNP Govt MP Wajira Abeywardana to testify before the PSC on 15 Sept, only the latter's testimony more..

Oct 6 (DM) A protest by TNA MPs brought Parliament sessions to a halt for a short time today. TNA MPs dashed into the well of the House with placards alleging that the lands used by people in Batticaloa to rear cattle have been grabbed by a group of outsiders. The group of MPs who were led by Shanakiyan Rasamanikam were heard shouting Adkkade, Adikkade, engal nilaththei engalukku kodu! (Stop attacking us, stop attacking us, return our lands to us) in Tamil. more..

Oct 6 (MFA) Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as well as other senior Ministers of IORA Member States and Dialogue Partners will arrive in Sri Lanka next week for the 23rd IORA Council of Ministers which SL is hosting on 11 October 2023 in Colombo. Council of Ministers meeting in Colombo will see the participation of sixteen Ministers including the Foreign Ministers of Bangladesh, India, Iran, Mauritius, Malaysia & South Africa as well as more..

Oct 6 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to expand a project initiated in Mannar aimed at reducing govt expenditure on grain imports by providing seeds and market opportunities to rural cultivators across the country, an official said. State Ministe Kader Mastan told reporters that the programme, launched as part of govt efforts to address economic challenges, will be expanded to include all of SL. The ministry is engaged in several programmes to bolster the rural economy, as part of which more..

Oct 6 (DM) Supreme Court in a landmark judgment today determined that the SLMC' decision to expel Minister Naseer Ahamad from the party membership is legally valid. With this SC judgment, Naseer Ahamad's expulsion will lead to the loss of his parliamentary seat. The SC 3-judge-bench bench headed by Justice Preethi Padman Surasena observed that there is no reason to interfere with the decision of the party to more..

Oct 6 (AD) The Ministry of Transport and the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) have been instructed to provide financial assistance to the families of those who lost their lives after a tree fell on a bus in Kollupitiya this morning (06). Accordingly, President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayaka, on the directive of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, directed the two institutions to provide Rs. 500,000 each to the families of those who died in the unfortunate accident. more..

Oct 6 (EN) Sri Lanka should jettison regulations dating back from a 30-year civil war period, to develop its domestic aviation sector, a govt minister has said. “Our regulations have to be relaxed; SL is still operating under war-time regulations,” state minister Kanaka Herath said. “One reason for domestic airline travel not to develop is that our regulations are too tight. We can’t say open skies and then tighten regulations. That would kill our domestic airline industry,” more..

Oct 6 (EN) A future govt headed by SJB will revise certain aspects while implementing the 16 directives recently recommended by the IMF, SJB legislator Harsha de Silva said. In a Twitter thread posted on Thursday (6), de Silva said Sri Lanka must take the bitter medicine and get its house in order before further reforms. “The IMF offers this chance. We must seize it, as it is the only viable path forward,” he said, more..

Oct 6 (DM) The involvement of a former State Minister of Health and an Additional Secretary Ministry of Health to introduce an information management system to manage medical supplies to health institutions in the country is controversial, higher officials of the Health Ministry claim. In order to get this project implemented it is revealed how the Health Ministry changed the status report issued by the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) in 2021. more..

Oct 6 (CI) Sri Lanka could hardly have picked a tougher opponent to face first up at the World Cup than South Africa. Sri Lankans come into this game with big question marks over their batting and have an injury-weakened bowling attack; South Africa, in contrast, seem to be a well-oiled machine, primed for the flat tracks this World Cup is expected to offer. Where South Africa might have some concerns is in their bowling. With Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala ruled out with injury, more..

Oct 6 (CT) Attorney General pledged to the Supreme Court yesterday that the one day’s salary, deducted from the teachers in Eastern Province, in May 2020, for the Itukama Covid-19 fund, without their consent will be returned to those teachers before 30 Nov. This pledge was given in view of the fact that the SC ruled that it was illegal to deduct any amount from the salaries of the teachers without their consent. According to a request made by the Secretary to the Prez Dr. P B. Jayasundara, more..

Oct 6 (CT) Chief Incumbent of Sri Pada Ven. Bengamuwe Dhammadinna Thera expressed his dissatisfaction with the Dept of Wildlife Conservation’s (DWC) practice of issuing entrance tickets to local and foreign tourists, who visit Sri Pada via the Hatton and Ratnapura roads during the off-season. Ven. Thera highlighted that historically, no charges were imposed on pilgrims visiting Sri Pada, whether during the peak season or the off-season, dating back to the reign of the kings. more..

Oct 6 (ST) A new state entity called the Reconciliation Office is to be set up and will be armed with a wide range of powers, including immunity from prosecution and the ability to raise funds locally and abroad as gifts. Under the Bill, already gazetted, those who disobey its directives are liable to punishment through the Court of Appeal, and the offence is equivalent to contempt of court. Office is being set up to promote & foster national more..