Sep 13 (CT) In today’s fast-paced world, technological advancements have become an integral part of our daily lives. The integration of technology into various govt services has not only increased efficiency but also improved transparency and accessibility for citizens. Therefore, when promises are made by politicians to modernise and digitise essential services, it is imperative that they are held accountable for delivering on these commitments. more..

Sep 13 (Island) Yet another act in the drama aimed at destabilising Sri Lanka was staged at 23:00 BST on Tuesday (5), when Channel 4 broadcast its Dispatches programme titled SL’s Easter Bombings. Not being broadcast in primetime, it was obviously not meant for local consumption, as by that late hour most Brits would be either too sleepy or too drunk to watch it! Of course, it was meant for international consumption, especially that of the UNHRC before its September meeting; more..

Sep 13 (FT) Considering strong protests from exporters opposing the abolition of the Simplified Value-Added Tax (SVAT) system, Cabinet approved the revision of the implementation date of the relevant provisions to repeal SVAT to 1 April 2025. The proposed revisions including the repeal of the SVAT were earlier poised to take effect from 1 Jan 2024. However, strong representations from various stakeholders emphasised the potential for more..

Sep 13 (FT) Orel Corporation, a leading name in electrical manufacturing, has partnered with the innovative minds at John Keells Research (JKR), R&D and Innovation arm of the John Keells Group, to pioneer a groundbreaking range of antibacterial switches and sockets. As concerns about hygiene and cleanliness continue to rise in various sectors including healthcare, hospitality, and public spaces, this strategic alliance aims to introduce a new level of protection through more..

Sep 13 (FT) Alumex PLC, SL's most trusted aluminium brand and subsidiary of the Hayleys Group, has partnered with the Mechanical Engineering Dept of the Uni of Moratuwa, to champion SL’s inaugural formula electric car as the material sponsor at the EXMO 2023 exhibition which is University’s flagship engineering exhibition. Alumex provided vital support to Team Falcon Racing, the masterminds behind this achievement. This endeavour is closely aligned with more..

Sep 13 (DN) Two new machines (GD fan and GD light) are being used for the Asia Cup cricket tournament to dry the wicket and both machines are being used for the first time to dry the wicket on rain hit grounds. The man behind these two instruments the inventor is none other than Godfrey Dabrare who is the Int'l Venue Manager and National curator. Dabrare said I always work hard to develop the grounds and develop wickets while I know my duty as Int'l venue Manager and National curator. more..

Sep 13 (FT) Embassy of SL in Bahrain, in coordination with Lulu Hypermarket, organised a week-long SL Produce and Food Mart, from 7 to 13 September, titled Sri Lanka Fest, with a view to promote trade, tourism and culture of SL, as well as to augment the image of the country, amongst the nationals of Bahrain and foreign expatriates, residing in the Kingdom. The event is expected to attract over 2000 visitors and shoppers, including nationals of SL domiciled in Bahrain. more..

Sep 13 (CI) On a surface where India picked three frontline spinners and lost all ten of their wickets to spin for the first time in ODIs, it was the quality of their fast bowlers that made the telling difference. Defending 214, India had SL three down before bowling a single ball of spin, and that had repercussions that rippled through the rest of the game. Dhananjaya de Silva and Dunith Wellalage brought SL's equation down to 52 from 82 more..

Sep 13 (CI) England showed off their burgeoning depth to take command of the second ODI against Sri Lanka before rain descended on Northampton and rendered it a washout with one game left in the series. Offspinner Charlie Dean and allrounder Alice Davidson-Richards came into the home side for a resting Mahika Gaur and injured Emma Lamb and claimed two wickets each with Lauren Filer, the 22-year-old quick who impressed on her ODI debut in the opening match of this series, more..

Sep 13 (Island) SL remains the largest revenue earner for tea in the world, second to only China. SL has achieved this feat through relentless pursuit, breaking global barriers, innovating and taking risks, chairman, Tea Exporters Association (TEA), Ganesh Deivanayagam said. Deivanayagam was addressing the 24th AGM of Tea on Sept 1, on which occasion he was re-elected chairman of the body for a second term. The event was held at the Grand Marquee, Taj Samudra Hotel, Colombo. more..

Sep 13 (ST) Former SL cricketer Sachithra Senanayake, now in remand custody over his alleged attempt to entice two players of the Colombo Kings franchise in the LPL to indulge in corrupt practices during the inaugural edition, has acted as the local agent of a batting syndicate, the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court heard on Wednesday. Arrested after he surrendered through lawyers to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) more..

Sep 13 (TM) The Cabinet of Ministers has granted approval to import new rechargeable electric vehicles subject to exemption of Customs tariff, to an amount not exceeding the value of $30,000 including insurance and shipping charges, for certain investment projects under BOI programmes. Govt said it has been decided to import new rechargeable electric vehicles without the relevant customs tariffs, in a bid to attract investments. The proposal, furnished by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe more..

Sep 13 (ST) Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has been directed to put in place an efficient mechanism to accelerate the collection of taxes and held-over taxes amidst increasing tax defaults. The tax amount in default this year as at 30.06.2023 was approximately Rs.7.72 billion while the total outstanding taxes, penalties, and interest of the IRD amounted to Rs.904 billion as at 31.12.2022. Finance Ministry is considering several recommendations made by more..

Sep 13 (FT) The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) welcomed the recent Cabinet approval for the deferment of the Simplified Value-Added Tax (SVAT) scheme, set to take effect from 1 April 2025. “JAAF is particularly appreciative of the decision to ensure that a “strong tax repaying mechanism” is in place before proceeding with the removal of SVAT. This decision reflects the dedicated efforts of Govt stakeholders to protect the export industry, for which JAAF is thankful to,” more..

Sep 13 (FT) Top SL blue chip John Keells Holdings has been included in the FTSE Frontier 50 Index following the Semi-Annual Review in September. Inclusion of JKH, the only SL corporate, is effective 15 Sept 2023 and it is among six new additions to the Index. FTSE Frontier 50 Index is created from an eligible universe of 26 frontier markets, and is screened using FTSE’s country classification methodology which assesses markets against size, basic governance & market infrastructure. more..

Sep 13 (TM) About 84% of Treasury Bonds held by superannuation funds have agreed to exchange their rupee bonds for longer-term maturity bonds under Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) programme. Accordingly, out of the Rs.8.71 trillion worth of eligible Treasury Bonds, holders of Rs. 3.2 trillion (including the holders of the rupee bonds held by superannuation funds) have agreed to exchange their bonds for longer-term maturity bonds. more..

Sep 13 (EN) Cabinet of ministers granted approval for the signing of the treaty on prohibition of nuclear weapons. Cabinet granted approval to the proposal submitted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to sign the Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the ceremony to be held in relation to the said treaty parallel to the General Assembly of the United Nations on Sept 2023 held in New York. In Dec 2021, a proposal was submitted by the former minster of foreign affairs, G L Peiris, more..

Sep 13 (DN) Exporters are expected to bring back their export proceeds within 6 months if they hope to collect VAT refunds from the Inland Revenue Dept following the abolishment of the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT) system. The transition into the removal of exemptions is expected to be very complex due to the timing of the passing of the law. KPMG Principal Tax & Regulatory Division Suresh Perera said, “One of the major concerns about the SVAT system is that money is not being more..

Sep 13 (FT) Permanent Representative of India to the UN Indra Mani Pandey addressing the second meeting of the 54th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday called on the SL Govt to fulfil its commitment to the implementation of the 13th amendment to the constitution. Pandey said India hopes the SL Govt will fulfil the aspirations of the Tamils in SL by implementing the 13A and conducting LG polls to ensure a life of respect and dignity for them. more..

Sep 13 (DM) In the establishment of power grid connectivity with India, SL remains open for either undersea cables or overhead lines, a top official of the CEB said. The evolution of the technical report is now in advanced stages, and the two countries are expected to finalize it in a week. CEB official who is familiar with the project said that the SL side submitted all the details to the Power Grid Corporation of India. “We have proposed both undersea cables and overhead lines. more..

Sep 13 (DN) Transport Minister Dr Bandula Gunawardhana said yesterday (12) that strict measures will be taken against terrorism type strike actions by the Railway Unions at the press conference. He also stated that this arbitrary strike was carried out while a discussion was called today (13) regarding the promotion, procedure and salary issues of the train drivers and measures were being taken in this regard. more..

Sep 13 (AD) Former Ambassador Sarath Kongahage has accused British television network Channel 4 of completely distorting his comments during the interview in their latest documentary on SL’s Easter Sunday bombings of 2019. Speaking to the media in this regard on Tuesday (12), Kongahage revealed that nearly one year ago, during the anti-govt protests, SL media personality and British citizen Faraz Shauketaly had requested the ex-diplomat for an interview, more..

Sep 13 (DM) In light of the current train strike, the Railways Dept has made an announcement regarding today's scheduled train services. Railway Authority has informed Railways General Manager that 84 engine drivers will be participating in trade union action today (13). As a result, dept has taken measures to minimize the disruption caused by the strike. Therefore, they have added an additional 40 office train services to the existing fleet to ensure that commuters have alternative transport more..

Sep 13 (DN) In response to the SL’s statement made by the UNHRC Permanent Representative Himalee Arunatilaka at the 54th session of the UNHRC in Geneva, 46 UNHRC Member countries including the EU, Australia, NZ, USA, Germany, and France spoke in favour of SL with positive remarks during the Interactive Dialogue on OHCHR Report on SL. Making a strong statement against the OHCHR’s accountability mechanism more..

Sep 13 (FT) State Minister of Rural Road Development and Batticaloa district Parliamentarian Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan figured prominently in the recent documentary Sri Lanka’s Easter bombings aired by Britain’s Channel 4 TV in its Dispathes program on 5 Sept 2023 at 11:05 p.m. The 47-minute-long documentary that is making waves pointed the finger at Pillayan as being implicated in the dastardly terror bombings of 19 April 2019. more..

Sep 13 (FT) Sri Lankans have long been obsessed with the question, why can’t we be as successful and developed as Singapore? As a development economist, this preoccupation with Singapore strikes me as odd, a comparison that would have made sense only if the Colombo district (which is the same size as Singapore) were its own country, if we had an entirely urban population with a history of immigration and entrepreneurship, and if we had a high tolerance for authoritarian politics more..

Sep 13 (AD) Sectoral Oversight Committee on Energy and Transport has held a discussion focusing on the recruitment of students of the Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute to address the shortage of technicians in the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), during a special meeting which took place recently. Officials representing the Ministry of Transport, SLTB, Ministry of Education and Ceylon-German Technical Training Institute (CGTTI) were present before this committee more..

Sep 13 (EN) Shares closed up on Wednesday after two consecutive sessions of closing down, as investors have renewed and sense economic stabilization, an analyst said. ASPI was up 0.8% or 90.57 points to 11,438.82, while S&P SL20 was up 0.91% or 29.16 points to 3,237.29. A team from the IMF will be in Sri Lanka from Sept 14 to 27 to conduct the first review of an Extended Fund Facility arrangement, a spokesperson said. The review will be conducted on June data. more..

Sep 13 (AD) SL Army personnel have been deployed to provide security to the Colombo Fort and Maradana railway stations, says Dept of Railways. Dept added that it stands ready to deploy security forces to other railway stations as well if the need arises. The decision was taken after taking into account a request made by the station masters and locomotive operating engineers who are on duty amidst the ongoing strike action. more..

Sep 13 (DM) In an effort to streamline the fuel dispensing process at all CPC refueling stations, CPC has decided to introduce a daily automated price revision system starting next year. The discussion took place between the CPC Dealers Association and CPC officials. The focus of the meeting was to improve the stock-taking process within corporation. Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said new equipment will be introduced to enhance and streamline stock-taking procedures. more..

Sep 13 (AD) Dept of Railways has urged the 84 railway engine drivers who are on strike to report for duty immediately. Meanwhile, the department has also notified these engine drivers that in the event of their failure to report for duty, they will be considered to have vacated their posts, adding that the relevant letters would be sent out in due course. The locomotive operating engineers have been on strike since midnight on Monday (11) over several key demands including more..

Sep 13 (CI) You can see the appeal, right? I mean, everyone can. It doesn't matter if you're a fan so casual you've never heard his name. Or if you're so studious a coach you have run a microscope over technique and pored over reams of datasets. You're both as likely to be drawn in. Dunith Wellalage bowls with intensity, bats with heart, races around the field, and catches like a dream. He is 20. This is all that is required more..

Sep 13 (CT) Colombo High Court Judge Damith Thotawatta, yesterday instructed Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, to inform Court today, about his stand on a motion, filed by former SL Envoy to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga, seeking an order to release cash contained in two of his frozen bank accounts. Through his motion, the former SL Ambassador, has stated that money contained in two of his bank accounts, has been frozen, after he was accused of illegally accruing it, more..

Sep 13 (DM) Agriculture Ministry has decided to set up a third sour banana export processing factory at Muravesihena in Hambantota. Agriculture Minister Mahindra Amaraweera said arrangements have been made to start the third sour banana export processing zone covering Embilipitiya, Hambantota and Sewanagala by cultivating 800 acres at a cost of Rs. 65 million. The first sour banana export processing zone and processing centre were established in Rajanganaya. more..