Sep 21 (CI) SL have made three changes to the side that travelled to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games in July-August, as they named their 15-member squad for next month's Asia Cup. Wicketkeeper-batter Kaushani Nuthyangana, left-arm seamer Tharika Sewwandi and allrounder Madushika Methtananda come in for the veteran pairing of Ama Kanchana and Udeshika Prabodhani, and 17-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne. Twenty-year-old Nuthyangana, who will deputise for more..

Sep 21 (FT) Sixty-three years ago on 25 September 1959 the PM Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (SWRDB) of Sri Lanka known as Ceylon then was shot and seriously wounded by a Buddhist monk. PM S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike succumbed to his injuries and passed away the following day. Thereafter 26 Sept 1959 got etched as an important date in the post-independence history annals of Sri Lanka. It was the first ever assassination of a major political personality more..

Sep 21 (CI) SLC has terminated Tom Moody's contract as its director of cricket 19 months into a three-year arrangement. The decision has been described by the board as amicable, and SLC is understood to be open to the idea of bringing Moody, who has also coach the SL men's team in the past, back as a consultant in the future. "We exit from the contract, but as a consultant, if we need his assistance, we will obtain it," more..

Sep 21 (EN) Some 600 metric tons of rice, the first consignment from an Australian donation worth US$ 15 million, has arrived in Sri Lanka to be distributed among those affected by the island nation’s currency crisis. A joint statement by the Australian govt and the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday (21) that the consignment forms part of a larger consignment of rice, pulses and cooking oil, due to arrive in the country soon. Australia’s High Commissioner to SL Paul Stephens said more..

Sep 21 (Island) SL’s private sector would have about five years to get ready to supply goods and services to the Colombo Port City, Sweden-based economist, Kasun Kariyawasam, said at a seminar on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), organized by the Asia Progress Forum on Monday. Kariyawasam said the Port City would need 500,000 floor tiles, 2.3 million square metres of carpets, 7,188 bedding sets, 480,000 gallons of paint, one million LED bulbs, and six million square metres of wall paper. more..

Sep 21 (TM) Mannar Women’s Development Federation (MWDF) criticised the proposal by State Minister Diana Gamage to develop the Mannar island into an entertainment-centric tourist hotspot that will use US dollars as its currency, akin to Macau, alongside proposed land allocations for Adani and for ilmenite prospecting in Mannar. MWDF stressed that the war-affected communities in the Mannar District, more..

Sep 21 (EN) Sri Lanka has nabbed 169 online promoters of tobacco and alcohol in the first eight months of this year with an aim to discourage smoking and drinking, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said, though govt officials say the government has to depend on taxes from both tobacco and alcohol. The cyber crime division of the island nation’s Excise Department has carried out the investigations, the minister said. Siyambalapitiya in a statement said the govt is in the process more..

Sep 21 (DM) While admitting that there was a shortage in 92 out of 383 essential drugs, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today the 14 vital drugs were in stock. He told Parliament that however these 14 vital drugs were not in stocks at Medical Supply Division, but were available in the periphery. Responding to a question by MP D. Weerasinghe, the Minister said shortage in essential drugs have not gone out of control and that substitutes are available for such medicine. more..

Sep 21 (TM) Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said in Parliament yesterday that the Govt is working to build houses for all those living in estate housing. He also mentioned that the Govt is focusing on providing land deeds to them. He stated this while replying to a question raised in Parliament by SJB MP Rohini Kumari Wijerathna Kavirathna. “The registers for this are prepared by estates. After receiving that document, they are given Indian aid or Govt allocations to build houses. more..

Sep 21 (FT) SL Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) is leading from the front on destination marketing at the top French travel show which kicked off in Paris yesterday. Due to a decision by the previous leadership of the Sri Lanka Tourism, the country would have missed the mega event, International French Travel Mart (IFTM) Top Resa, in the important French market this year but SLAITO rose to the nation’s call of duty by organising a pavilion. more..

Sep 21 (Island) Four international human rights organisations yesterday said that atrocities perpetrated during the deployment of the Indian Army in Sri Lanka, too, should be properly investigated by the mechanisms proposed by the Geneva-based UNHRC. SL brought the war to a successful conclusion in May 2009. London-based Meenakshi Ganguly said that they sought a strong resolution on SL to address all int'l crimes, more..

Sep 21 (TM) Former EPRLF MP Sivasakthy Ananthan said that around 1,200 war-affected children in the Northern Province are still bearing shrapnel in their bodies and are yet to receive adequate healthcare to cope with their conditions. Back in 2016, when Ananthan was a MP, during the Budget debates, he pointed out to then-PM and incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe about the difficulties faced by these children and the lack of healthcare facilities for the children and more..

Sep 21 (Island) Finance Ministry has rejected the CEB’s recommendations for granting unprecedented concessions to the Chines bidder for the LNG infrastructure project of the CEB, but a decision has been made to proceed with the project. Ministry of Finance has not agreed to grant exclusivity to the developer company since doing so would “limit the opportunities of the Govt to entertain future investments on low cost energy sources on similar projects’. It has noted that more..

Sep 21 (Reuters) Consumer inflation in SL accelerated to 70.2% in August, the statistics department said on Wednesday, as the island nation reels under its worst economic crisis in decades. National Consumer Price Index (NCPI) rose 70.2% last month from a year earlier, after a 66.7% increase in July. Food prices climbed 84.6%, while prices of non-food items rose 57.1%. CB said in August that the inflation rate would more..

Sep 21 (AD) SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva says that if the Govt of SL is to reach any agreement with external creditors, the Parliament should be informed of the conditions before reaching the agreements. Speaking in the parliament today, the MP stated that foreign media had reported that the SL govt agreed with the IMF that it will hold open discussions with all creditors on Friday. Harsha de Silva further expressed that he thoroughly believes if the govt agrees to a debt restructuring more..

Sep 21 (TM) Farmers in Thannimurippu alleged that the Department of Archaeology has earmarked 56 hectares of private land for acquisition out of 256 hectares identified as archaeological land in Mullaitivu. Archaeology Department Director General (DG) Prof. Anura Manatunga said however that the department would never take such a step, but added that he would have to study the case before making any further comment. Thannimurippu Farmers’ Association President S. Thavaseelan told more..

Sep 21 (DM) Arguments flared up in Parliament over the request made by Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella who wanted the details of the staff level agreement reached with the IMF tabled in the House. The argument heated up further when Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana said he has nothing to do with the IMF agreements. “ I cannot do anything about the IMF agreements, but will speak to Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe about it,” Speaker said. “How can you say you cannot do more..

Sep 21 (DM) Not only in the country, but the govt had also taken actions to suppress expressing opinions even in the parliament, SLPP National List MP G.L. Peiris said. He said the govt had not even given the right to speak to 13 MPs at the chamber of the parliament. "Today the main discussion in the parliament was about the tactics of increasing the national income of the country. The expression of ideas relating to the above matter has been restricted thoughtfully. more..

Sep 21 (TM) SL Deputy High Commission in Chennai, India, has sought to initially repatriate 3,000 families from Tamil Nadu, and Northern Provincial authorities have in turn taken steps to allocate lands for these returnees to resettle. Northern Province Governor Jeevan Thiyagarajah said that in the first phase, 3,000 SL refugees in TN would return to SL and resettle in Northern Province. “We have earmarked land for 3,000 returnees in four districts, more..

Sep 21 (CT) Over 110 consultants will have to retire on or before 31 Dec 2022, jeopardising the health service and postgraduate medical education, if the circular on new retirement age of State employees is implemented, medical specialists warned. The Ministry of Public Administration recently issued Circular 19/2022 of 14 Sept 2022 reducing retirement age of State employees to 60 years, following the proposals of Interim Budget 2022. Prez of Association of Medical Specialists more..

Sep 21 (CT) All-Island Wildlife Guard Officers’ Union (AIWGOU) is to commence a trade union (TU) protest action by withdrawing from all hazardous duties such as chasing away wild elephants from 23 September onwards, following a decision taken by the Director General (DG) of the DWC not to allow Wildlife Field Assistants and Boat Operators to work overtime (OT) after 6 p.m., due to which, the union claims, all activities such as driving away wild elephants, rescuing animals in danger, more..

Sep 21 (MB) Like floating mushrooms with thin and transparent tentacles, jellyfish would have been drifting in the oceanic currents for several millions of years and even predating the dinosaurs’ reign on Earth. Although accidental stings and mass beaching draws some attention, no systematic study has been conducted on the jellyfish in SL for well over a century. It is this scientific lacuna that a new study by Wayamba Uni sought to address. more..

Sep 21 (AD) SLFP says that the MPs of the party who have accepted ministerial portfolios in the incumbent govt have been removed from all their positions in the party. In a statement published on its official Facebook page, SLFP said that the parliamentarians in question have acted against the decision of the Central Committee of the SLFP by accepting the ministerial positions. Accordingly, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Mahinda Amaraweera, Lasantha Alagiyawanna, more..

Sep 21 (EN) Sri Lanka’s parliament unanimously passed a resolution to constitute a National Council to determine, among other things, the priorities of the legislature when formulating national policies and common minimum programmes on economic stabilisation. The resolution, proposed by PM Dinesh Gunawardena was passed on Tuesday (20) without objection and the National Council, once formed, will represent all parties represented in Sri Lanka’s ninth parliament. more..

Sep 22 (CT) When aragalaya burst into the political scene, its spontaneity, non-violence and a-political stand caught everyone by surprise. It was a leaderless entity, inclusive in composition but determined in its objective to effect systemic change. It drew its strength from the nobility of its cause and uniqueness of its expression. Neither the govt nor the opposition and not even the left parties had any clue as to how to handle this intruder who started stealing their show. more..

Sep 22 (DM) The truth is furthest away from reality, when particular SL govt ministers speak on prevailing conditions of living in the country. Or, to give these personages the benefit of the doubt, it may be that they are so cut off from the reality in which our countrymen and women live, they take offence when the truth hits them in the eye. To be generous, it may be that the minister living in the gilded comfort of his ministerial home, working from his air-conditioned office in Colombo and more..

Sep 22 (TM) With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, the general society entered a series of discussions on how Sri Lanka should feel about the Queen’s death. While some considered it to be an event that SL should pay attention to due to a so-called connection between the country and the British monarchy, some viewed these sentiments as remnants of a slave mindset stemming from having been a British colony. more..

Sep 22 (DM) SL is a resilient nation. That’s almost a given. A constant. All talk of peace, human rights, democracy, good governance, reparations and other such goodies emanating from Washington, London and other empiric capitals are disingenuous and laughable. Constant. Meddling, self-righteous and downright obnoxious North American and European diplomats: well, almost par for the course, with the US and UK specimens ensuring an above average score on such attributes. more..

Sep 22 (GV) The 51st session of the UNHRC is currently reviewing a new draft resolution on Sri Lanka. The core group invited the SL govt, other govts and civil society to participate in consultations on the draft resolution. Sandya Ekneligoda, wife of disappeared journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda, recalled her travels to Geneva in search of justice for more than 10 years and asked the governments how many more years they were expecting her and others like her to come to Geneva. more..

Sep 22 (CT) 23rd edition of the Colombo Int'l Book Fair kicked off on 16 Sept, allowing readers across the nation to purchase books at a discounted price, a true blessing at a time of great economic strife. Colombo Int'l Book Fair is an event organised by the SL Book Publishers’ Association, and takes place every September, which is National Literacy Month. When we visited the BMICH premises, it was observed that a lot of more..

Sep 22 (TM) Sri Lanka is all set to start debt restructuring talks led by Japan on Friday (22), and the Government has expressed hope that these discussions would be a success. In a context where the efforts aimed at the country’s economic recovery depend largely on the receipt of the IMF Extended Fund Faculty (EFF) of $ 2.9 billion, which in turn depends largely on the successful restructuring of debt with a number of entities and countries, these discussions are a crucial step. more..

Sep 22 (Island) The govt now has another problem to contend with, an unnerving one at that; it is troubled by the prospect of having to face an election, which it is scared stiff of. The Opposition is making the most of the SLPP’s fear of elections; it has gone into overdrive to pressure the govt to conduct the much-delayed Local Govt (LG) elections. It says the Election Commission (EC) is now in a position to hold the LG polls. Opposition’s call for the LG polls has come while more..

Sep 22 (CT) University of Peradeniya made headlines this week, unfortunately not for some kind of world recognised academic achievement, but for a sickening video circulating on social media that showed a group of seniors assaulting Law Faculty students. Their only crime was visiting a canteen that is prohibited for anti-ragging students. Ceylon Today on Tuesday, reported that the administration of the University suspended three Arts Faculty students in connection to this assault. more..

Sep 22 (Island) Lankadeepa journalist Ratnapala Gamage had been with the late General Rohan de S. Daluwatte, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), in Sept. 2001 at the latter’s Colombo office when the one-time Army Commander (May 1996-Dec 1998) was informed of the killing of Vaithilingam Sornalingam alias Colonel Shankar. At the time of his death the 51-year-old former Air Canada employee commanded the Air Wing and Marine Division of the LTTE. The 20-minute call interrupted more..

Sep 22 (CT) The island nation has been economically and politically unstable for a couple of months now, with the general public having to undergo great hardship. We hardly saw smiles on the faces of the people, but on Sunday (11), the netball and the cricket teams made it a memorable day for the country. The netballers won the Asian Netball Championship in the evening, while the cricketers won the Asia Cup in the night. more..

Sep 22 (DM) Recently the state minister for tourism came out with a new idea to bring foreign currency to Sri Lanka. To bring dollars into the country the minister wanted to convert the island of Mannar into a hub of nightclubs, nightlife, and night economy. The minister mentioned that the tourists are coming here to drink and enjoy (likely the minister did not mention what sort of enjoyments). The minister further mentioned that the island of Mannar was only used to produce dry fish and nothing else. more..