Jan 28 (FT) Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) Executive Director and Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) Co-Convener Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, warned that the 9 March LG poll (if held), may turn violent as political parties were fighting for their survival. He said that there was doubt whether the election would be held on schedule or whether it would be postponed by a few months or even indefinitely as the results of the election may be considered as a referendum. more..

Jan 28 (FT) Dept of Agriculture says that 3,207 kilos of paddy per hectare have been cultivated during the 2022 Yala season. This was revealed at a progress review meeting held on Thursday over the expected rice harvest and cultivation in the 2023 season under the patronage of Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera. It was revealed that before the distribution of chemical fertiliser, during the 2022 Yala season farmers commenced cultivation with 248,000 hectares of rice cultivated. more..

Jan 28 (ST) Rice millers and cultivators, although at odds with each other over the paddy purchase price for Maha season, opposed moves to hand over the paddy purchasing programme to district and divisional secretaries. They insisted it should stay with the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB). Moreover, Govt has said it wants to maintain the purchase price at Rs. 100 for a kilogramme of paddy. “We have to maintain the price of paddy at Rs. 100 a kilo. We have allocated Rs. 10b for this purpose,” more..

Jan 28 (FT) The Colombo Club was inaugurated more than 150 years ago by the British for English and Scottish gentlemen resident in SL to meet, relax and recuperate. For close to 125 years, it remained the exclusive habitat for Gentlemen as ladies were precluded from becoming members. In 1995, the first lady member was admitted followed over the years by other ladies. At the last AGM of the Club, history was made as the Club elected a lady member to the Chair for the first time. more..

Jan 28 (DN) Opener Lasith Croospulle stroked a fine knock of 116 in 84 balls with 15 fours and 5 sixes as SL President's XI recorded a four-wicket win over England Lions in their three-day warm-up game played at the R. Premadada Stadium yesterday. Croospulle's magnificent century provided SLC President's XI with a great platform to reach the target of 309. The first innings hero Nishan Madushka who scored 150 (retired) more..

Jan 28 (Island) Spain is one of the fastest recovery markets for Sri Lanka Tourism after the pandemic and participation in FITUR argues well for the much-needed exposure for Sri Lanka as an attractive tourism destination for Spanish-speaking countries, contributing in a substantive manner to its overall growth strategy. SL Tourism made the presence with the 28 private sector companies at 43rd edition of FITUR International Travel Mart which was held from 18- 22 Jan 2023, Madrid, Spain. more..

Jan 28 (FT) Influx of Russian travellers has pushed cumulative arrivals to Sri Lanka to over 80,000 in the first 25 days, Minister Harin Fernando said this week. “Around 20,000 tourists have arrived in the country within the first 25 days, followed by India with over 10,500 tourists, Germany with around 7,000 tourists, the UK with over 6,500 visitors and France with nearly 4,000 travellers,” he said, speaking at the launch of the Sustainable Tourism Unit at the Tourism Ministry. more..

Jan 28 (CT) Reportedly, nearly 150 nomination papers have been rejected due to technical problems, such as the inability to duly perfect the prescribed nomination forms and the failure to obtain the signatures of the appropriate officers, at a time when SL citizens are on the lookout for those novelty candidates who would not adhere to traditional politics, and thrive on his/her promises to practise what is preached. more..

Jan 28 (TM) There’s little research and data on the number of big cats and a massive battle ensues for conservation scientists on the accuracy of big cat numbers. But counting cats becomes very relevant in the context of development, conflict, and livelihoods as most often, wildlife is not considered in the larger role they play in the ecological habitats they occupy. Instead, they are considered mere wildlife – to be enjoyed on safari, or as the key perpetrator in human-animal conflict. more..

Jan 28 (DM) Aitken Spence Travels, the premiere destination management company in SL, welcomed the first charter flight for the year yesterday from Uzbekistan to Mattala Rajapaksa Int'l Airport, with more than 200 holidaymakers. Uzbekistan Airways will operate weekly flights commencing from Jan 27 and will continue till end of March 2023. Aitken Spence Travels was instrumental in bringing the first charter last year as well from this source market, which was a new market for Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 28 (DN) SL’s Premier Footwear & Leather Fair organized by the SL Footwear & Leather Products Manufacturers Association in collaboration with the Ministry of Industries, Industrial Development Board and EDB, will be held from Feb 3 to 5 at the BMICH from 10 a.m to 9 p.m. The fair which was becoming an int'l fair with the participation of suppliers of raw material accessories and Machinery from China, India and Pakistan was unable to be held during the last two years due to the pandemic situation more..

Jan 28 (CT) Public Security Minister Tiran Alles issued a warning to drug racketeers to stop their operations immediately or necessary steps would be taken to stop such criminals. Holding a media briefing, along with the heads of departments that come under his purview, Minister Alles said owing to the drug menace, the younger generation has been severely affected. “I tell the drug racketeers to stop their operations immediately, or we will destroy their operations. I will never hesitate to take more..

Jan 28 (FT) The SJB said that if any political party or coalition is not willing to go ahead with the proposed IMF bailout, they must then propose a viable alternate plan. MP Dr. Harsha De Silva said SL’s bilateral creditors had agreed to restructure debt based on the staff-level agreement with the IMF and the current Govt, but the difficult part is yet to come when the country must negotiate with private creditors. more..

Jan 28 (ST) Long-overdue regulations promulgated for oil and gas exploration off Sri Lanka’s shores will allow the Petroleum Development Authority (PDA) to process four pending expressions of interest (EoIs) from international oil companies. Minister Kanchana Wijesekera this month published regulations to facilitate the invitation of EoIs from investors for joint oil and gas exploration. The gazette also prescribes an annual licensing procedure with fees payable each year. more..

Jan 28 (AD) Colombo High Court today (27) refused bail for Mohammed Ibrahim Ismail, identified as the brother of two suicide bombers involved in the Easter Sunday Attacks of 2019. The order was issued by Colombo High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe. Legal counsel representing the accused had requested that he be granted bail on the grounds that he has been held in remand custody for nearly three years, while the first and second defendants related to the case more..

Jan 28 (CT) IGP C.D. Wickramaratne said he is yet to receive the third DNA report confirming death of Sara Jasmine, alias Pulasthini Mahendran, from the Govt Analyst. In response to a question raised during a media briefing at the Public Security Ministry, the IGP said about a week ago, the Govt Analyst’s Department requested for some equipment to carry out the test. Upon receiving the necessary equipment, the tests can be concluded and the report will be presented accordingly, more..

Jan 28 (DN) Minister Tiran Alles said that the Govt has decided to establish 50 regional centers for issuing passports. Minister stated that currently four regional offices Vavuniya, Kurunegala, Matara and Kandy other than the head office in Colombo are handling the issuance of passports and 50 more new centers will be established at Divisional Secretariats to make the process of issuing passports more efficient. The Minister said this while participating in the press conference more..

Jan 28 (DN) Three Chief Incumbents sending a letter to the Prez has informed that it is appropriate to maintain the army camps in the vicinity of the temples in the N&E provinces as they are for the security of those areas. This letter has been issued under the signatures of 3 Mahanayakes Most Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera of Malwatu Chapter, Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, more..

Jan 28 (USDS) Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will travel to Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Qatar from January 28 to February 3, 2023. In Nepal, Under Secretary Nuland will engage with the new govt on the broad agenda of the U.S. partnership with Nepal. While in India, the Under Secretary will lead the U.S.-India annual “Foreign Office Consultations” which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues. She will also meet with young tech leaders. more..

Jan 28 (Island) A number of opposition political parties did not attend the all-party conference convened by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday to promote ethnic reconciliation. SJB, SLFP, ULS & NPP, did not attend the meeting. Several parties which attended the meeting, objected to the Prez’s proposal to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution fully. SLPP MP Sarath Weerasekera said he was opposed to the full implementation of the 13th Amendment. more..

Jan 28 (FT) In an effort to settle the ethnic conflict, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe insisted on working towards a consensus-based solution to enact the 13th Amendment. “We can’t remain in a middle position. We should either implement the 13th Amendment or abolish it,” he said at the All-Party Conference held at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday. PM Dinesh Gunawardena, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena Former Prezs more..

Jan 29 (TM) In the recent past, SL has acquired a knack for being in the news for all the wrong reasons. These days it has been reduced to a laughing stock with elaborate plans being made for a grand Independence Day celebration – 75th notwithstanding – which apparently nobody wants in this bankrupt country. By nobody, we mean the average citizen. Prez’s reasoning for going ahead with the celebration rather than helping to douse the already-raging fire has added fuel to it, more..

Jan 29 (ST) My dear Pavithra and Jeevan, I thought I should write to you to congratulate you on your appointment as ministers by Uncle Ranil. You seem to be the chosen two at a time when Basil is trying to get more of his minions to the Cabinet, and Uncle Ranil is stubbornly refusing to do so. That must mean you are very special people. I am not sure you realise how special you are. We are constantly being told how poor our country is. We cannot afford to pay for paddy, our pensioners, more..

Jan 29 (ST) India’s richest man just had US$ 48bn wiped off his US$ 208bn Adani Group that an American short seller this week alleged had been engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades. Gautam Adani saw five of his seven listed businesses ending Friday 16 to 20% lower. This includes Adani Green Energy Ltd which only last year was issued provisional approvals for more..

Jan 29 (ST) On the eve of the country’s 75th anniversary of Independence, there are disgruntled voices questioning the need to waste money on celebrating such a landmark event, especially as the country is in the grips of, arguably, its worst economic crisis. Some others, go still further to ask why local govt elec-tions cannot be held because of the lack of funds as the govt trots out, but that same govt is willing to spend on commemorating Freedom from more than 450 years of foreign rule. more..

Jan 29 (CT) Our island was called Lanka in pre-King Vijaya times. Valmiki’s immortal Ramayanaya had King Ravana ruling the land from the city of Lankapura. That was almost four thousand years ago. The Arab traders termed it Jaziratul-Yaqut, island of rubies. Some called it Serendib, some Ceilan, from which the Portuguese picked Ceilao and the European mapmakers coined Ceylon. Many were the names from the many that came. Bar none, everyone agreed & noted in their chronicles more..

Jan 29 (SO) Chairman of COPE, MP Prof. Ranjith Bandara said in a crisis like this all must get together irrespective of their political differences and try to find out a sustainable solution rather than saying I could do better and let me have the power. He said the political ideology could be different between SLPP and UNP. However, in coalition politics, all parties should get together to resolve the current issues that we are facing. more..

Jan 29 (SO) We will bat for you is a cricket term that one would not usually hear from the IMF, which is usually headed by Americans or Europeans. But this time around, its Executive Director happens to be an Indian and naturally has cricket in his blood. Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian used this term when he met PM Dinesh Gunawardena to reassure the Govt that the IMF is working towards granting the US$ 2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to SL at the earliest available opportunity. more..

Jan 29 (Island) Whether the announced local elections will be held as scheduled on March 9 remains a question that is wide open. The confusion became more confounded last week with the resignation from the Elections Commission of Mrs. P.S.M. Charles and speculation that its chairman, Attorney Nimal Punchihewa, would also resign. This was subsequently denied by Punchihewa himself but that is not the end of the story. The new Constitutional Council, meeting for first time more..

Jan 29 (SO) It came from the horse’s mouth, critics might say the goal keeper’s jaws, that Sri Lanka has been pampered and mollycoddled with big money by way of international funding in football. The whole country has now woken up to the fact that some kind of a beggars’ opera was taking place for more than two decades and hence the hysterical clamouring to enter the sport’s administration that has now been banned by the sport’s world governing body FIFA and become an international pariah. more..

Jan 29 (ST) Attorney General’s (AG) Department has advised the Ministry of Sports to ask the govt auditor to conduct a comprehensive audit on Sri Lanka Cricket’s World Cup expenditure before pressing for legal action. Their opinion comes after Sports Ministry sought AG’s advice on the recommendation made by a six-member committee that investigated a litany of alleged wrongdoings among players, officials and associates during the T20 World Cup in Australia late last year. more..

Jan 29 (ST) After a fairly decent 2022, SL started off this year with a series of defeats against neighbouring India. Having lost the T20 series 2-1, SL conceded the ODI series 3-0. This included a record 317-run defeat in the final ODI. It was the biggest margin of defeat for any team in ODI history. Chasing 391, SL was shot out for just 73 in 22 overs. The defeats, though expected–given how dominatingly India more..

Jan 29 (EN) Sri Lanka’s expecting thousands twins and non-twin visitors including at least thirty contestants for a Twins Miss and Mr World 2023 contest, where they will join their counterparts in the country. “We expect upwards of 4000 participants to arrive in the country for the event,” Founder and Chairperson Vice President Global Twins Multiple Birth Forum, Upuli Gamage told reporters. “And we very much hope that this number will keep going up in the years to come.” more..

Jan 29 (ST) Attorney General (AG) Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, has advised the Sports Minister to initiate an investigation into the conduct of Sri Lanka international cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while representing the country at the T20 World Cup in Australia. The AG has also advised Minister Roshan Ranasinghe to impose a blanket ban on the cricketer, preventing him from taking part professionally in cricket or any other sport. more..

Jan 29 (EN) SL’s top business chamber said it was expecting an economic contraction of up to 2% in 2023, which is much lower than projected by international agencies. “The forecast of 2023 is quite negative in terms of the international forecasters,” Shiran Fernando Chief Economist of CCC said. “Our view is that there will be some level of contraction, may be zero to two percent. But I think as the year progresses in particular the second half, we will see consumption picking up.” more..