Oct 14 (DN) SL team is ready to face their third world cup game when they will meet Australia in Lucknow on October16 Monday . Dasun Shanaka and the team left from to Lucknow last Wednesday and they got two rest days and will start their practice today at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. The team Manager Mahinda Halangoda said ‘Kusal Mendis who had a cramp after his fine knock of 122 against Pakistan is back to normal after treatment more..

Oct (FT) Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said SL’s Small and Medium-scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) have been presented with a great opportunity to strengthen their businesses following the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) commitment to provide $ 100 million in aid to support them, which was announced yesterday. The announcement was made during a meeting held between ADB officials and representatives of the SME sector at the Opposition Leader’s Office yesterday. more..

Oct 14 (DW) SL's economic reforms are slowly taking hold, but as hunger and poverty continue to rise, observers say the country still has a long way to go before people see improvements to their lives. For several years, SL has been facing challenges on multiple fronts, exacerbated by an economic crisis that unleashed food, electricity and fuel shortages. In 2022, SL defaulted on its debt obligations, which ushered in a $3 billion more..

Oct 14 (HT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe is considering India’s request to not allow Chinese Survey and Research Vessel Shi Yan 6 to undertake a joint military scientific research with the island nation’s National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA) in SL’s Exclusive Economic Zone between late Oct and Nov this year, people familiar with the matter said. Prez Wickremesinghe’s response to the issue, raised by external affairs minister S Jaishankar during more..

Oct 14 (CT) The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) raised concerns regarding the Ministry of Finance’s 15-week delay to submit a Gazette published on 16 June 2023, for approval. This delay has led to criticism of the Committee over postponing the approval of certain Gazettes. However, the blame for these delays lies with the Ministry, which frequently submits Gazettes late, leaving the Committee with insufficient time for proper analysis and consideration. more..

Oct 14 (CT) With concerns being raised whether haphazardly done city beautification and deep excavations of construction sites are posing a threat to wayside ancient trees and old buildings, in the aftermath of tragic tree-bus accident in Kollupitiya that killed five and injured several, experts have insisted on the need for an immediate classification or categorising of older buildings in Colombo, Gampaha, Galle & Matara districts more..

Oct 15 (ST) Guten Tag, Uncle Ranil, I thought I should address you in German now, Uncle Ranil, after your match winning performance with the German radio station Deutsche Welle while you were visiting that country. That video went viral and received rave reviews from some people in Paradise, so congratulations are in order. It is not every day that one of our leaders can go to the land that gave the world Hitler, Benz cars and Einstein and tell them to mind their own business and more..

Oct 15 (SO) The headline of this editorial is the theme of this year’s UN World Food Day (WFD), which falls tomorrow. This year’s WFD is being marked amidst a calamitous time for the world’s food supply and food security, given the tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East, the loss of harvests due to freak weather events caused by Climate Change, rising inflation, supply chain issues and a general downturn in the global economy. Climate Change has focused our attention on more..

Oct 15 (SO) A key ministry secretary is due to retire next month, and a tussle has already begun among several senior officials who are vying for the coveted post. Several additional secretaries have already thrown their hats in the ring, canvassing ministers and MPs to recommend their names to the President to replace the outgoing secretary. The subject minister, who has been under a cloud himself in recent weeks, more..

Oct 15 (ST) Prez flies to an important and long overdue destination next week – Beijing, China. It is not a state visit, but a working visit to participate in China’s flagship Belt and Road Forum where he is also to meet with the high and mighty, the movers of China and the shakers of world affairs. In what appears to be a harbinger of good tidings prior to the visit, the Chinese surprised everyone by announcing this week that they had reached a tentative agreement on SL’s debt restructuring efforts. more..

Oct 15 (CT) Democracy is usually defined as a government by the people, of the people and for the people. This was how the definition of democracy was coined from the speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln, standing in the war memorial cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at the conclusion of American civil war in 1863. This is true to a greater or lesser extent solely determined by the prosperity, wisdom, and the inclusiveness of the people of the country, in politics. more..

Oct 15 (SO) URF Leader and MP, Champika Ranawaka, said the pivotal role of political will is steering the nation towards progress. Q: How is the political trajectory of your United Republican Front (URF)? A: Over a period of eight decades, we produced intellectuals and professionals in this country with great difficulty. But unfortunately, these people are leaving the country on a large scale today. Economic instability of the country, more..

Oct 15 (TM) Even while SL appears to be making headway in its debt restructuring effort with one of the main stumbling blocks in that process, China, finally agreeing to fall in line with treatment parameters, it is learning the hard way that there is nothing called a free lunch and that years after funds were freely disbursed with almost no questions asked, that lender is flexing its muscles to extract its pound of flesh. As to where all that money went is an altogether different story, more..

Oct 15 (Island) The week that passed saw considerable political activity related to the forthcoming presidential election that must be held late next year in accordance with the constitution. Connected events included business magnate Dhammika Perera’s declaration that he is willing to run for president provided the political parties – he did not identify which parties though he said they included the SLPP – guarantee him 51% of the vote. Perera is no spring chicken not to know that more..

Oct 15 (Island) Eight years after independence, Ceylon – relatively new to democracy and independent rule, though looking good on the global canvas – was on the verge of the humiliating defeat of its ruling govt led by the UNP. The vast masses of Ceylon had been disillusioned by the pro-elite UNP politics and were persuaded to vote for MEP led by S.W. R.D. Bandaranaike, SLFP. Though toxic for the future, the majority were inclined to see the implementation of the Sinhala Only Act, more..

Oct 15 (FT) Anura Dewapura, a seasoned hospitality professional with over four decades of experience, has recently taken on the role of Chief Operating Officer at the Mount Lavinia Hotel Group. In this capacity, he oversees the overall profitability, operations, performance, and strategic direction of the properties and MLHC catering division. His leadership style, rooted in transformation and purpose, combined with his core values, empathy, and strategic acumen, more..

Oct 15 (Yahoo) Prasanna Vithanage's film Paradise made history by clinching the Kim Jiseok Award for the Best Film at Busan International Film Festival 2023. Film is produced by Newton Cinema and presented by Mani Ratnam and Madras Talkies. Paradise had its world premiere at Busan, featuring an all-star cast and crew, including Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendran, Shyam Fernando, and Mahendra Perera. more..

Oct 15 (SO) Sri Lanka’s substandard preparation for the World Cup has been completely exposed with defeats against two teams South Africa and Pakistan even before the big games against Australia on Monday followed by pending matches against England, India and New Zealand. Questions have been raised in India not just over the mental and physical preparations of the players but also the selection of the playing Eleven with the bowlers ripped apart in both matches. more..

Oct 15 (Island) We are very quick to learn from the big brother. SL’s first game of this ICC Cricket World Cup in Delhi was played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, named after their former Finance Minister. Sri Lanka’s last game was played in Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium while their next game in Lucknow will be played at Athal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, both Prime Ministers of India. The final of the World Cup of course will be played in Ahmedabad at Narendra Modi Stadium, the current PM. more..

Oct 15 (EN) SL is still lagging behind many countries in innovation and links between businesses and universities have to be strengthened to make use of new discoveries and research, officials said. In 2022, SL was ranked 85 out of 132 countries in the world in a Global Innovation Index. In 2022, SL had applied for 352 patent registrations and received 189 patents, Jayasundara said. In the same year, China had registered 670,508 patents, followed by America with 268,205 patent registrations more..

Oct 15 (TM) Market sources have blamed the delay in obtaining the second tranche of the IMF EFF programme and the high interest rates on offer in Govt securities for the collapse of the market over the past month. First Capital Holdings Chief Research and Strategy Officer Dimantha Mathew stated that the bearish sentiments observed in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) recently had been largely due to the delay in obtaining the second tranche of the IMF programme, more..

Oct 15 (ST) SL skipper Dasun Shanaka has been ruled out for two to three weeks with a Grade II Quadricep injury in his right thigh. He has been replaced by bowling allrounder Chamika Karunaratne in the 15-man squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 approved Karunaratne as a replacement, after Shanaka was ruled out due to a right thigh muscle injury sustained during SL’s match against more..

Oct 15 (CI) The game that always promises and rarely delivers came and went once more, promising plenty at various stages, and ultimately delivering what a blue mass of humanity had come to see: a crushing India win. A stunning middle-overs collapse from Pakistan which had them lose eight wickets for 36 runs turned what should have been an enthralling run chase into a dull formality. Each India bowler played a part in their own way, five different players splitting the ten Pakistan wickets evenly. more..

Oct 15 (SO) Sri Lanka the host country for the second Central Asia Men’s Challenge Cup volleyball tournament beat Bangladesh 3-1 to make sure of their place in the final at the Sugathadasa stadium yesterday. Sri Lanka got off to a flying start winning the first two sets 25-18, 25 -21 and Bangladesh won the third set 25-19. But SL won the third set 25-23. Bangladesh came back strongly to take the third set as the Sri Lankans failed to stop the fierce attack from the visitors. more..

Oct 15 (TM) 12th round of negotiations between SL and India on the much-maligned Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) is scheduled to commence at the end of November, the International Trade Office (ITO) reveals. ITO Chief Negotiator K.J. Weerasinghe revealed that the 12th round of discussions on the ETCA was scheduled to commence in Colombo at the end of Nov, but was unable to confirm exact dates. more..

Oct 15 (SO) Ministry of Transport, Highways and Mass Media is organising the National Green Mobility Exhibition and Conference (Green Mobility Exhibition and Conference) from Nov 10-12 in Pitipana, Homagama to mark World Transport Day 2023. Many public and private institutions including Prez’s office, PM’s office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Transport and Highways are contributing to this exhibition more..

Oct 15 (ST) We are Football’ rings the catchy slogan of the renewed football administration with the popular maestro, Jaswar Umar at the helm. Shepherding him are stalwarts, Ranjith Rodrigo and Dr. Manil Fernando, who have joined hands in promising a clean and transparent management of affairs at Football House. For all purposes, the overwhelming support of so many leagues offers a strength not seen for a long time in Football Sri Lanka (FSL). Umar himself, it must be said, more..

Oct 15 (ST) With Israel’s announcement of going to war against Palestine the impact of it on Sri Lanka’s trade with West Asia particularly for tea is being keenly watched should it hurt an industry that was just struggling to revive. Despite outbreaks of internal skirmishes in the last few years, it had no impact on Colombo; but the outbreak of a war situation in Israel is now left to be seen in terms of the scale to which it will develop into, Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) Chairman Niraj De Mel said. more..

Oct 15 (ST) CBL Munchee Bangladesh, the flagship biscuit brand of Ceylon Biscuits Ltd (CBL) has set up a chocolate manufacturing plant in Bangladesh to capture the Bangladeshi chocolate market. This is in line with its expansion strategy in this country after establishing themselves in the biscuit sector, Prashanthan Pathmanathan, CFO CBL Munchee Bangladesh, said in Dhaka recently. Having entered the Bangladeshi biscuit sector by incorporating the company in 2009, more..

Oct 15 (TM) Airport and Aviation Services (SL) (AASL) will be seeking the approval of the Cabinet to commence piling work for the BIA Terminal II project without waiting until funding is released by Japan Int'l Cooperation Agency (JICA). AASL Chairman G.A. Chandrasiri stated that the AASL had commenced construction of certain selected works of the BIA Terminal II project about 5 months ago, pending the release of funds more..

Oct 15 (AD) Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has commended the progress Sri Lanka has made thus far with regard to the resolutions under their agreement with the IMF. Speaking at the IMF – World Bank meet on India’s Group of 20 (G20) presidency, particularly in response to a question raised regarding the concerns pertaining to the G20 common framework for debt restructuring and claims that progress made under this framework is too slow, Sitharaman explained that more..

Oct 15 (EN) Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has met with an UK official to the region to discuss the country’s renewable energy plans and reforms. “Discussed renewable energy plans and energy sector reforms,” Minister of said after meeting with Anne-Marie Trevelyan, UK Minister of State for Indo-Pacific. UK High Commissioner for SL Andrew Patrick was also present at the meeting. “Great to speak to Minister for Power and Energy about SL’s green growth trajectory,” Patrick said on X. more..

Oct 15 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe delivered a speech at the dinner hosted by the Geopolitical Cartographer, an international research foundation specializing in the Indian Ocean, under the theme Emerging New Order in the Indian Ocean Region at the Colombo City Center yesterday (13), addressing the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the current situation and its potential impact on the global order. more..

Oct 15 (DM) Two SL women, who allegedly attempted to enter Israel illegally from Jordan, were apprehended by Israeli security forces this morning. The SL ambassador in Israel, Nimal Bandara, confirmed that the Israeli authorities had promptly informed the embassy about the incident. The women's identities are yet to be established, and further information will be obtained from the authorities by tomorrow to determine the next steps, the ambassador added. more..

Oct 15 (AD) Nearly four decades after India and Sri Lanka stopped a passenger ferry service, a high-speed passenger ferry service was launched on Saturday, once again connecting the two neighbouring countries. Accordingly, the Cheriyapani ferry service links Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu with Kankesanthurai in the northern province of SL. At 08:15 a.m. on Saturday, Cheriyapani departed Nagapattinam port more..