Oct 22 (ST) The Hemas Group company, Atlas Axillia Co (Pvt) Ltd. having recently launched a new vertical in educational toys and sensory play, has tied up with Disney and is looking at exports into the region and Africa for joint ventures. The company is looking at several initiatives, and new verticals in the space of education or toys and is also looking at exports. “We want to drive the export business. We currently have had some small victories recently. We’re doing some work for Disney, more..

Oct 22 (TM) SL’s new govt has borrowed Rs. 172 billion from the domestic market in the first month after taking office. According to weekly indicators by the CB, the new govt under Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has net borrowing of Rs. 172 billion in govt securities in its first month in office. Showing investor confidence, the amount of govt securities held by foreigners have increased by Rs. 11.7 billion while the net foreign purchases within the one month period at the CSE stood at Rs. 98 million. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake delivered a powerful message to the public on Sunday, emphasising that the upcoming Parliamentary elections on 14 Nov offer a unique opportunity for the people to clean up the Parliament and establish a new political order. Addressing a public rally, Prez reiterated that the power to initiate much-needed reforms now lies with the citizens, urging them to elect candidates with integrity more..

Oct 22 (DM) Sri Lanka is set to be removed from the IMF's surcharge list of countries, once the multilateral lender’s latest lending reforms come into effect from Nov 1 of this year. IMF membership recently reached a consensus on a comprehensive package that substantially reduces the cost of borrowing, while safeguarding the IMF’s financial capacity to support the countries in need. The IMF announced that its Executive Board concluded the Review of Charges and Surcharge Policy. more..

Oct 22 (FT) Fitch Ratings said SL’s economic recovery, moderating inflation, and lower interest rates are poised to spur finance and leasing companies’ performance in the financial year ending March 2025. It said the loan growth will also be supported by further relaxation of vehicle import restrictions imposed since 2020 to preserve the country’s foreign reserves. Economic growth turned positive from 4Q23 following six quarters of contraction, and monetary conditions more..

Oct 22 (DN) SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa said the party is conducting reviews on the defeat in the Prez Election and is preparing to pave the way for victory in the upcoming General Election. He further mentioned that after securing a victory in the General Election, the party would work hand-in-hand with the Prez to implement the necessary plans to uplift the country. Premadasa emphasised that his team, which has the best vision, plans and capability to rebuild the country, more..

Oct 22 (DM) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila has called for the immediate removal of Ravi Seneviratne from the post as the Public Security Ministry Secretary, as he has been named as a main accused in the Easter Sunday bomb attacks investigations by a PCoI report. Gammanpila said, “A PCoI report which probed the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks has revealed that the State Intelligence Service (SIS) had informed former senior DIG of the CID about imminent attacks more..

Oct 22 (DM) Dept of Immigration & Emigration commenced issuing the newly imported ‘P’ series passports packed with novel security features and refined look. Dept had managed to issue about 1,100 new machine-readable passports under the one day service since this morning, with its new navy blue colour cover of the ‘P’ series travel document, in lieu of the exhausting stocks of the previous ‘N’ series normal passports with more..

Oct 22 (DM) Former MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena saidthat if the allegations regarding the vehicles seized by the Kandy Division Criminal Investigation Bureau are proven, he will withdraw from politics and resign from his candidacy at the upcoming general elections. Former MP said that he had no involvements with the vehicles seized by the Kandy Division Criminal Investigation Bureau. He declared that he would withdraw from politics if it is proven that the seized vehicles belonged to him. more..

Oct 22 (TM) Ministry of Agriculture is to seek legal advice from the Attorney General's (AG) Department on recovering a deposit of Rs. 660 million made during the Yahapalana United National Front-led Govt for leasing a private building in Rajagiriya to house the Ministry. Secretary to the Ministry, M.P.N.M. Wickramasinghe revealed that the deposit had not been returned or re-deposited to the Govt, and that the Ministry had no records of what happened to the said money. more..

Oct 22 (TM) While claiming that there is a serious problem with the procedure followed in preparing the report on the Easter Sunday terror attacks which was released by former MP Udaya Gammanpila yesterday, the Presidential Secretariat Legal Director, attorney J.M. Wijebandara said that it is also problematic as to how a group with no subject knowledge is able to come up with conclusions on a matter more..

Oct 22 (FT) In the 19th century, barrels filled with salted pork were considered a significant source of food, especially in rural America. This was a food preservation technique to make the meat last through the winter. Another interesting fact is that not every family had the capability to own such a barrel full of salted pork. This means that owning a pork barrel also served as a symbol of a prestigious social class with greater access to resources. Some historians including Genovese (1972) more..

Oct 22 (FT) Fair wages are essential to the financial security of workers, but can employers sustain a wage hike in a fragile economy? This article explores key milestones in SL’s minimum wage legislation from 2000 onwards, examines the population below the poverty line, and discusses whether businesses can absorb the recent increases amidst the country’s economic challenges, including debt obligations and import restrictions. In 2005, SL introduced the Budgetary Relief Allowance of Workers Act, more..

Oct 22 (AD) Cabinet has granted approval to declare the Colombo Port’s Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) Project as a special project. This decision follows a proposal presented by the Minister Vijitha Herath. Approval had been granted at the cabinet meeting held on 01-02-2021 to develop the Eastern Container Terminal of the Colombo South Development Project in stages by Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and to implement it as a container terminal with the full ownership of SLPA. more..

Oct 22 (DM) Police have not yet made any arrests following the death of a 65-year-old man who was killed while attempting to prevent the abduction of his son by an armed gang in the Eheliyagoda area. According to police, the gang arrived at the family's home claiming to be officers and tried to abduct the 24-year-old son. In a bid to stop them, the father clung to the jeep, but was run over and later died from injuries sustained after being admitted to the Ratnapura Hospital. more..

Oct 22 (AD) The govt does not accept the investigative committee report on the Easter Sunday bomb attacks, which was released by former MP Udaya Gammanpila yesterday, Minister Vijitha Herath said. However, he stated that the govt will conduct a new investigation into the incidents. Divulging the contents of a previously unreleased investigative committee report on the Easter Sunday attacks during a press conference yesterday, more..

Oct 22 (DM) AirlineRatings.com, an Australia-based aviation safety and product rating agency, has restored SriLankan Airlines' 7-star status after the airline took swift action against pilot for breaking cockpit protocol rules, SriLankan airlines announced today. Earlier, the airline's safety rating had been downgraded from seven to six stars by AirlineRatings.com due to an incident involving a captain who reportedly locked his female co-pilot out of the cockpit during a 10-hour flight more..

Oct 22 (PMD) Chinese Ambassador to SL, Qi Zhenhong, met with Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake this afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat. During their meeting, Ambassador Qi made a donation of LKR 30 million (USD 100,000) as emergency flood relief to assist those affected by the recent flooding in the country. In addition to immediate relief measures, the discussion also extended to a dialogue about long-term flood prevention and management strategies. more..

Oct 22 (EN) SL’s goods and services exports accounted for nearly 20.4% of GDP in 2023, with manufacturing exports contributing 14%, the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) said, noting however that the country’s export economy remains heavily concentrated around industrial goods, particularly apparel. IPS said that industrial goods—primarily apparel—make up 77% of export income, while agricultural exports contribute just 22%. more..

Oct 22 (PMD) Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake instructed the Governors to prepare and submit a new proposal aimed at rationalizing the Provincial Council mechanism. The President also stated that, given the current govt’s transitional period, the provincial councils must strive to deliver the best possible services to improve the living conditions of the people. President Dissanayake made these remarks during a discussion held with the Governors this morning at the Presidential Secretariat. more..

Oct 22 (AD) The Cabinet has granted approval to appoint Rear Admiral Y.R. Serasinghe as the new Director General of the SL Coast Conservation Dept. Rear Admiral Pujitha Vithana, who had served as the Director General of SL Coast Conservation Dept, retired from the service on Sept 13, 2024 after the completion of 55 years of service. Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal presented by the President, in his capacity as the Minister of Defense, more..

Oct 22 (Island) Executive Director of the Institute of Democratic Reforms & Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake says Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake has got his priorities mixed up and is making the same mistakes as his predecessors. Prez, while launching the NPP parliamentary election campaign from Hambantota a few days ago, promised to increase public sector salaries through Budget 2025. IRES head said that increasing public sector wages would only benefit about 1.6 m more..

Oct 22 (NW) Cabinet approval has been granted for the disposal of scrap metals in the SL Railway Department and Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) via international competitive bids for local industrialists. According to the govt, a huge amount of scrap metals is collected by the SL Railway Dept and SLTB annually. Approval was granted at the Cabinet meeting in June 2024 to remove the stock of scrap metals collected at present following the int'l competitive bidding procedure. more..

Oct 22 (TM) Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) called on the Govt to immediately take control of the ACE Embilipitiya Power Plant, raising concerns over its alleged significant financial losses, along with claims of mismanagement and corruption. ECA Chairperson Sanjeewa Dhammika claimed that the failure to bring the power plant under Govt control has already caused considerable losses. “Due to the Govt’s delay in more..

Oct 22 (FT) Lanka Corrugated Industries (LCI), a long-standing player in SL’s packaging sector, said this week it is entering a new phase of growth with a substantial upgrade in capacity and technology. A BOI-approved venture, LCI has provided reliable, high-quality packaging solutions for over two decades. Originally founded by entrepreneur Sydney Gajanayake, the company is now gearing up to reshape the industry with state-of-the-art equipment sourced from China and Europe. more..

Oct 22 (DM) This was Sri Lanka’s fourth successive win in the tournament following their success over the Philippines (71-41), Saudi Arabia (118-5) and India (81-31) respectively. The six-time champions, targeting a hat-trick of titles, took the opening quarter 17-6 and built up a commanding 39-11 lead at half time. SL conceded just a solitary goal to their opponents in the third quarter and went on to add the finishing touches in style. SL will play Malaysia in another fixture tomorrow, more..

Oct 22 (DM) Parents of the late Radhya Gunasekera, a teenager who tragically passed away on 7 Oct at the Lotus Tower, have issued a heartfelt statement addressing the widespread misinformation and harmful speculation surrounding the circumstances of their daughter's death. They emphasize the emotional and psychological toll inflicted on Radhya due to baseless rumors and relentless bullying by some parents and more..

Oct 22 (MFA) Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane will lead the SL delegation to the BRICS Outreach/ BRICS Plus Summit to be held in Kazan, Russia from 22-24 Oct. BRICS, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa recently expanded its membership to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE. Over the years BRICS has become an important platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries. SL has formally initiated the application more..

Oct 22 (DM) Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith questioned the motive behind former Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe appointing a committee headed by Retired Judge A.N.J. Alwis earlier this year, to look into actions taken by the certain intelligence authorities in the lead up to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombing. The committee was appointed to investigate the actions of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) & other related authorities more..

Oct 22 (DN) Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) yesterday informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage that investigations have been launched to arrest, obtain a statement from, and produce former MP Sri Ranga alleged to be the mastermind behind an incident of pasting posters insulting the Mannar High Court Judge. Colombo Crimes Division informed the Court that former MP Sri Ranga could not be arrested. Eight suspects were remanded in custody in connection with more..

Oct 22 (AM) Following a meeting between rice mill owners and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today on the ongoing rice price issue, former SJB MP Dr. Harsha de Silva held a special press conference regarding the matter as well. During the media briefing, Dr. de Silva expressed his support for Prez Dissanayake's stance on rice price control and clarified that he bears no personal grudge against Sirisena. "The rice monopoly didn't start today," Dr. de Silva noted, pointing out that more..

Oct 22 (PMD) President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated the controlled price of rice will not change. He also highlighted that plans are underway for a long-term program to create an organized agricultural plan, which would provide greater benefits to farmers. President Dissanayake made these remarks during a discussion held today at the Presidential Secretariat with rice millers and officials from more..

Oct 22 (AD) Former Minister Johnston Fernando’s attorneys have informed the Court of Appeal that he will appear before the CID tomorrow to provide a statement regarding the unregistered luxury car allegedly belonging to him, which was found parked at a star-class hotel in Colombo. A petition filed by Johnston Fernando seeking an order to prevent his arrest over the incident was taken up for consideration today. During this, his attorneys informed the court that more..

Oct 22 (CT) An alleged plea by top security officials to withdraw human rights cases filed against senior underworld encounter officers, followed by a directive from Prez Anura Kumara Dissanayake to the Attorney General, has stirred controversy, with human rights activists vehemently opposing any such move. On 20 Oct, it was reported that, during a recent National Security Council meeting, SL’s security chiefs urged Prez Dissanayake to exempt them from ongoing human rights cases and more..

Oct 22 (NW) Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has expressed his willingness to provide testimony in any court in the country, except the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court, regarding the disappearance of two human rights activists in 2011. This statement was made through his lawyer, Romesh de Silva, during a hearing at the Supreme Court today. The case pertains to the abduction of Lalith Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganandan, more..