Sep 25 (TM) The CEB is facing serious allegations of having exploited hydropower resources over the past several months, potentially endangering the availability of drinking water in major cities. Concerns have been raised regarding the unregulated usage of hydropower – critical for electricity generation and water management – without considering the impending risk to essential water supplies. more..

Sep 25 (FT) Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva last week confirmed Sri Lanka will participate in the 2023 Global Maritime Summit, which will be held in Mumbai, India from 17 to 29 October. The High Commission of India organised a Curtain Raiser in Colombo on 22 September for the Global Maritime India Summit (GMIS). Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister de Silva attended the event as the Chief Guest, Indian Ports, Shipping and Waterways Ministry Secretary T.K. Ramachandran and more..

Sep 25 (TM) Our simple voters, as the main stakeholders of any election, keep midnight vigil on any national election day, firstly wanting to know the winning party and the number of seats that they have won, and secondly, looking for the names and credentials of those who will represent them in the supreme Parliament in the case of a General Election. Hitherto, they were not keen to know how the number of seats were calculated, but, accepted the results without any fuss. more..

Sep 25 (Island) Channel 4’s recent programme on the Easter Sunday attacks may have made the Rajapaksas squirm and landed Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in an awkward position, but former Prez Maithripala Sirisena has become an unintended beneficiary thereof. It could not have come at a better time for him; he has had to pay Rs 100 million as compensation to the families of the Easter Sunday terror victims, as per a court order, and the govt is coming under increasing more..

Sep 25 (TM) Govts, establishing new laws and regulations or updating existing ones, from time to time, is nothing unusual. Yet, what generates an extraordinary situation is where the Govt’s law establishing attempts are seen as ambiguous by the law-abiding general public. Such situations were common in the SL context, and the most recent being the repeal to the Anti-terror bill {Prevention of Terrorism Act No. 48 of 1979} and establishing the new Online Safety Bill. more..

Sep 25 (TM) When a 16-year old burns the karting track with his own brand of speed, then it is time to sit up and take note. What is significant is that the King of Thailand took note of this young karter two years ago, conferring the Thailand King’s award for the Rising Star in Karting during the Annual Thailand Motorsports Awards in 2021. Since 2019, Charya Seneviratne has been showing promise and the prize for his hard work, more..

Sep 25 (GV) There are two reasons that motivated me to select this topic. The first is my desire to share with you my conviction that the ruling idea of university in Sri Lanka needs to be immediately abandoned and replaced by a new and socially more robust one. The second is to pay my tribute to a book that was published last year on the concept of university. It provides valuable inspiration to whoever who will take my message seriously and begin to re-think the idea of university. more..

Sep 25 (ST) More than four years afterwards, lingering questions surrounding the Easter Sunday terror attacks were raised in the House yet again as Parliament held another debate on the atrocity. The two-day debate on Thursday and Friday came in the backdrop of the recent documentary aired by Britain’s Channel 4, which accused senior members of the intelligence services of being complicit in the attacks as part of a conspiracy to bring Gotabaya Rajapaksa to power. more..

Sep 25 (DM) Saudi Ambassador Khalid Hamoudh Al-Qahtani, in an interview with Daily Mirror on selected topics, details the current status of bilateral relations and the way forward. Q: What is the current status of Saudi Arabia - SL diplomatic relations, including details about recent high-level visits and any agreements that have been reached between the two nations in recent times? A: The diplomatic relationship between Saudi Arabia and SL more..

Sep 25 (DM) The comments and statements highlight the ignorance of certain individuals who cannot distinguish between a cricket ball and a tennis ball. This lack of knowledge may lead to laughable comments that could negatively impact the morale of the cricket players who have achieved a remarkable winning streak, securing thirteen successive wins, the second-highest in the history of ODIs. In his book The Winner Effect, Ian Robertson explains that the joy of winning is largely more..

Sep 25 (DM) Our country is becoming or should we say has always been, notorious for the disconnected messages passed on to the public. Even if the subject concerns the question of people having to undergo food shortages in the near future, our politicians and bureaucrats twist and turn facts to hide the reality from the public. For example at a meeting in Gannoruwa, Minister Mahinda Amaraweera opined that the country had reached a self-sufficient status in paddy & rice. more..

Sep 24 (TM) It was a lunch at the office of the Sri Lanka Permanent Representative to the UN in New York last Tuesday for the delegates from Colombo. There were two takeaways. One was a biryani and raita followed by fruits and ice cream for dessert. Perhaps the only people who found it mildly hot were the secret service agents tailing President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The other was story telling by the President himself. more..

Sep 24 (ST) In a major investment drive, Govt is considering bringing back tax holidays—this time two years instead of the previous five—for locals and foreigners who bring in investment projects in excess of US$ 50 million (Rs. 16 bil) along with duty-free vehicles. The proposals are expected to be part of the 2024 budget currently under discussion. Investors, local or foreign, who bring in such investments will be entitled to import duty-free vehicles of their choice, more..

Sep 24 (TM) The 19th Asian Games have kicked off in Hangzhou, China, with the preliminary rounds in Women’s Cricket, Rowing, and Beach Volleyball currently underway. Team Sri Lanka is set to participate in more than 20 sports, featuring 96 athletes (62 males and 34 females) eager to secure glory. Notably, the Men’s Sevens Rugby team will compete under the OCA (Olympic Committee of Asia) flag, a result of World Rugby’s ban on SL Rugby. Tarinda Ratwatte will lead the team. more..

Sep 24 (TM) The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) yesterday said that the risks posed by the Nipah virus, which has recently emerged in parts of India, had not manifested into a threat for Sri Lanka yet, but cautioned against travelling to the affected parts of the subcontinent. The SLMA also urged the relevant health agencies to take precautionary measures and practise enhanced screening for early detection. more..

Sep 24 (ST) US-based RM Parks company will begin fuel distribution in SL next month, a senior Power & Energy Ministry official said. The company signed a 20-year agreement in June to import, distribute, and sell petroleum products through 150 fuel stations allocated by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). RM Parks, which operates under Shell PLC, will become the fourth retailer to enter the country’s fuel market after the CPC, Lanka Indian Oil Company (LIOC), and China’s Sinopec. more..

Sep 24 (SO) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed to transfer the administrative and operational control of the controversial Batticaloa Sharia Uni to the SL University of Technology. The Batticaloa Campus, which had been under the military’s jurisdiction for an extended period following the tragic Easter attacks, was originally owned by former Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M. Hizbullah. A meeting chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake said that more..

Sep 24 (ST) In a bid to revitalise the currently struggling construction sector for survival, the Finance Ministry is planning to propose catalytic inputs including easing taxation on building materials from the upcoming budget 2024 to be presented in November. 13 far-reaching proposals aimed at increasing the construction industry’s GDP contribution to the economy by providing emergency relief have been submitted to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, more..

Sep 24 (ST) The SL rugby squad, now playing under the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) banner, opted out of the Hangzhou Asian Games official opening, giving more weightage to their commitment on Sunday morning. Tarinda Ratwatte’s sevens lads are committed to make an impression in spite of all adversities and were only thinking of the task at hand and were hard at training yesterday. According to the draw the OCA Lankan team will take on Chinese Taipei in the morning session and more..

Sep 24 (TM) Revelations regarding the emergency procurement of medicines and medical equipment by the Ministry of Health have raised a host of questions among health sector experts, with some alleging that the country is losing money due to mismanagement and malpractices within the health sector management. The mismanagement issues range from questionable procurement practices to concerns about inadequate more..

Sep 24 (EN) State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya expects the island nation to avoid any possibility of repeated default once the foreign debt repayment starts due to a practical debt restructuring process. Govt has boasted of an economic recovery with easing interest rates, built up reserves, sharply fallen inflation, increased govt revenue, and pick up in economic activities. SL, however, has not started repaying foreign loans and still in the process of negotiation. more..

Sep 24 (TM) Dr. Ranee Jayamaha has announced her resignation from the Monetary Board and will not be a member of the new Governing Board of the Central bank of SL (CBSL). The new board is expected to be constituted by Prez and Minister of Finance Ranil Wickremesinghe in the coming days under the new Central Bank Act. This was revealed by Monetary Board member Sanjeewa Jayawardena, PC to the Supreme Court during the preceding week in two FR applications more..

Sep 24 (SO) Dasun Shanaka was virtually an obscure cricketer from a village in Negombo and never hit it big as a teenager in the eyes of Colombo’s elite decision makers. But almost out of the blues Shanaka joined the prestigious SSC and signalled business with a swashbuckling century in a T20 domestic match with as many as 16 sixes. He was tailor-made to crack the ball and never in his sweetest of dreams did he aspire to be the captain of the Sri Lanka team at a troubled stage more..

Sep 24 (FE) Sri Lanka has repaid its lender, Bangladesh, the entire $200 million loan taken through a currency-exchange agreement called SWAP more than two years ago. Amazingly, the island nation, which had been in dire financial and economic straits even months ago, also paid total interest amounting to over $25.537 million. "SL has paid its third and final instalment amounting to $51.044 million (principal plus interest) on Thursday night," said a central banker of Bangladesh. more..

Sep 24 (TM) CEB is facing challenges in financing coal payments due to a drop in income. It is learnt that, during a recent meeting with Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, CEB had repeatedly requested the Minister to approve a tariff increase, citing the financial strain faced by the institution. Drop in income is a consequence of deploying high-cost diesel-fired power plants and the reduced tariff range that was approved by more..

Sep 24 (DM) At least 5 persons, a group of staff members of a leading supermarket outlet in Borella were arrested over an incident of brutally assaulting a female customer. Police launched investigations after a video showing a group of staff members from a supermarket outlet brutally assaulting a female customer went viral on social media. Initially, it was reported that the incident had occurred in the Hanwella area. However, later it was revealed that the incident had been at an outlet in Borella. more..

Sep 24 (AD) The PAFFREL has claimed that the recent decision made to cancel the nominations submitted for the Local Govt (LG) elections is likely to incur a loss of over Rs. 1 billion to the state. Commenting on the matter, Executive Director of PAFFREL, Rohana Hettiarachchi, stated that the relevant decision is not one that should have been made by the govt at a time when the country is amidst an economic crisis. “Who is going to be held responsible for the loss incurred to state more..

Sep 24 (TM) A group of 30 investigators has been deployed by the Auditor General’s (AG) Dept to probe the allegations of misappropriation of public monies to the tune of Rs. 30 billion as a result of procuring certain types of medicines at significantly high prices over the past several years and to submit a report within two months. When contacted, Minister of Health Keheliya Rambukwella acknowledged more..

Sep 24 (Bernama) A police manhunt is underway for two male Sri Lankan suspects over their alleged involvement in the murders of three of their fellow countrymen at a shophouse on Perhentian Street in Lower Kovil Village, Sentul here last night. Kuala Lumpur police chief said both suspects were staying at a married couple's place on the second floor of the shophouse before the murder occurred. The police found the bodies of three men piled on top of each other at the couple's home, more..

Sep 24 (AD) Finance State Minister Shehan Semasinghe says the restrictions imposed on imported goods, except vehicles, will be lifted in October. He mentioned that import restrictions are currently maintained on 600 HS codes. “By October, we will be able to lift the import restrictions on all these items except 270 HS codes for vehicles.” The move will help price stabilization, Semasinghe explained. Due to these restrictions, he said an increase is observed in the prices more..

Sep 24 (EN) Chief Negotiators of SL and India held talks to resume Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) negotiations years after it was stopped following political-led opposition in 2016. “The Chief Negotiators of SL and India recently held a virtual meeting on September 19th to discuss the resumption of Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) negotiations,” the PMD said. This marks the continuation of talks after 11 previous rounds of negotiations.” more..

Sep 24 (Island) President Ranil Wickremesinghe interrupted his busy flight schedule between conferences to issue a commemorative message on Sept 17 to mark the 117th birth anniversary of President JR Jayewardene. I am not aware of any special significance associated with #117, nor can I remember Mr. Wickremesinghe issuing birth anniversary statements in the recent past. What is special this year is that Ranil Wickremesinghe is the incumbent President. more..