Sep 19 (FT) As a part of her visit to SL the Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP called on the PM Dinesh Gunawardena and the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena. In the meeting with the SL Speaker at the Parliament, both the Speakers highlighted the responsibilities and contribution of their respective Parliaments to democracy. They exchanged views on parliamentary practices and discussed ways and means to enhance cooperation between more..

Sep 19 (Island) Some henchmen of the Rajapaksa family, which is responsible for ruining the economy, have taken upon themselves the task of investigating the causes of the country’s bankruptcy! They are all out to absolve their political masters of wrongdoing in a bid to shore up the latter’s chances of winning future elections. Interestingly, their efforts have received a fillip from the UNP, of all parties. UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena, MP, has claimed that the declaration of more..

Sep 19 (DN) Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, informed Colombo Chief Magistrate Prasanna Alwis yesterday (15), that former cricketer Sachithra Senanayake’s conversation with cricketer Dhammika Prasad revealed that persons of the Cricket Board’s Corruption Committee as well as former veteran players of the SL cricket team are behind the cases of match-fixing for money. The Deputy Solicitor General said more..

Sep 19 (CI) The Asia Cup is over. India are champions, for the 8th time. Deserving winners too. At the end of it, here's the team of the tournament, put together with votes from Andrew Fidel Fernando, Mohammad Isam, S Sudarshanan, Shashank Kishore, Sidharth Monga and Yash Jha. Shubman Gill: 302 runs from six innings; Avg 75.50; SR 93.49; Best 121. He started the tournament slowly, bowled by Haris Rauf for 10 in India's opening game, but had just one poor outing after that - 19 more..

Sep 19 (ST) The Lankan Govt stood in the dock this week in Geneva before the UN’s Human Rights Council accused by its Commissioner for failing to have a continuous accountability record toward war crimes, corruption, human rights violations, and for abuse of power, which are vital to address if Lanka is to move forward. “More than a year ago mass protests demanded better governance and an inclusive vision for Sri Lanka—in short, a renewal of the social contract. more..

Sep 19 (TM) One of the key reasons why Sri Lanka is in the crisis situation we find ourselves in, is the lack of rule of law. SL has had a systematic failure to enforce the laws which govern the land for decades. As such, lawlessness, crime and corruption rains. One of the key issues which has been a part of the problem is the lack of integrity and professionalism in the law enforcement agencies. Today, many have little or no respect for the Police. Police Dept is widely believed to be ineffective, more..

Sep 19 (TM) The police response or lack thereof, to two crimes which unfolded on the same day in different parts of the country, highlights the lack of professionalism in the national law enforcement apparatus. Yesterday, on the orders of the IGP Chandana D. Wickramaratne, investigations into the shooting incident that targeted MP Uddika Premarathne in Anuradhapura was handed over to the CID. The Minister has also been provided protection from the Police STF. more..

Sep 19 (TM) Crop/yield, environmental threats, and limited application of technology are the three major challenges that plague SL’s coconut industry, stated Hayleys Group Eco Solutions Managing Director Rajeeve Goonetileke in an interview, pointing out that there had been a persistent stagnation in coconut production since the 1960s, worsened by the decline in the labour force and absence of modernisation policies. more..

Sep 19 (CT) The govt recently expressed its intention to restructure State institutions, such as the Marine Environment Protection Authority and Coastal Conservation Department, which are addressing environmental concerns. This was said by Prez’s Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake while participating in a beach clean-up at the Beach Plaza in the Port City, coinciding with International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) and the commencement of Marine Resources Conservation Week. more..

Sep 19 (DM) While SL is facing an unprecedented issue of brain drain accelerated by the current economic crisis and the resultant political uncertainty, the leaders of the country are announcing plans for establishing more Universities. It can only be justifiable if they are certain that the migration trend or the craving for migration among the country’s youth could be restrained by the recovery of the economy. Otherwise, establishing new higher education institutions such as more..

Sep 19 (DM) Several Sri Lankans have immigrated and reached success in their own ways. Roy Ratnavel is one of them. SL born Tamil-Canadian business executive has been featured in the Canadian media for his rags to riches story for being an immigrant who went from mailroom clerk to a Senior Executive at CI Financial, Canada’s largest independent asset management firm. Ratnavel escaped torture and more..

Sep 19 (DM) Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI /ChatGPT3 speaking at a recent US Senate hearing on AI, warned of serious consequences if this technology goes wrong, increasing joblessness, misinformation, and deepfakes impacting democracies among others. These are all deeply concerning. Are we ready for such a future? In SL as a country looking to transform domestically and also export technology products and services to other countries, it seems a lot remains to be done more..

Sep 19 (DM) The IMF is in town for the first review of its programme launched in March 2023. Some Colombo circles worry whether the so-called IMF bailout will continue. However, their fears should rest aside, because the IMF could not have found a meeker and grovelling partner than the Govt of Sri Lanka. If the IMF demands the Government to jump ten feet, the Govt is all too eager to jump twenty feet, even if it means breaking the body of the economy. This has been the story of DDR more..

Sep 18 (TM) State owned enterprise, Milco Pvt Ltd, is to be summoned before COPA and COPE. This, amidst the Ministry of Agriculture calming that the SOE has not been audited before, and plans being drawn to restructure Milco & National Livestock Development Board (NLDB). Minister Mahinda Amaraweera late last week had a discussion with the representatives of the trade unions within Milco, during which they alleged corruption and irregularities taking place within the company. more..

Sep 18 (Island) An artificial shortage of medicinal drugs had been created in government hospitals to enable emergency drug purchases, Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne said recently, testifying before the parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on an Open and Accountable Govt. Dr. Ariyaratne also said that carcinogenic foods had flooded the market without any regulations, and action had to be taken to protect the public. more..

Sep 18 (DM) Two supporters of a former Minister were arrested after they visited the member of an organised crimes group, Sanjeewa Kumara alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa who was arrested recently. Police sources said they were arrested on suspicion that they maintain links with the underworld. Police sources also said that the former minister is influencing high-ranking police officers and politicians on behalf of Sanjeewa Kumara alias Ganemulla Sanjeewa. more..

Sep 18 (HRW) SL govt’s ongoing abuses are undermining the purported goals of its newly proposed truth and reconciliation commission, Human Rights Watch said in a report published today. Victims of past violations, their families, and human rights defenders have rejected the govt’s initiative because the govt has not consulted them, ignores evidence gathered by past commissions, and it exposes them to security force abuses and retraumatization if they participate. more..

Sep 18 (TM) Dept of Motor Traffic (DMT) has initiated an investigation against officials who are allegedly connected to a racket of registration of luxury vehicles under registration numbers of diplomatic vehicles which are no longer in use. A recent audit report issued by the National Audit Office, revealed that some officials of the DMT had been registering luxury vehicles using cancelled vehicle numbers given to diplomatic officials in SL for a long time, and the Govt has lost millions more..

Sep 18 (PTI) The Centre has informed the Madras High Court that it has taken steps to deport all the four Sri Lankans, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, to Sri Lanka. Foreigners Regional Registration Officer P Ve Arunshakthikumar, Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs stated this in his counter affidavit filed on Thursday, in response to a petition filed by S Nalini, one of the seven convicts ordered to be released by the Supreme Court last year. more..

Sep 18 (TM) National Trade Union Centre (NTUC) denounced the Employees’ Provident Fund's (EPF) recent decision to submit an offer to exchange the portfolio of their Treasury Bonds under the Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) programme. Last week, the EPF informed its members that, as an eligible participant, and with the approval of the Monetary Board of CBSL, it has submitted an offer to exchange the portfolio of Treasury Bonds of the EPF under the DDO programme, in terms of the invitation extended by more..

Sep 18 (TM) One of the key reasons why Sri Lanka is in the crisis situation we find ourselves in, is the lack of rule of law. Sri Lanka has had a systematic failure to enforce the laws which govern the land for decades. As such, lawlessness, crime and corruption rains. One of the key issues which has been a part of the problem is the lack of integrity and professionalism in the law enforcement agencies. Today, many have little or no respect for the Police. more..

Sep 18 (TM) SL completed its Domestic Debt Optimisation (DDO) last week after a delay of two months, as 37% of the Govt’s Treasury bonds portfolio was subjected to the restructuring, with 84% of Treasury bonds held by superannuation funds, including the EPF, participating in the DDO. Although in recent weeks opposition against subjecting the EPF to restructuring came primarily from trade unions while political parties did not raise many concerns, more..

Sep 18 (EN) SL’s falling food prices was driving domestic manufacturing activities up, but falling external demand was depressing other sectors especially apparel, according to a Purchasing Managers Index compiled by the CB. Manufacturing Index was 49.3 in Aug 2023, almost at the 50 point level, up from 44.6 points in July. “The overall increase in New Orders was mainly driven by the manufacture of food & beverages sector, in response to the continuous downward revisions in retail prices,” more..

Sep 18 (FT) Port City Colombo proudly took centre stage as the Gold Sponsor of the prestigious i3 Summit by Khaleej Times in Dubai, which was held under the theme, “Redefining Innovation, Inspiring Change, and Shaping the Future of Business”. This key sponsorship strategically captured the attention of the global investor community, whilst highlighting Port City Colombo’s unwavering commitment to nurturing innovation and fostering collaboration in the region. more..

Sep 18 (CI) Maybe Sri Lanka needed to be shocked back to reality and that it would do them well in the long run. This is what coach Chris Silverwood feels, after SL suffered a monumental 10-wicket drubbing in the Asia Cup final. SL were blasted out for 50 in the title match before India raced to the target inside seven overs. "Sometimes a bit of a kick up the rear end is not the worst thing going into a World Cup," he said. more..

Sep 18 (SO) Licensed foreign employment sector distanced itself from the human trafficking scam carried out with visit visas saying that those recruited by them were documented in SL and in the recipient country. Prez of the Association for Licensed Foreign Employment Agencies (ALFEA) Farouk Marrikar said, “Licensed foreign employment agencies, numbering over 1,000 throughout the country, always remain alert on those who are recruited by them leaving little or no chance for human trafficking. more..

Sep 18 (AD) A child and her father have been injured after two unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire at a three-wheeler near the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court this evening (17). The assailants, who had arrived on a motorcycle, had shot at the three-wheeler before fleeing the scene, police said. The two including the child, who were injured in the incident, have been admitted to Colombo National Hospital for treatment, while Maradana Police are conducting further investigations more..

Sep 18 (ST) With strict restrictions on money printing now in place owing to new Central Bank of SL (CBSL) Act, Govt has tasked agencies such as the Departments of Inland Revenue, Excise and SL Customs with raising between Rs. 400 billion and 450 billion in revenue to overcome the shortfall. With the new CBSL Act being effective from Friday, CBSL’s ability to print money will be severely limited and will only be allowed under exceptional circumstances, such as a global health emergency. more..

Sep 18 (FT) Monetary Board which has now been disbanded, as the legal custodian of EPF, has issued a statement explaining to its members why it chose to participate in the proposed domestic debt optimisation or DDO by exchanging Treasury bonds to a value of Rs. 2,668 billion for new bonds. The bonds so exchanged had a maturity structure ranging from 2024 to 2045 at coupon interest rates ranging between 6% and 20%. In terms of the exchange, EPF will get 12 new bonds to a value of about Rs. 222 billion more..

Sep 18 (DM) Provincial Department of Health Services, Northern Province has implemented a ban on the use of social media for health workers including doctors during duty hours. Provincial Director of Health Services Northern Province, Dr T. Sathyamoorthy said, "The decision comes after numerous complaints were received, alleging that some health workers were using their mobile phones to browse social media platforms instead of attending to patients seeking treatment," more..

Sep 18 (CI) Fifth ball of his second over, Mohammed Siraj is flying down the field. He is racing away from the pitch, in white hot pursuit of one of the handful of shots a Sri Lanka batter middled. Dhananjaya de Silva has only check-driven a fullish ball on the stumps, without much of a backlift, so there's limited power in the shot. In normal circumstances, this would be stopped by the fielder at mid-on, and this would have yielded one run at most. more..

Sep 18 (CI) Mohammed Siraj ran the SL team ragged in the Asia Cup final. He produced a devastating spell of swing and seam bowling returning figures of 6 for 21 in seven overs as SL were skittled out for 50. India, in return, completed the chase in just 6.1 overs to become Asia Cup champions for the eighth time. Here are some key numbers from the game. 50 - SL's total in Colombo is the lowest by any team against India in men's ODIs. Previous lowest was Bangladesh's 58 all out in 2014 in Mirpur. more..