Nov 12 (EN) Public Security Minister on Thursday (11) vehemently denied allegations levelled by opposition MPs over the 2019 Easter Sunday carnage, though the MPs maintained that the minister had failed to answer the questions asked. Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekera�s strong denial came two days after main opposition SJB legislators Harin Fernando and Manusha Nanayakkara asked a series of more..

Nov 12 (Island) Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of SL in collaboration with UNCTAD launched a Policy Paper on the Digital Economy of SL at a virtual event held recently. The paper, titled Digital Economy of SL: National Goals and Lessons from the South will facilitate benchmarking SL against the Digital Economy of China. The Chief Guest at the event was Jayantha De Silva � Secretary of the Ministry of Technology while Keynote Speaker was Dr. Tauhid more..

Nov 12 (FT) A MoU between the National Craft Council and the SL Postal Department to sell locally made handicrafts online was signed this week. The initiative expects to create an online digital platform to sell handicrafts made by local craftsmen to local and international markets. The SL Postal Department will deliver these handicrafts on this digital platform through its Expedited Mail Service, which is currently operative in 67 destinations in 53 countries. more..

Nov 12 (CT) In a recent interview, State Minister Jeevan Thondaman critised Regional Plantation Companies (RPC) claiming that they were not paying the basic salary of Rs 1,000 for estate workers as per the Gazette notification. �Thinking that they are taking acts of vengeance out of me, RPCs are exploiting the workers. When they work for eight hours, they are entitled to receive Rs 1,000. If a worker plucks only 12 kilos or 13 kilos, they only pay Rs 500, which is illegal. more..

Nov 12 (CT) More than 30 political parties and non-parliamentary groups have decided to collaborate with the UPFA to form an alliance. The Liberal Party, Muslim Ulama Party, Sri Telo Party, United Congress Party, and Jathika Mahajana Pakshaya are among them. UPFA General Secretary Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said that meetings took place yesterday at SLFP headquarters and were chaired by Party Chairman Maithripala Sirisena, adding that they are ready to face the Election but more..

Nov 12 (TM) The Ministry of Agriculture has stated that it will not accept the reports of any tests carried out by a third party on the controversial fertiliser samples of China-based Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co. Ltd. Ministry of Agriculture Secretary Prof. Udith Jayasinghe-Mudalige said: �It is not possible to import fertiliser from this company based on test reports of a third party. If the company wants to supply fertiliser more..

Nov 12 (EN) SL�s 2022 budget will identify areas where high technology driven industries can boosted for a production economy, support post-Covid recovery and also help tackle an external crisis, the finance ministry said. SL is facing one of the worst balance of payments crises since a Latin-America central bank was set up in 1950 by a US money doctor, which has been targeting the call money rate without a floating exchange rate shattering the external sector as soon as domestic credit more..

Nov 12 (FT) The COPE yesterday found that the Board of Investment (BOI) has spent over Rs. 3,352.92 million without a formal project proposal on infrastructure development and a repayment plan. Of the total, over Rs. 2,300.53 million has been spent on infrastructure development projects in Milleniya Export Processing Zone (EPZ), whilst Rs. 1,052.39 million has been spent on Bingiriya EPZ. COPE Chairman Prof. Charitha Herath and its members questioned the BOI officials for more..

Nov 12 (TM) Claiming that the increase in daily Covid-19 infections reported from certain parts of the country should be considered a serious situation, the Health Ministry has urged the public to follow proper Covid-19-related health guidelines despite the receipt of Covid-19 vaccines. Dr. Hemantha Herath said: �It should be taken seriously that more cases of Covid-19 infections have been reported from different parts of more..

Nov 12 (FT) SL�s COVID-19 detections rose to 548,061 with 715 persons testing positive for COVID-19 yesterday. The patients detected yesterday were from the New Year cluster. On Wednesday, 693 persons from the New Year cluster tested positive for COVID-19. 5,369 PCR tests and 3,920 rapid antigen tests were conducted on Wednesday. 443,246 patients from the New Year cluster, 82,785 patients from the Peliyagoda cluster, 9,052 patients from the Prisons cluster, more..

Nov 12 (DM) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena said that he would resign from his Parliamentary seat, if allegations were proved that he is living in a residence built annexing 3 residential blocks. He told Parliament that Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said in Parliament that Maithripala Sirisena is living in a residence which was built conjoining three residential blocks. "I completely reject these allegations. It is completely incorrect. I am living in the residence of the then Prez more..

Nov 12 (FT) Amidst internal and external challenges the Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa will present his maiden Budget to Parliament at 2 p.m. today. This will be the 76th budget of an independent SL and the second budget of the Govt of Prez Rajapaksa. The debate on the Appropriation Bill 2022 will begin the following day and continue until 10 Dec, Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dassanayake said. more..

Nov 12 (FT) The constitution can be considered as the supreme law that determines the rights of citizens to life, liberty and property and also the most sacred legal document which establishes the structure and the functions of state rule. With the transfer of the medieval world into a modern one, the genesis of the concept of sovereignty rested with the people and not the king. This has given impetus to the emergence of the theory that state power is always subject to the will of the people. more..

Nov 12 (FT) If you have observed a spider�s web, you will see that even when it has been destroyed or damaged the spider diligently continues to repair the damage. I was amazed to find out that the material used to spin the web is five times stronger than steel which makes it so resilient to external forces. The design itself is very robust where localised stresses have very little impact on the overall structure. In a world hit by the pandemic, in a country struggling with economic pressures more..

Nov 12 (DM) The Colombo District Court today further extended its Enjoining Order suspending the SL Communist Party�s decision to remove North Western Province Governor Raja Collure as the Chairman of the Communist Party. This enjoining order will be effective until November 23. The District Court further extended its Enjoining Order till November 23, preventing the SL Communist Party from appointing a new Chairman to the Communist Party. Colombo District Court Judge more..

Nov 12 (DM) While saying that people are not proactive in combating the Dengue epidemic, Health authorities warned people to be vigilant as a major outbreak is on the cards in near future in the wake of incessant rains. A total of 1,361 cases have been reported within just 10 days in the month of November. There were only 770 cases for the entire month of November last year. However, it has almost surpassed 1,000 mark within just 10 days of this November, which shows the gravity of more..

Nov 12 (EN) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa during his budget speech on Friday transferred 8.5 billion rupees earned by Perpetual Treasuries, which is alleged to be involved in a 2016 bond scam for breaching the code of conduct. The move comes as the cash-strapped govt is desperately looking for revenue to boost post-pandemic economic revival. The finance minister said as per a PCoI report, more..

Nov 12 (AD) Budget 2022 has put forward a proposal to reduce the fuel allowance provided to ministers and govt officers by 5 litres per month and to cut down the telephone expenses of govt institutions by 25%. This was suggested by Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa in the budget speech, delivered in the Parliament today. �I firmly believe that the public sector should also contribute to promoting national savings. For this, it is also required to reduce Recurrent Expenditure,� more..

Nov 12 (EN) SL will bring in a new law on export dollar conversion based on the rules set by the central bank on export proceeds, Finance minister Basil Rajapsaksa said presenting a budget for 2022. �I propose to submit a Special Finance Bill to ensure the safety of local and foreign exporters, to ensure the safety of transactions of foreign current accounts and to simplify the conditions that are imposed by the Central Bank on exports with regard to foreign currency conversions and transfers,� more..

Nov 12 (DM) Attorney General sought a fuller bench comprising five judges or more than five judges of Supreme Court to hear several Fundamental Rights petitions filed challenging the agreements on Yugadanavi power plant. Additional Solicitor General Farzana Jameel appearing for the AG sought an order in terms of the Article 132(3) of the constitution comprising five judges or more judges of the SC to hear these petitions, more..

Nov 12 (AD) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa says that an additional Rs. 30,000 million will be allocated to rectify the salary anomalies of teachers and principals. �Given that the govt through the Cabinet decision dated 30 Aug 2021 has agreed as a matter of policy to eliminate the Teacher�Principal salary anomalies, thereby ending the trade union activities, and therefore, for the expeditious implementation of such policy, I propose an additional Rs. 30,000 million be included for salary payments.� more..

Nov 12 (EN) SL will auction television and telecom frequencies in the future, Minister Basil Rajapaksa said. �There will be transparent auctions in the future,� he said, presenting the annual Budget for 2022 in parliament. Responding to heckling from the opposition he said an earlier administration linked to him had not done so. In SL radio and television licenses had been assigned to broadcasters from time to time in the past, and they have been using them for years or decades. more..

Nov 12 (TM) Minister Basil Rajapaksa, delivered his inaugural budget speech. This is the 76th budget of an independent SL and it is also the second budget of the incumbent Govt. Key takeaways from Minister�s speech are detailed below: Annual Warrant for State expenditure to be made a Quarterly Warrant in the future; Telephone expenditure in State institutions to be slashed by 25%; Construction of new office buildings more..

Nov 12 (EN) SL will charge a tax for vehicle modification or alteration and legally register illegal motor cars Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa said presenting a budget for 2022. �..It is proposed to impose a fee on vehicle modification, alteration, and refurbishment; and, subject to an amnesty period to pay fines, legally register illegal motor cars and motor cycles, if they are in condition suitable for road,� Minister said in prepared remarks. He did not specify which vehicles he was referring to. more..

Nov 12 (DM) The death toll of prevailing adverse weather in SL has increased to 26 with more than 12,000 still in relief centres. DMC said Friday afternoon that due to floods, heavy rainfall and landslides, 150 district Secretariat Divisions in 17 districts have been affected. As of Friday, 12,349 people from 3,693 families are in 88 relief centres around the country. A total of 230,185 people from 65,580 families have been affected. 39 properties have been completely destroyed while more..

Nov 12 (DM) After their death, most people are memorialized at a service, surrounded by grieving family members, friends and relatives. But that is not the case for everyone. For some, to be surrounded by friends or family and have a dignified death would be a privilege. For the others, there are no mourners to mourn, no family to be pained by their loss, or no friends to mark the passing of a cherished life. more..

Nov 12 (Island) Justice Minister Ali Sabry PC told Parliament yesterday that a severe shortage of officials in the Attorney General�s Dept had been the main cause of delay in completing criminal cases. Responding to a question by SJB MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, the minister said that there was a shortage of around 600 law officers and staff officers in the department. Minister Sabry said that 50 lawyers would be recruited to the department to strengthen its counselling processes. more..

Nov 12 (TM) TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam expressed that the 2022 Budget only concerns how money can be spent, instead of how it should be generated. He said that the only way to generate revenue is through foreign direct investments, however, Rasamanickam added that this was not addressed through the 2022 Budget. �Budget is revenue minus expenditure. We have a massive expenditure and a budget deficit. I do not think there is a magic trick we can use to fix this other, more..

Nov 12 (NR) Veteran musician, singer and actor Lakshman Wijesekera has passed away at the age of 73. He was undergoing treatment for an illness at the time of the death. His works include Bala Lamawarune, Delwu Pahana, Athi de Athi Setiyen, Sina Pipena, Sanda Pane Welitalawe Sura, Oba Mata Tharuwaki, Detha Depalana and Supem Hegum brought him to the spotlight. He was also an accomplished music director who contributed with music direction to teledramas more..

Nov 12 (AD) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa today (November 12) suggested suspending the construction of new office buildings for the state institutions to be suspended for two years, except for the establishments that are under construction at the moment. Assets of many of these enterprises are underutilized, he said, urging his fellow ministers, their secretaries and heads of departments to provide leadership to utilize these assets to the maximum. more..

Nov 12 (FT) The controversial appointment of Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero as chair of the One Country, One Law (OCOL) Presidential Task Force (PTF) by Prez Rajapaksa has created a political furore. The purported OCOL objective of the PTF as well as the alleged unsuitability of Gnanasara Thero to head such a body has come in for heavy criticism by several political leaders, religious organisations, more..

Nov 12 (TM) Responding to Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa�s inaugural budget speech relating to the 76th budget of an independent SL, SJB MP Eran Wickramaratne said that it did not address the fundamental issues faced by the country. He highlighted the budget deficit and the ongoing forex crisis. �Issues such as the budget deficit and the forex crisis were not addressed. There was no major push for exporters. Forex can enter the country only if exports are increased,� he said. more..

Nov 12 (NR) NPP says the 2022 Budget has not presented any decisions to reduce the cost of living. MP Harini Amarasuriya claimed the image portrayed by the govt regarding Minister Basil Rajapaksa prior to the Budget, faded after the Budget was presented. MP said the govt Budget proposal does not encompass public expectations. She pointed out that an allocation of 7.2% of GDP which was promised to the public has not been granted, adding that allocations for health has also reduced. more..

Nov 12 (AFP) Sri Lanka slapped a tax on road accidents in a drastic austerity budget unveiled Friday as the country faces a major foreign exchange crisis. Minister Basil Rajapaksa said vehicle accidents will be taxed under new revenue proposals to keep the budget deficit at 8.8% of GDP in 2022, down from 11.1% this year. "It is proposed to impose a fee on vehicles meeting with accidents," he said. more..

Nov 12 (EN) SL plans to build three techno parks by 2023 in addition to two already being constructed, Minister Basil Rajapaksa said on Friday presenting the annual budget for 2022. �To boost a techno-entrepreneurship driven economy, budget 2021 proposed the establishment of techno-parks of which two are already being set up in Kurunegala (Rathgalla) and Galle (Akmeemana) while by 2023, three new techno-parks are proposed to commence in Habarana, Nuwaraeliya (Mahagasthota), more..

Nov 12 (EN) Sri Lanka plans to set up a Three Wheeler Regulatory Authority for tuk tuk taxis to decide on charges and matters of standardisation, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa said despite passengers deserting regulated buses in droves for innovative three wheelers. SL�s three wheeler sector has expanded amid falling quality and rising charges of regulated buses. Three wheelers have fares have been kept down by competition and innovation involving call centres and now taxi apps, more..