Nov 13 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa made a gem of a statement, while speaking at an event to mark the World Science Day, at Temple Trees, on Wednesday, but it did not receive adequate media attention. It was not about science and technology, though. Instead, it was about Sri Lankans� inability to make rational choices when they elect their representatives. The President wanted to know why the people re-elected the politicians they had voted out for failure to live up to their expectations, more..

Nov 13 (DN) The Budget proposals for the Year 2022 presented by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa is commendable as it was presented at a time when the country is facing numerous challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic situation, said Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena. He said that measures have been taken to take the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic draw back. He was speaking at Parliamentary premises more..

Nov 13 (TM) Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa has done something which no one else has ever done by presenting a viable and successful budget in Parliament yesterday, said Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena. He made this statement during his speech in parliament today (13). �We must all accept the fact that our Finance Minister has done something which no one else has done. He presented a viable and successful budget in parliament, despite the country going through more..

Nov 13 (TM) Ambassador of South Korea to Sri Lanka, Santhush Woonjin says he is hopeful that more Korean companies and tourists will arrive in Sri Lanka to seek business opportunities and to enjoy the charm and beauty of the island. He made this remark in a statement issued in view of the 44th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between SL and South Korea. In his communiqu�, the ambassador said: �Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1977, more..

Nov 13 (Island) Businessmen and politicians keep on clearing isolated forest areas in the North Western provinces and this is aggravating the human elephant conflict in the area in a dramatic way, Sajeewa Chamikara of the MONLAR says. Chamikara said that in recent years there had been a significant spike in the human-elephant conflict in the dry zone mainly due to the massive expansion of maize and sugar cane cultivations more..

Nov 13 (CI) Only two years ago James Neesham was wishing he had never been a cricketer, such was the heartbreak his side endured in the 50-over World Cup final. Not long before that he had actually contemplated giving up cricket precisely because he was struggling to come to terms with failing, an essential part of the life of any cricketer or a cricketing team. Only earlier this year, Justin Langer coached Australia to a four-Test home series defeat against a team that had a net bowler and more..

Nov 13 (ST) A leading girls school in Kandy and residents in the area have in a letter to the UDA protested against a high-rise building that they allege poses a danger to the school, especially during the prevailing weather conditions. The letter signed by the principal of Mahamaya Girls� College, the school�s development committee and residents, pointed out that the building had gone over and above the stipulated four storeys and was now 7 floors high and more..

Nov 13 (CB) Ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup final in Dubai, the ICC has inducted Mahela Jayawardene, Shaun Pollock and Janette Brittin into the Hall of Fame. This takes the tally of inducted players to 13 for the year, after 10 players were inducted earlier this year, ahead of the Test Championship final. While Sangakkara was among the 10 to have made the cut in June this year, his good friend Jayawardene joined him more..

Nov 13 (TM) Ambassador of SL to the Sultanate of Oman Ameer Ajwad launched a new brand of Ceylon Masala Tea, Soo Chai at the auditorium of the National Bank of Oman (NBO) in Muscat on 10 Nov 2021. Press release from SL Embassy in Oman noted that the Ceylon Masala tea named Soo Chai, is a product of Soo Group (Pvt) Ltd in SL which includes a premium quality blend of Ceylon tea combined with high quality Ceylon spices with over 10 natural health boosting ingredients. more..

Nov 13 (CT) Ex-Financial Director of Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Devika Jayaratne, giving testimony before Colombo High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja, stated a sum of Rs 5 million, belonging to the SEC had been handed over to the Tharunayata Hetak Organisation, while adopting the accepted criteria as well as with its approval. Hence, she insisted that no financial irregularities had taken place during the course of the transfer of the said sum to the said organisation. more..

Nov 13 (AD) Tax on liquor increased from today. The tax on liquor is increased with effect from today in accordance with the budget proposals tabled in Parliament by the Finance Minister. Commissioner of Excise (Law Enforcement) Kapila Kumarasinghe, made this announcement in a media briefing held today. Accordingly, � Tax on special arrack from Rs. 3,800 to Rs. 4,180 increased by Rs. 380; more..

Nov 13 (TM) The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) along with the Govt is set to introduce an incentive package for migrant workers which includes pension. Issuing a press release, the CBSL stated that with the contribution of the Ministry of Labour, State Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Market Diversification, the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, as well as the banking sector of the country, the aforesaid incentive package has been put forth. more..

Nov 13 (Island) Over 7,000 acres of paddy fields in Mannar had been destroyed by heavy rains and floods, Assistant Commissioner, Mannar Agrarian Services Department, A. Merin Kumar said. He added that those paddy fields had to be recultivated and they included 2,580 acres of paddy land in Manthai West, 990 acres in Musali, 180 acres in Nanattan and 560 acres in Mannar DS areas destroyed by freak weather. The remaining paddy land was in Madu. more..

Nov 13 (AD) Management of Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) PLC recently laid foundation for a factory expansion project in Trincomalee, to increase its manufacturing capacity by a further 1 million Metric Tons. The project scheduled to be completed by early 2023 will bring Tokyo Cement Group�s total installed capacity to 4 million MT, firmly establishing the Company�s position as the largest manufacturer of cement in the country. The new expansion project at the Tokyo Cement Factory in Trincomalee more..

Nov 13 (EN) Washington-based United States Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has US$ 150 million to SL�s DFCC Bank for lending to women led businesses, the US embassy in Colombo said. The tranche is part of US$ 265 million credit the DFC has committed to support micro, small, and medium enterprises in Sri Lanka with a special focus on women-led businesses. �Gender equity and equality are key aspects of the bold new global infrastructure initiative Build Back Better more..

Nov 13 (TM) The Budget for the year 2022 is rubbish, impractical and all lies, says SJB MP Dr. Harsha De Silva. He made this statement in parliament today in response to the 2022 Budget which was presented in Parliament yesterday (12) by Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa. �The main issues in the country have not been addressed. People will soon be dying of starvation, and not a single word was mentioned in his budget more..

Nov 13 (Island) SL�s exports to China is up by 111.2% so far this year, Chinese Ambassador to SL Qi Zhenhong said. He said that the two nations have been standing together and helping each other in the fighting against the pandemic. Pointing out that Sri Lanka�s GDP achieved growth of 8% in the first half of this year, Zhenhong said the cooperation between two countries in trade, investment, finance, etc., also bore fruitful results, with the value of bilateral trade in goods up by 54.7% y-o-y more..

Nov 13 (DN) SJB MP and former Media Minister Imtiaz Bakeer Marker while addressing a meeting highlighted that only Sajith Premadasa is capable to solve the people�s problems and certain elements are now trying to creating various issues inside the SJB. He said there is no secret that everybody who endorsed the leadership of the former regime clearly knows that both leaders took certain important decisions inside their bungalows without considering the plight of ordinary people. more..

Nov 13 (AD) Attorney General�s advice is to be sought with regard to the letter of demand issued by the Chinese company which supplied the controversial stock of organic fertilizer. Qingdao Seawin Biotech Group Co Ltd recently directed a letter of demand to Dr. W.A.R.T. Wickramaarachchi, Additional Director of the National Plant Quarantine Service of the Dept of Agriculture, seeking USD 8 million in damages from more..

Nov 13 (CT) Health Professionals Confederation (HPC) warned it would stage a protest followed by two days of trade union action in the next few weeks demanding the Health Ministry establish the rights of all State Health Service professionals, Joint Convener, Saman Ratnapriya said. Ratnapriya who is also the President of Govt Nursing Officers� Association (GNOA) warned that the HPC would stage a protest at 12 noon opposite the Health Ministry on 17 Nov 2021 and move for more..

Nov 13 (Reuters) Sri Lanka is confident of not defaulting on its debts and will work on gradually improving the quality of its foreign exchange reserves, finance minister Basil Rajapaksa said on Saturday. Rajapaksa said when presenting SL's 2022 budget on Friday that the govt will cut its budget deficit to around 8.8% of gross domestic product in 2022. The deficit target for 2021 was revised to 11.1%. "Sri Lanka has never defaulted in its history and that record will be maintained," more..

Nov 13 (Island) There was no concrete evidence to prove that National Thawheed Jamath (NTJ) leader, Zahran Hashim, who spearheaded the Easter suicide attacks, had met intelligence operatives, Director General Institute of National Security Studies, SL (INSS), Prof. Rohan Gunaratna said on Thursday. He said that there were rumours that Hashim�s wife, Hadiya, had told the PCoI on the Easter Sunday Attacks that more..

Nov 13 (CT) Former President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday (11) refuted Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage�s allegations that he constructed a house by connecting three nearby houses. Aluthgamage recently alleged in Parliament that Sirisena built a house by connecting three nearby houses. He also alleged that the then Ministers of the Yahapalana Govt had whiskey and partied with Sirisena while conspiring to change Ministers. In response Sirisena said he would resign more..

Nov 13 (TM) Sri Lanka�s viral sensation Yohani releases her single Moving On. Poised as one of the biggest rising artists out of Sri Lanka, Yohani has recently enjoyed huge success in India with her cover of Manike Mage Hithe (translated to In My Heart). Recorded in her native tongue, Manike Mage Hithe is the first Sinhalese hit song in India, peaking at #1 on the India Top 50 Spotify Chart, surpassing 170 million YouTube views and 18 million streams. A genre-breaking force of nature more..

Nov 13 (Hindu) A major concern for SL in the Indian Ocean Region is narcotics trafficking and we have discussed ways to enhance cooperation for information and asset sharing with regional partners at the Goa Maritime Conclave, according to Commander of SL Navy Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne. �I have discussed the matter with Adm. Karambir Singh and regional Navy Chiefs including Maldives, Madagascar, Seychelles. more..

Nov 14 (GV) Minister of Finance and Treasury officials have been busy putting the final touches to the 2022 budget. Numerous organizations, associations, chambers, critics and cheer leaders are even busier organizing pre-budget and post-budget discussions. This year�s budget is presented amid chaos and numerous challenges that the country has not faced in last 70 years. Some challenges were beyond control, some were avoidable, some were manageable, more..

Nov 14 (ST) With the presentation this week of the Budget for next year, the Finance Minister has already been and will be for the next few days at least, inundated with unsolicited proposals and gratuitous advice on how to manage the economy. One of the major factors resulting in a record Budget deficit is the vast bill to fund the Government. It is too fat and overweight. The continually rising bills of salaries, the pension and interest burden eat up the bulk of the Budget. more..

Nov 14 (ST) As Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa declared earlier, Budget 2022 was presented in the backdrop of an economy in serious decline, with a bleak future ahead and international credit agencies issuing warnings that Sri Lanka is on the ticking bomb path towards default in-servicing on its overseas loans. When Minister Rajapaksa began reading his inaugural budget on Friday, there were some notable instances in the House. more..

Nov 14 (CT) We are plagued by issues related to the Fertilizer requirements of our farmers demanding the restoration of status quo ante enabling them to revert to chemical fertilizers and weedicides as before for their cultivation practices. The matter has assumed proportions of a massive campaign developing across many parts of the country actively promoted and incited by external forces. The controversy on the responsibility remains confined to one section of the Govt machinery while more..

Nov 14 (ST) My dear Sabry, I thought I must write to you this week because there was a lot of speculation that you were about to quit the Cabinet after Gnanasara haamuduruwo was appointed as the head of a task force that would make suggestions about this so-called One Country, One Law which everyone is talking about. We were told that you were upset and annoyed that Gota maama had made this appointment without even mentioning it to you. more..

Nov 14 (SO) Minister S.M. Chandrasena said that there is no crisis in the Govt as highlighted by the Opposition. Minister said that there is a shortcoming on the part of some coalition party leaders of the Govt when they express dissenting views outside on certain issues. �However, these coalition parties have no idea whatsoever to quit the Govt. We have a group of party leaders who maintain firm policies and political ideologies. more..

Nov 14 (SO) Friday�s Budget 2022 presented in Parliament was significant in more ways than one. It was the first to be presented by new Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and also the first Budget focused on a post-pandemic world. It is indeed a challenging time for presenting a budget, with the local as well as global economy left reeling from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is worth noting that we are not out of the woods yet as far as Covid-19 is concerned. more..

Nov 14 (TM) Almost every one of the 75 budgets presented in this country prior to the 76th last Friday (12) entailed quite a bit of hype with the Govt in power leveraging the readymade PR opportunity to maximum effect. This hype reached a crescendo during the J.R. Jayewardene era, when SL�s longest serving Finance Minister to date, Ronnie de Mel, who had the unique distinction of presenting 11 consecutive budgets to a parliament that consisted of a 5/6 majority for his UNP, ruled the roost. more..

Nov 14 (CT) We are into political education by way of presidential questions and answers. President is asking the questions and the rest of us are free to provide answers as commoner than the commonest of people. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa doesn�t see the point in people re-electing the same politicians whom they have defeated before. He is, therefore, according to a Daily Mirror headline news story, urging voters to look for new people without electing the same set of people. more..

Nov 14 (SO) The second Budget of Prez Rajapaksa�s Govt and the maiden Budget proposals of Minister Basil Rajapaksa were presented in Parliament on Friday. It also marked the 76th Budget of Independent SL. The long-awaited Budget proposals for the Financial Year 2022 presented during a global pandemic were applauded by Govt and Opposition lawmakers from time to time. Finance Minister said the National Policy Framework Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour more..

Nov 14 (TM) The controversy over the Yugadanavi Power Plant deal between the Govt and US-based New Fortress Energy Inc (NFE) has further deepened following a recent revelation that the Treasury had entered into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the US-based energy company. The two parties signed an NDA with regard to the share sales and purchase agreement over the power plant. more..

Nov 14 (ST) The cricket world order will witness a new dawn when New Zealand�the most consistent team across formats in global tournaments during the last three years�meet title-starving Australia in the T20 World Cup final today. Both teams have never laid hands on the title of which there have been six editions since its inauguration in 2007. But both NZ and Australia produced electrifying performances this time, putting favourites England and Pakistan out of the running for the final more..

Nov 14 (SO) A comedy of errors by SL enabled Seychelles to pull off a sensational 1-0 win in their Mahinda Rajapaksa football tournament match under lights at the Race Course ground yesterday. The much anticipated home team put up a pathetic performance in a match they should have won with many scoring chances squandered as they gradually lost control of the game. Lankans lost several opportunities when their kicks either hit the uprights or were deflected away by the goal-keeper. more..